Every second meme you see nowadays is about an ‘Airpods’ owner and how they exude a rich aura. For years, the iOS users have been portrayed to be better than the Android users for some apparent magnificent flaw in human evolution that is failed to be seen by our naked eyes. The battle between Android users and iOS users has been around ever since the iPhone craze came around, but has recently gained more momentum. With Apple releasing a new model every year and the previous models conveniently failing to work as efficiently as they used to around this time, and their product ‘Airpods’ gaining popularity recently (as mentioned earlier-the memes!), the battle has reached new heights. Android, being the age-old giant that completely revolutionised the usage of mobile phones, patiently bears the brunt of the iOS frenzy.
Even though the first iPhone was released a year before the first commercialised Android device was released to the public, the android devices had a larger audience immediately after the release. This can be attributed to the affordability of the devices and how easy the software was to use. Though this entire battle in particular has surprisingly been thriving well for a little over a decade now, we are here to make things a little clearer for the section of our audience who lean a little to the Android side of the debate. Here are ten reasons why you might want to pick Android devices over iOS:
Range
It is a known fact that Android has way more options and choices for the users to choose from. The wide range of phones that are available for an individual to pick from is due to the fact that there are many companies that manufacture Android phones such as Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, and so on whereas Apple is the only iOS device manufacturer. This plethora of choices facilitates the customer to pick out that phone that suits their preferences, and this is easier to do in Android whereas Apple has only one range, thus restricting the user’s choices.
Customisation
Android users have the luxury of customising their mobile phones and devices according to their own personal preferences using either third party apps or sites. Even though Apple devices do allow the installation of third party applications, it is usually hard to customise the default integrated system and not all third party applications can be downloaded either- almost one in every few apps are not compatible with the iOS system.The fact that almost every iPhone looks the same stands testament to this point, and Android users easily have an edge over the iOS fanatics any day in this regard.
Storage
Imagine wanting to record a video of your best friend’s wedding, or even taking a picture with a long lost friend you’re meeting after years. Now imagine if your mobile phone ran out of storage right as they’re about to exchange rings or as you’re about to click the picture. While almost all Android mobiles offer expandable storage by means of Micro SD cards, iPhones are yet to catch up on this wave. The iPhones so far have not incorporated the option of external or additional storage and despite having a considerably large storage, does not compare to the additional storage facility offered by Android.
Developer-friendly
Android being open source makes it considerably easier for developers to publish and promote their apps on the Google Play Store. This is due the easier approvals that can be gained for the applications and also because the cost is relatively cheaper.
User-friendly
Android is known for facilitating easy file transfer from PC to the mobile phone whereas it is a Herculean task to transfer files to and from an iPhone. Applications and software are another area where Android has surpassed iOS in its enabling the users to easily install third party applications or software from the Google Play store. It is still pretty difficult to install apps or software onto an iPhone from the store, which is an obvious win for Android users.
Custom ROMs
One of the most revolutionary and unique features of the Android system is that the system allows the user to replace the existing Android system with a third party software that suits their needs and requirements better than the existing one. This is not a very tedious process and can be done by the users in an easy manner and is only an extreme case in point for the aforementioned customisation availability. This is available to an extent where it’s even possible to install external operating systems on an Android device such as Ubuntu, Firefox OS and so on.
Affordable
Android mobiles are renowned for their affordability and sustainability, whereas the iPhone prices are known to be sky high. Though there are a number of expensive Android devices and mobiles, the iPhones all fall in the high end category unlike their fairly occasional Android counterparts. In fact, the average cost of an iPhone is almost equal to that of two (non-high end) Android mobiles that work just as fine, if not better and longer. This is one of the main factors that helps Android exert its dominance all over the world.
Eco-system
Android has an extremely well integrated eco-system with the built-in Google’s suite of apps (such as Google Play, YouTube, Google Music, Google Maps, Google+ and so on) and Google’s services as well. Even though some Google services are now available in iOS as well, the level of integration available in Android is not available. A recent debate that has spawned is whether Google Now (Google’s new online mobile assistant) is better than Siri or not. Whatever the result of this debate may be, it is a given that the Android system is easier to navigate and to get used to than the iOS system, as mentioned earlier in the user-friendliness of Android.
Features
Other than the fact that Apple comes out with a new model of the iPhone every year, there aren’t that many updates or features that are added to the system very often. Not to discredit the company, but the only huge “changes” that are in fact made are nothing but simple changes in the alignment or display. However, the Android mobiles get an update in the system every now and then, apart from enabling the users to benefit from a lot of physical features as well. It is now such a prevalent but not baseless notion that iPhones are to be delicately handled, and that Android mobiles have had features such as waterproofing, dual speakers and AMOLED screens.
Multi-tasking
Be it watching a YouTube video while texting your mom or avoiding that ex-boyfriend’s calls and doing your work on the screen, it’s Android who is your best friend! Despite the options Apple gives you in ‘multi-tasking’ by switching back and forth between apps, it simply does not compare to the amount of convenience Android devices offer. From multi-windows that allow you to do perform two tasks at one to calls that you can avoid while doing other things, Android easily has an edge over iOS in this case.
What are your thoughts on the Android v/s iOS debate? Share your experience below.
