Is IOS really better than Android?
Shawn De Cesari at AndroidPolice.com wrote an opinion piece entitled “Sometimes The Grass Really Is Greener On The Other Side - Six Major Things I Think iOS Does Better Than Android.” You can find it here. In it he described 6 things that he felt iOS was better at than Android. I applaud him for acknowledging that a lot of it is subjective, but even with that admission I found some of the logic questionable. Anytime you’re comparing the two most used platforms on the planet I think it’s pivotal that you don’t confuse carrier and OEM decisions with the software itself. It’s also easy to mistake native app integration for accessibility and ease of use. Despite this I think Shawn’s article is a great read because it forces users to ask questions. Below I describe my views on the 6 things that he covered.
Cross platform sms and calling. I’m not seeing how setting up Google voice once is any more inconvenient then setting up texting on multiple iOS devices. On any subsequent device I just install hangouts and I’m good to go. The whole SMS on multiple devices thing is all about accessibility right? I can’t use imessage on my android phone but I can use hangouts in any browser and on any iOS device. Unless I’m mistaken there’s currently no way to use imessage when running Windows right?
Software updates. I always find it a little disingenuous to talk about Android updates without mentioning that Nexus devices can upgrade and downgrade at will. It’s also worth noting that the Nexus updates are far smoother in their delivery than iOS. A far higher percentage of iOS users are forced to connect to a Mac to get their update then nexus users. The fact that nexus users have the option and take full advantage of manually flashable updates is a positive not a negative. Again, if I want to flash my n6, n5v or n7 back to the software it originally shipped with (or anything between that and the newest version) and stay there I have the option. I’m sure there are several hundred thousand iPhone users that wish they could have done this between iOS 8 and 9 without losing support from Apple. Again, when it’s time to distribute OTA software updates Google does exactly what apple does. If you didn’t get yours blame the OEM or carrier, not Android software.
Battery Life. I’m not sure what this guy is doing with his phone but he’s the first person I’ve heard of that think iOS battery life is better than a comparable android device. All things being equal Amoled screens are always going to be more efficient than LCD and most Android devices use Amoled screens. (It’s part of why Apple is switching to them.) It’s important to remember that on Android apps have much more leeway to perform background processes. If you’re dumb enough to put the Facebook app on your phone you don’t deserve good battery life. Yes it’s partly Facebook’s fault for creating a shitty app but doesn’t mean you have to install it or keep it installed if it shows up as bloatware. The fact that apps like Facebook consume more battery life on android is not the fault of the open system. Android does require developers to be cognizant of the platform they’re working on and it’s underlying parameters, but we’ve seen that iOS can’t come close to mimicking the most powerful android apps (like Tasker). If you’re building a solid app then background processes will always be a plus not a negative.
Carrier integration. This is another area where the logic seems a little foggy to me. It’s hard to reconcile blaming the Android platform for at&t’s decisions not to support features that the hardware and software do support. I’m just not seeing how this makes iOS better at it than Android. To me... It just highlights carrier stupidity.
Device Backups. When it comes to device backups it looks like the author is reaching. If he’s not willing to install a backup app on his phone why would he ever want to install iTunes on his PC. ITunes is known in all circles as a terrible software. No one likes it but it’s essential for a complete iOS experience. If it wasn’t know one would ever download it. As it happens full Android device backups can be done without root using the nexus root toolkit. Some might argue that it doesn’t count because non nexus devices can’t use it but in truth, they could if they just stuck to the stock android firmware. The truth is it would actually cost less for OEMS to release devices this way. The whole native vs 3rd party thing is really interesting. Would you rather use a 3rd party backup app that does exactly that and doesn’t shit on your PC? Or do you want to install iTunes? The writer even mentioned that the presence of Google services on iOS is what made the switch palatable - all of those are 3rd party solutions on iOS. It seems slightly hypocritical to highlight this as an advantage at the beginning then turn around and say iOS is better at backups because it provides a native backup option despite the fact that the actual process is the same. Download the app to your phone or PC... Perform said backup. The real difference being you’d have to pay me to ever put iTunes on my PC again.
Conclusion. Yeah I’m horribly biased but I just don’t see iOS winning in these areas when you lay out the facts.
Written by: Obi Onyeador
