One of the most effective ways for businesses to capture the attention of customers in today’s time is to implement mobility. But, whether you implement your mobile app development for Android or for iOS, you would need a viable strategy at place. Of course, such strategy must also be considered for several hindrances related to implementation, time, developers, and funds.
This is also the time when both businesses and developers go through the chaos of choosing one between iOS and Android. It’s all about what to choose before another. Yes, many businesses and developers do not know how to make better decisions over choosing one mobile app development technology between Android and iOS.
In this post we have tried to light on those points which will help businesses and developers to choose a platform that better suits their needs. Let’s begin it.
Choosing a Mobile Application Development Platform
Mobile revenue is increasing with each passing day. No doubt, iOS is leading when it comes to generating revenue, but there is no match of any OS with Android when it comes to the number of devices running on it.
Let me make it a bit simple. You should, of course, choose the iOS mobile app development over others if you wish to make immediate profits on downloads or on the purchasing of subscriptions. Many mobile games aimed at making money via one-time payment or via subscription are initially launched for iOS devices like iPhone and iPad.
Alternatively, if an app itself isn’t a product generating direct revenue then iOS should not be the first and the only platform. If you wish to reach mass audience, iOS alone cannot serve this purpose because 85% of all smartphones in the world are already running on the Android platform. It cannot be ignored.
The Android apps can also be made with single-time payment or with subscription as the monetization model. It is contrary to the belief that only iOS apps can make good money and, Android apps can make money only via advertisement. A report from App Annie recently confirmed that Android to top iOS in app stores revenue this year.
It seems that choosing a platform over others just because it’s currently making more money is no more valid reason.
How to Code for an Android mobile app development App
There is no single perfect technology available for creating software for mobile devices. Maybe a technology has advantages over other but it can still not be the ultimate solution.
As depending on the project and the goals to be achieved, the app can be built with a simple interface to rapidly deliver results. If a business already has web app, the next step is to create an API. With the API, mobile app and the web, they both can be connected together. Once you implement the API, you can begin with the mobile app development.
If you are building an Android app, you will need the knowledge of Java. You can hire the Java developers who also build apps for Android operating system. Apps for iOS are nowadays created in with Swift.
Also, now Google has also brought in its on programming language Kotlin which will replace the use of Java for Android app development.
With Android Studio or Visual Studio, the app development processed can be perfectly optimized. These are IDEs which accelerate code completion, perform crash tests and deliver excellent visual features.
Here are key pros and cons of Android app development. They will help you decide whether you should the platform or not.
Android Pros
• Android is used by more than 85% of smartphone users and 60% of tablet users around the world. The OS has power to provide your app a wider exposure to the audience.
• Android allows developers to make desired customizations to their apps and also, the app approval policy of Google isn’t as strict as of Apple’s for iOS.
• You can launch your app on promised time, unlike the App store which may take from days to weeks to publish an app.
• There is no limit related to publishing alpha / beta apps
• A lot of possibilities for the integration of various hardware and customization.
Android Cons
• Because there are inconsistencies in the Android versions and the ecosystem, Android app development and testing usually take a lot of time.
• There are a number of screens and thus, Android app developers cannot target their apps to all these screens in single shot. They need additional customizations before their apps becoming available to the users.
• Many apps coming with latest features will only support or work in new devices.
How to code for an iOS App Development
Objective-C and Swift are two programming technologies available for the coding of iOS apps. Previously, all iOS apps were created with the use of objective C, but now many iOS app developers have started to use Swift as the programming technology for iOS apps.
Developers say that the Swift is way more powerful programming technologies with its high-performance memory and simple syntax. iOS apps by Apple itself are using Swift as the core programming technology.
Apple has strict app development guidelines at the place and, all iOS app development projects are required to adhere to these guidelines before they become available to the App Store. Also, Apple offers a robust IDE, Xcode which iOS developers use to code iOS apps. The latest version of this IDE allows developers operating large files, handling new refactoring tasks, visualizing second code, etc.
Even though Apple has set strict app development requirements, it facilitates the task by offering a robust IDE, Xcode. Its upgraded version now allows operating large files, handling new refactoring tasks, visualizing selected code, and more.
App Code is another IDE developed by JetBrains and, it also provides support to Apple’s Swift and Objective-C programming languages. Among several libraries recommended for an iOS mobile app development, developers are likely to use Realm, Hydra, and Moyo which provide them big help in their iOS projects.
Here are some key advantages and disadvantages of iOS app development: They will help you decide whether you should this platform or not.
iOS Pros
• One big advantage of building an iOS app is that you do not have to worry about the fragmentation. The iOS environment is not fragmented which means developers do not have to go extra miles to customize an app for a variety of screen sizes. This decreases huge cost and of course, requires less development time.
• The iOS devices are costlier which means not every user is not able to afford an iPhone or iPad. Users owning iOS devices are those people who have higher social-economic status as compared with average Android phone users. They are ready to pay for a digital product like app. Whereas, Android users are seen to seek free alternative of every app.
• Apple has its UI standards which do not require developer to invest too much time in the interface development of their apps.
• Also, there is a proven toolkit provided to run app development.
iOS Cons
• Every iOS developer is stressed when it comes to submitting an app for publication because Apple’s approval is strict enough and takes a lot of time.
• iOS, being a close source mobile OS, does not offer developers with enough freedom to make customizations to apps the way they want.
• There is no chance you can publish a beta version because Apple only accepts fully-functional apps.
