One of the most common tech argument you can easily get into is which is superior, Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS. While most iPhones users would defend their OS, android users too tend to lay the same claim that their OS is superior.

Unfortunately for consumers, it’s more difficult than ever to jump from one OS to the other. When picking up a new handset, most people are likely to stick to what they know, and with good reason: moving wholesale from one platform to the other can be a real pain.

In this review, we are going to establish which is the superior, not based on assumptions or hearsay, but based on facts obtained from reliable sources.


ANDROID VS IOS: THE ORIGIN
Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on the Linux kernel and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Initially developed by Android Inc., which Google bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007, along with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance – a consortium of hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. The first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 (or the HTC Dream in the US) appeared in September 2008, the operating system has gone through multiple major releases, with the current version being 7.0 “Nougat”, released in August 2016. On the other hand, iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that presently powers many of the company’s mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Originally unveiled in 2007 for the iPhone, iOS has been extended to support other Apple devices such as the iPod Touch (September 2007) and the iPad (January 2010). Major versions of iOS are released annually. The current version, iOS 10, was released on September 13, 2016.
So we can say though they were unveiled almost at the same time, the IOS launched before the Android.



ANDROID VS IOS: THE BASICS
The basic software experience is actually fairly similar between Android and iOS. Aside from the initial setup, users are greeted by a lock screen, requiring a swipe gesture or authentication challenge to enter the system. Once inside, you get a Homescreen or two and some apps. Everything from your system settings to your favorite game or social media program is made available through individually installed and updateable programs, and each ecosystem has an attached store to install from a collection of over a million other apps. Apps generally run in fullscreen mode and, for the most part, you can only really use one app at a time. That is not to say that you cannot multi-task, just that without the latest of iOS software and devices, specialized apps on Android or the latest Android 7 Nougat installed, only one app displays on screen, your other ‘multi-tasking’ apps will need to run in the background. This is ideal for music players or file downloads, but means you cannot, generally speaking, have a spreadsheet and a text document on screen at the same time. Luckily, this is changing, as the latest versions of both operating systems are incorporating split screen app usage.


ANDROID VS IOS: USAGE
Both Android and IOS’s user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation, using touch gestures that loosely correspond to real-world actions, such as swiping, tapping and pinching, to manipulate on-screen objects, along with a virtual keyboard for text input. In addition to touchscreen devices, Google has further developed Android TV for televisions, Android Auto for cars, and Android Wear for wrist watches, each with a specialized user interface. Variants of Android are also used on game consoles, digital cameras, PCs and other electronics. While Interaction with the IOS includes gestures such as swipe, tap, pinch, and reverse pinch, all of which have specific definitions within the context of the iOS operating system and its multi-touch interface. Internal accelerometers are also used by some applications to respond to shaking the device (one common result is the undo command) or rotating it in three dimensions (one common result is switching between portrait and landscape mode). Apple has been significantly praised for incorporating thorough accessibility functions into iOS, enabling users with vision and hearing disabilities to properly use its products.
Looking at the added functionality of usage by people with hearing and vision disability, the IOS also scores higher than the Android. But also looking at other functionality support (TV, cameras etc.), the android outshines the IOS.


ANDROID VS IOS: VERSIONS
Beginning with the first commercial Android device in September 2008, Android operating system has gone through multiple major releases from version 1-7, with the current version being 7.0 “Nougat”, released in August 2016. Rumours of Android O is circulating, nothing concrete yet. As for the IOS, major versions are also released annually. The current version, iOS 10, was released on September 13, 2016. It is available for the iPhone 5 and later iPhone models, the fourth-generation iPad, the iPad Air and iPad Air 2, the iPad Pro, the iPad Mini 2 and later iPad Mini models, and the sixth-generation iPod Touch. Its successor, iOS 11, was announced on June 5, 2017, with a consumer release set for late 2017. Recent updates to both operating systems have added a ton of new functionality and features that out-do their respective predecessors. Multi-tasking is the name of the game on Android and APIs for Siri are the big news on the iOS side. There is way more to each OS update, but these are, I believe, the key features. Starting with iOS 10, which began hitting devices in September, there were many little improvements and more than a few updates to system apps like Safari, News, Music and more. Lift to wake uses sensors to identify when you lift the device up to face you, turning the display on for you. Handy, but, truth told, a feature that has been around in Android for a while, if only only a select few devices. Moving over to Android Nougat, and more specifically Android 7.1 as found on the Pixel phone announced in October, the personal assistant theme prevails with Google Assistant. What you may know as Google Now, a voice search tool with some basic functionality beyond search, the bump up to Assistant takes things to a similarly new world. We’ve been waiting on this since Google teased it at Google I/O earlier in the year, a voice search tool that can live on more than just your handheld device – look for Google Home and more – that can handle everything from reading you the news, reminding you your schedule for the day, all the way up to playing music or casting your favorite movie on the big screen. Updates to the OS, which are only a month old themselves, include muti-tasking features that include split-screen functionality, for some apps at least, and new functionality to the Recents button – just double tap to jump between your two most recently used apps. The Notification Shade, Quick Settings and main Settings have been revamped for easier navigation and customization as well.
The IOS has more versions than the Android but the android seems to have more functionalities


ANDROID VS IOS: FEATURES
Since Google decided to spin its main apps out of Android, the mobile OS itself is essentially just the app launcher and the Settings screen. In contrast, iOS updates still include updates to Mail, Maps, Safari, Notes, News and all the other apps you get with the software. As we’ve noted, Google gives users and app developers more flexibility in terms of editing the way the OS works (default apps, lock screens, widgets and so on) – on iOS, you’re pretty much stuck with the way Apple wants to do things (which for many users is just fine).


ANDROID VS IOS : PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Visually, Android’s Material Design offers a more colourful, well-defined visual interface than iOS, which hasn’t had a major overhaul since 2013. Apple’s OS is all translucent shades and thin lines, Google’s is blocky card shapes and bold headings and fonts.

ANDROID VS IOS : MULTITASKING
Both OSes handle multitasking in similar ways and iOS has also added a back button of its own in recent times. Both have battery saving features, mobile payments support, digital assistants, and the ability to back up all of your precious data to the cloud automatically.


ANDROID VS IOS : ECOSYSTEM
Both Google and Apple want to lock you into their respective app ecosystems, but Apple is far more serious about it: you won’t find support for iCloud or Apple Mail on Android, whereas all of Google’s apps are available (and run very well) on iPhones and iPads.


Read more https://naijmobile.com/android-vs-ios-battle-suprimacy/

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Nice piece. Very educating