Iphone vs Android

People have been continuously arguing about which is better: the iPhone or the Android smartphone? The debate never ends, and most people choose to be fans of iOS or Android, no matter what. A year ago I started using an iPhone SE as my primary smartphone, and during this time I got to know Apple’s iOS operating system better. I previously used a Motorola Nexus 6 smartphone running Android 7 Nougat. I also reviewed many smartphones with Android, for my work here at Digital Citizen. On the iPhone SE, I use iOS 12. Here are the main differences I noticed between iPhones and Android smartphones.

The main difference between an iPhone and an Android smartphone is the phone’s operating system.

iPhone’s use iOS. Much like Apple’s computer, iOS is incredibly easy to use and offers a very smooth user experience. Apple polishes the operating system to a mirror sheen, and it works seamlessly with other Apple products. The main disadvantage of iOS is that it can be restrictive. There are less options to customize and tweak your iPhone, especially compared to an Android phone. The iPhone is the only phone that runs iOS, so there are less phones to choose from.

Apple keeps a very tight grip on what can or can’t be added to the App Store. There are so many apps on the App Store that this isn’t usually a problem, but it is worth noting.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Android. Android is a smartphone operating system developed by Google. A ton of companies make Android smartphones, including Samsung, LG, Motorola and Google themselves. You’ll have plenty of phones to choose from. Android as a whole is more “open” than iOS: there are countless apps on the Google Play Store, and you can completely customize the phone’s interface to your liking.

The disadvantage here is that Android phones can be slower and, for lack of a better term, more janky than an iPhone. While Google makes the operating system, it’s up to an individual phone manufacturer to make sure that their phone is fast and responsive.

2. The home screen on iOS is not as customizable as the one on Android

Coming from the Android ecosystem, I was used to being able to customize everything. The first big difference is the fact that the home screen on the iPhone is a lot more limited in personalization options than the one on Android.

The lock, notification, and home screens of an iPhone SE

On my iPhone, the only things I can change about the home screen are:

• Choosing a different image for the wallpaper
• Changing the order of the app icons
• Creating folders in which I can place multiple app icons

That is not much compared to what you can do in Android. These are the features I miss most:

• I cannot use widgets. The only place where you can have widgets in iOS is the Notifications Screen.
• There is no apps drawer like in Android. All the apps are shown on the home screen, so you have to create app folders to get all the clutter organized.

2. Security

Because Apple maintains such as tight grip on the applications that can be allowed on an iOS device, the devices are more secure.

On the other hand, the openness of the Android platform means that there is a bigger risk of not just malware but other security threats. This makes iOS devices a safer option for those who want a more secure device.

3. User Control

Apple takes the time to ensure that the interface is pleasant and well designed. Across all iOS devices you expect to find well designed products and Apple doesn’t disappoint. But when it comes to being able to customize how the widgets will appear, Android devices offer you better control.

Also there is such a wide range of different Android devices that to change the interface you just need to select a different Android device.