It’s attainable to make use of a smartphone operating an working system apart from Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android (Tizen, LineageOS, /e/ anybody?), however the chance that you just’re doing so is infinitesimal. Prefer it or not, we’re presently locked in a duopoly in terms of cell working system selection. That is not essentially a foul factor: This two-way competitors has pushed what can solely be described as polished, feature-packed, and technologically potent software program. Each working programs are extremely tuned and decked out with options.
Nonetheless, your selection of smartphone OS most likely would not concern the software program’s technical capabilities or person options. It is possible that you just use what your social and household circles are utilizing. If everybody makes use of Apple’s FaceTime for video calling, you do not need to be neglected of the social gathering, and also you would not need your messages to have inexperienced bubbles as a substitute of the usual blue ones. In fact, there are cross-platform choices for many capabilities—you possibly can set up Google Hangouts or Skype on Android or iPhone—however built-in performance and consistency often trump third-party choices.
Under, we step by means of the varied points by which smartphone OSes may be judged, selecting a winner or declaring a tie for every class. On the finish, we tally up the ultimate rating. Remember the fact that each are mature works of software program at this level, and also you’re unlikely to be upset nevertheless you go.
Android vs. iOS: {Hardware} Selections
Your selection of units is much like the choices between macOS and Home windows computer systems. With Apple’s ecosystem, you will have a selection of only one {hardware} vendor, albeit a top-tier one. With Android and Home windows, you possibly can select from dozens of {hardware} makers with a wide range of value, high quality, and efficiency ranges. Android is open-source (in contrast with iOS’s closed system), so any telephone maker can use it. The result’s a profusion of Android handsets.
You will get a usable Android telephone for as little as $149. Our Editors’ Selection winner for reasonably priced telephones, the Motorola Moto e is a effective selection. Distinction that with the most affordable new iPhone you should purchase, the iPhone SE, which prices $429. On the opposite finish of the spectrum, you possibly can truly pay considerably extra for an Android telephone than for any iPhone: Some configurations of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (itself an important instance of the variability out there with the Android platform) promote for north of $1,800, and a 1TB Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely will set you again $1,599. The most costly Apple handset, the iPhone 14 Plus, prices $1,299 with 512GB storage.
One last Android-exclusive {hardware} function: You possibly can add storage on some Android telephones with a microSD card; with iPhones, you are caught with the storage you initially purchased.
Winner: AndroidWinner: Android
Android vs. iOS: Interface and Usability
It is honest to say that Android tends to current extra complexity—extra burrowing down menus to get to the setting you want, a number of house screens, and extra variation amongst totally different telephone mannequin interfaces. With iOS, due to Apple’s famed love of limiting customers to its method or the freeway, interface format and settings are extra constant and uncomplicated.
Due to iOS 16, although, now you can customise your iPhone display screen greater than ever, with spectacular, multi-layered backgrounds and colour schemes, massive, well-designed widgets, an App Library that robotically teams and organizes icons, and customizable icons. Admittedly, Android has been no slouch on this division both. Materials You customization radically updates Google’s OS with overhauled colour and syncing choices, giving your wallpapers and backgrounds a satisfyingly unified feel and appear.
Contemplating that Android is made by Google, it appears unusual that the search perform on iOS is superior. It is particularly noticeable when trying to find apps put in on the system. Apple properly teams outcomes into apps, emails, contacts, and even reveals apps not put in, with hyperlinks to the App Retailer. In all, iOS presents a extra polished, constant expertise.
Winner:Winner: iOSiOS
Android vs. iOS: Know-how Assist
New wi-fi tech requirements seem yearly. In the previous few years, Android has been the primary to welcome these new specs, nearly at all times previous their iOS assist. Android was the primary with 5G community assist; beforehand it beat Apple with assist for wi-fi charging, 4G LTE, and touchless voice instructions. That mentioned, Apple tends to attend till the brand new know-how is beneficial and dependable: As 5G service has turn into extra ubiquitous, iPhones 12 and up have supported the service.
Android additionally added assist for foldable and dual-screen telephones. For the reason that OS is open supply, third events like Microsoft can add performance to units just like the Floor Duo, an Android system that options two screens that show tailor-made content material (somewhat than simply being a single display screen that spans the 2). These applied sciences have not at all times been game-changing affairs, however there is no doubt that Android handsets are pioneering them.
Winner: AndroidWinner: Android
Android vs. iOS: Included Apps
Apple and Google supply many inventory apps that seem in your telephone from the second you first energy it up. For instance, you will see apps for e mail, net looking, picture viewing and modifying, audio enjoying and recording, video enjoying, and doc and spreadsheet modifying. Each embody apps that you just can’t uninstall even when you needed to, however in addition they allow you to substitute inventory apps with third-party choices. One oversight on the Android facet is the shortage of a activity or to-do app—iOS’s Reminders app is slick as may be for this. Google does get partial credit score, nevertheless, because the Preserve app is obtainable as an additional obtain at preliminary setup and does a very good job with to-do lists.
