The mobile world

Android vs iOS: The Battle of Security, Speed, and Storage

A comparison between the two major mobile OS

Ankita Kapoor
Mobile App Development Publication

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The current market of the mobile operating system is ruled by the two most famous OS being Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. The other category is so small that it accounts for only 0.01 percent of the total volume.

The serious and the strong dominance by the two dominating OS is there in the market and will be there in the future. The fight is between the two in terms of several parameters and here I will reveal some of the differences between the two and which one is better in which aspects.

Though the revelations are totally my way of thinking, deciding the better between Android and iOS entirely depends upon the user’s choice, value, branding, versatility, and many other factors.

Above all, a tech lover will better understand the differences because it is not always about the pricing, the branding, and the inviting Apple logo on its back. It is much more than that and that is technicalities.

So, let’s address the differences here between the two in the battle of speed, security, and storage.

# Security and Privacy: Android vs iOS

Google Android

Both iOS and Android have decent records and safeguards when it comes to safety and security. Android OS is often triggered with a questionable security reputation when compared to iOS.

Well, how secure your smartphone is entirely dependent on your level of tech fluency along with personal and professional needs.

When it comes to security and privacy, none of the users can ever compromise with it. Here, Android apps are more prone to risk and have more vectors for malware to enter into the phone.

With Android, users can see various reports of vulnerabilities and attacks. For example, A wallpaper downloaded onto the phone can crash some Android 10 phones, or Android malware can steal your banking details.

Aside from all this, Android users have to manually remove the infected applications. With Android 11, the OS grants one-time access to location and other private data whereas in iOS 14, it allows the app to find the approximate location rather than the exact location.

No one owns android, on one is there to regulate it and the most important thing is that Android has open-source code and so anyone can just look into it.

Apple iOS

iPhone OS has its owner that we all know is Apple. It tightly controls all its apps that are available in the App store. The source code is owned by Apple and no one else is there to alter the code.

The iOS ecosystem is a closed one that only permits apps that don’t access the phone’s root coding. This reduces the need to install any iOS antivirus and makes the iOS antivirus nearly impossible for App store removal. You can always hire iOS app developer for your app to take advantage of these facts.

iOS is not vulnerable to attacks and has gained a safer reputation among its users.

Fact check:

Apple is concerned about its users and prioritizes users’ privacy by making its users feel safe that their personal data is not stored or read by Apple. The data is encrypted in iOS.

On the other hand, Android also encrypts some data but still the privacy is not completely protected. In Android OS, Google mines the data for information so that it can use better ads and market products to its users using AI (Artificial Intelligence).

However, Google claims that it completely protects user privacy but Apple went on arguing with Google stating that it presents a false choice between AI and privacy.

At this point in time, it is undeniable to say that iOS is the most secure platform when it comes to user privacy.

# Which one is Faster? iOS vs Android

Let’s have a look at the differences with respect to the following parameters:

Mobile Browser

Android’s Chrome browser is much faster than iPhone’s safari. It is a whopping 52 percent faster. Also, the optimized javascript does not make any difference to both of these OSs.

iPhone 4.3 Vs Android 2.3

Android 2.3 is much faster than iPhone 4.3 where the median load time is 2.144 second in comparison to iPhone’s median time that is 3.254 second.

Mobile sites Vs Non-mobile sites

Wired conducted a test on some 1000 websites in which 175 websites were designed for mobile, i.e they were responsive websites. Users always look for the website’s mobile browsing experience when they choose between Android and iOS.

They noticed that mobile sites get loaded in 2.062 seconds when compared to regular websites(2.857 seconds).

On iPhone, the difference was even greater, where mobile sites were 66 percent faster(2.085 Vs 3.33). On Android, the mobile sites were mere ‘8%’ faster(2.024'vs’2.180).

Cloud Services

When it comes to storage, Apple still lags way behind the cloud storage of Google. With iCloud, you will get only 5GB, while with Google’s cloud, users get 15GB plus cross-platform support. Also, the iCloud storage works only with Windows, Mac, and iOS.

For additional space, Google charges $2 per month for 100GB while on the other hand, Apple charges $1 per month for 50GB. So, here also, Android is cheaper when it comes to additional space. This is one of the main reasons for the popularity of Android and in-turn demand for hire Android app developer.

True, the iCloud Photo Library is good too, but accessing iCloud across devices continues to be problematic.

All in all, for cloud integration, Android is the one to beat.

So, at last, which one should you choose?

The twin OS giants trump each other in certain parameters. Choosing one between the two is often a matter of branding and status for many while some users look from the perspective of speed and security and make the buy accordingly.

The choice is pretty simple as you won’t get all the features packed in one OS. There is never a one-size fit all answer for you. Both the OS ecosystems are feature-packed but come with their own set of pros and cons.

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Ankita Kapoor
Mobile App Development Publication

Hey, I’m Ankita, a tech blogger working with ValueCoders who loves to share her extensive tech-related knowledge with like-minded people.