Messaging apps are value calling out, since that is a high smartphone exercise. Apple edges forward of Android right here, with its dazzling Memoji, Animoji, funds, video games, and entire iMessage app retailer. You possibly can even rapidly flip a messaging session right into a name or video chat with FaceTime. Nonetheless, Android will not be far behind. Android Messages have been overhauled to Wealthy Communication Companies (RCS), offering significantly better privateness options together with end-to-end encryption for 1-1 conversations. The flexibility to make use of it in an online browser paired by way of QR code is sensible. Then again, iPhone customers who need to ship messages on their laptop computer or desktop pc should keep completely throughout the Apple ecosystem to take action.
One other necessary included app for any cell OS is mapping. Google has lengthy been acknowledged because the number-one map service, however Apple has lower that lead down considerably in the previous few years with the inclusion of multi-stop routing and transit card integration with the Pockets app. Google remains to be extra thorough and up-to-date with native info, and it affords full Road View. One private fave is that it affords biking instructions, together with driving, strolling, and public transportation. Apple has made strides to maintain up with the addition of its personal biking navigation throughout all 50 states.
Each supply glorious health-monitoring, information, and podcast apps, however iPhone is best in terms of video modifying with the sensible iMovie and music creation with GarageBand.
Apple options its personal Translate app to go towards the market-dominating Google Translate. The search large’s app affords much more languages than Apple, together with instruments for locating textual content in photographs—significantly necessary for languages with an alphabet with which you are not acquainted.
Apple has radically enhanced the performance of its Dwell Textual content function for photographs, giving iOS its personal text-recognition capabilities for photos and video. This know-how acknowledges the picture topics, letting you spotlight, copy, or search textual content, in addition to isolate and save components from a photograph.
Winner:Winner: iOS (by a hair)iOS (by a hair)
Android vs. iOS: Availability and Fragmentation
When you purchase an iPhone, you may be assured that it’s going to obtain the newest iOS updates for not less than a number of years. Android is getting higher by way of updates turning into extra widespread, but it surely’s nonetheless behind iOS on this depend.
Neither firm’s developer website reveals the market share of the recently-released variations—Android 13 and iOS 16—however Android 13 runs on roughly 12% of units. Then again, iOS 16 has been adopted on 81% of iPhones, making iOS adoption an order of magnitude larger than that of Android.
Winner: iOSWinner: iOS
Android vs. iOS: Safety and Privateness
Each cell working programs have first rate data and safeguards in terms of safety, however Android, being extra open, has extra vectors for malware to enter your telephone. Particularly, apps are extra liable to deliver bother in Android, particularly when you set up them from another app retailer.
Privateness has been a spotlight in current Android variations, with quite a lot of new protections towards third-party app abuses. With Android 13, apps ask for permission earlier than they’ll ship you notifications. Android permits you to grant one-time entry to location and different non-public knowledge, however iOS permits you to inform apps your approximate somewhat than precise location. Since Google’s total enterprise mannequin revolves round gathering details about every person, it is onerous for the search advert firm to compete with Apple, whose revenue mannequin would not contain surveillance or profiling. All this isn’t to say that privacy-compromising apps cannot seem on iPhones, too.
Winner: iOSWinner: iOS
Android vs. iOS: Integration With Different Gadgets
Apple’s Continuity options are onerous to beat, however due to Home windows’ Telephone Hyperlink app and Android 13’s cross-device connectivity, you possibly can join with PCs simply as successfully as iPhones join with Macs. That even contains making calls. These capabilities rely in your telephone mannequin, with Samsung models getting desire. In fact, perhaps we should not give Android full factors for Microsoft’s work, however one handy Google function that Android allows is SMS messaging by way of the net.
Apple’s system ecosystem contains way over simply laptops and telephones, although: iOS ties in neatly with Apple Watch, Apple TV, the HomePod good speaker, and iPads (which now run their very own iPadOS working system). Google has the Put on Watch OS that is far much less prevalent than the Apple Watch, and Android tablets path iPads considerably. The Google Nest household of good audio system and screens, nevertheless, typically exceed Apple’s Siri-powered units in PCMag’s rankings, and third-party Google Assistant audio system can be found from the likes of Bose and Sonos.
Winner: iOSWinner: iOS
Android vs. iOS: Digital camera and Pictures
Smartphone cameras—and perhaps simply as importantly, the photo-processing apps that include the telephone OSes—have not too long ago been a spotlight for brand new smartphone and cell OS releases. In both system, you’ll find glorious digicam choices (together with multiple-camera programs). Do not get slowed down in megapixels, nevertheless: Despite the fact that you’ll find Android telephones with super-high megapixel numbers—the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely can shoot at a whopping 200 megapixels—that quantity is much less necessary that the design of the digicam sensor. For an in depth evaluation, learn PCMag.com’s comparability of the finest smartphone cameras.
Each OSes even have spectacular picture enhancement software program to make your photos look even higher than the sensor and lenses are able to by themselves. Each can add bokeh (background blur) to a portrait, and each supply gradual movement, panorama, low-light, and time-lapse capturing. Android has the benefit of letting customers create picture sphere 360-degree photographs, whereas iOS customers want a secondary app for this perform. In any other case, Android and iOS are neck and neck in regard to picture performance.
Android 13 makes use of Google Lens performance to allow you to seek for close by procuring, in addition to translate textual content and scan paperwork. iOS 16 makes use of its expanded Dwell Textual content perform to the identical finish, and even permits you to use the function in movies as effectively. Impressively, iOS 16 expands this to acknowledge picture topics. Known as Visible Look Up, iOS 16 can determine objects and topics in {a photograph}, letting you isolate them from their background to make use of as a separate picture. It may well even present extra details about the topic, when you had been photographing a landmark, for instance.
Each OSes allow you to save uncooked digicam information, which photographers will little doubt respect, so that you now not want third-party apps like the wonderful Adobe Lightroom Basic app (which is out there on each platforms).
Winner: TiedWinner: Tied
Android vs. iOS: App Ecosystem
It was once the case that apps got here to iOS first, after which ultimately made their solution to Android. That is nonetheless the case with some main suppliers like Adobe, which has launched the Photoshop pill model solely to iOS (now iPadOS); that makes eminent sense, since Android is pretty moribund within the pill area, which Apple mainly owns. However some main apps now come to Android first.
One other necessary differentiator is that Android truly lets you set up software program from non-Google app shops, and even to side-load them, bypassing the shop completely. This is among the solely methods to obtain and play Fortnite on Android units, amusingly sufficient. One other comfort you will not discover in Apple’s retailer is the power to remotely set up apps onto your telephone by way of the net. Say you come throughout an app in an article you are studying in your laptop computer. If it is Android, you possibly can merely go over to the Play Retailer’s web site and set up it proper then and there. With iOS, it’s worthwhile to go to the system itself to get the app put in.
Winner: Android (by a nostril)Winner: Android (by a nostril)
Android vs. iOS: Voice Assistant
Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant allow you to carry out actions utilizing your voice. Each are simple to invoke and supply a wake phrase, at all times listening choice (which we’re not a fan of on a telephone that is at all times with you).
In our expertise, Siri typically offers an unhelpful reply or would not carry out an motion that you really want accomplished. She’s effective for calling somebody, however once you need to open an app, you may even see net search outcomes as a substitute. Apple claims its assistant improves with each iOS launch, however we’ll simply have to attend and see. Google Assistant shows extra intelligence, albeit with much less character. We discover Siri’s voice choices to be extra nice than Assistant’s.
Siri affords Shortcuts and Automations. Shortcuts are multistep motion recipes, and Automations launch actions based mostly on triggers like your location or the climate. Google Assistant claims over one million actions, together with issues like asking it to play a specific present on Netflix or order a thin latte at Starbucks. Each assistants tie into wealthy good house ecosystems, Android with Google Dwelling and Siri with Apple HomeKit units, so whichever you will have, you possibly can relaxation assured that you’ll flip up the warmth, elevate the shades, or open the storage door—assuming you will have all of the requisite good home equipment.
Google Assistant permits you to management a TV with a Chromecast, and the corporate simply launched a brand new mannequin with a Google TV interface based mostly on Android TV that additionally ties in with the voice assistant.
One last level is that you should utilize Google Assistant or Google Dwelling on an iPhone, however you should utilize Siri solely on Apple merchandise.
Winner: AndroidWinner: Android
Android vs. iOS: Parental Controls
Each OSes have sturdy parental controls, however the greatest distinction among the many two is that Android permits you to extra simply and utterly set up third-party parental management software program. That mentioned, iOS affords deeper built-in parental controls.
In response to Apple’s assist pages, you should utilize its Display Time function to “block or restrict particular apps and options in your kid’s system,” and “limit the settings in your iPhone, iPad, or iPod contact for specific content material, purchases and downloads, and privateness.” As its title suggests, you may also maintain tabs on the period of time a toddler spends in apps and on the internet. It’s also possible to view detailed experiences on all exercise. Dad and mom can configure limits for youngsters utilizing the Household Sharing function, and lock them down with a passcode that solely the guardian is aware of. They’ll additionally set communications limits, solely permitting calls, messages, and Facetimes with set contacts.
The very first thing you do once you arrange an Android telephone is to decide on whether or not it is a guardian or kid’s telephone. As talked about, Android would not restrict you to its personal parental controls, permitting third-party choices like our Editors’ Selection decide, Norton Household. Google’s Household Hyperlink app lets dad and mom view children’ exercise, approve app downloads, set display screen limits, lock their system, and see their location.
As a result of Apple affords stronger built-in parental options, and Android has the benefit of permitting third-party options, it is a wash.
Winner: TieWinner: Tie
Android vs. iOS: Gaming, VR, and AR
Apple and Google have put efforts into video games, and enabling VR and AR applied sciences of their cell working programs. Each supply massive libraries of informal and near-console-level video games. And each now allow you to subscribe to a choice of video games versus having to purchase every individually. Apple’s Arcade and Android’s Google Play Move each price an similar $4.99 per thirty days.
The subscriptions lack adverts. Play Move contains some non-game apps from less-known builders. Sadly, Google Stadia is now defunct. The streaming video games service might not have been reviewed effectively, but it surely was attention-grabbing conceptually, as a part of the Google ecosystem.
The iOS App Retailer affords a wholesome choice of VR apps and VR video games that you may discover on sure VR headsets. Apple continues to enhance its ARKit know-how to energy augmented actuality apps that deliver 3D objects into your precise worldview. The truth is, Apple is rumored to be releasing its personal VR headset, even perhaps before anybody anticipated. Apple-driven digital actuality tech could also be simply the push the style must hit the mainstream.
Google sadly deserted its promising Daydream VR and Tango AR initiatives, however work continues on ARCore augmented actuality know-how, and the corporate nonetheless has a dozen VR tasks letting builders construct apps utilizing the know-how. The Digital camera app’s Playground mode affords nifty 3D animations that match into the actual world, and its Google Lens makes use of AR to overlay close by procuring and eating locations. You possibly can nonetheless additionally bask in VR utilizing Google Cardboard.
Winner:Winner: TieTie
Android vs. iOS: Enterprise Options
Two of the earlier sections come into play right here: Safety and Updates/Fragmentation. Each are wins for iOS, however there are different necessary issues when selecting a smartphone platform for enterprise. For some companies, the open structure of Android is preferable, letting them create apps that go deeper and wider by way of accessing system options. For instance, Android lets third-party providers take over the telephone for parental management, whereas Apple doesn’t.
Both telephone performs effectively with each Microsoft Workplace and Google Docs, in order that’s not a differentiator. Android does combine higher with Home windows 10, nevertheless, significantly with the Telephone Hyperlink app mentioned above. Since most companies run on Home windows, that may very well be a purpose to decide on Android.
Winner: TieWinner: Tie
Android vs. iOS: Accessibility
Each corporations have been engaged on including options that assist individuals with disabilities use their telephones. Android has a Dwell Transcribe function that lets deaf individuals learn what’s being mentioned on the spot. It additionally affords TalkBack to talk what’s on the display screen, Lookout to let you know what’s in view, and Voice Entry for controlling your telephone. It additionally helps exterior switches (from AbleNet, Enabling Gadgets, RJ Cooper, and Tecla), and allows you to reprogram telephone buttons. It not too long ago added per-app language personalization, which is great for multilingual customers, even when the function will not be as app-ubiquitous as we might have appreciated.
Apple has an extended listing of accessibility options, together with the VoiceOver display screen reader, zoom, dictation, Magnifier, Voice Management, Pointer Management, and extra. A Sound Recognition function resembles an analogous Android functionality. One accessibility function launched on iOS is Again Faucet, which anybody can use to set off an motion by tapping the again of the telephone (and it really works on fashions all the best way again to the iPhone 8)
There are Made for iPhone listening to aids, and the platform additionally helps exterior {hardware} swap controllers, just like the AbleNet TrackerPro hands-free mouse that follows head actions. Each platforms also can reap the benefits of third-party accessibility apps akin to Be My Eyes, AccessAble, and TapTapSee.
Winner:Winner: TieTie
The Last Tally: iOS 5, Android 4, Tie 5
As you possibly can see, this can be a shut race. Apple’s iOS in the end comes out on high—however by a slim margin. The close to parity is hardly stunning when you think about how the 2 platforms have been matching options and sharpening their interfaces for years.
Regardless of the shut race, our assessment ranking has Android with a decrease rating as a result of such a small proportion of Android customers can truly run the newest model, and since Apple typically does a greater job of implementing the identical options. Not all the classes above obtain equal weight, in different phrases. Each OSes can serve you remarkably effectively. Ultimately, your determination will possible have as a lot to do together with your social and work circles as with the working system’s options.
Learn Extra: Apple macOS vs. Microsoft Home windows
The opposite massive working system warfare is on the desktop stage. We evaluate Apple macOS with Microsoft Home windows level by level, simply as we have accomplished for Android and iOS. For extra recommendation on smartphones, learn PCMag’s roundup of one of the best cell phones cash can purchase right this moment.