Why choose Android over IOS

Courtsey TheVerge

Remember 22nd of October when the first android phone was made (HTC dream)? That was just a year after the first Iphone was invented (June, 2007) and ever since then, they’ve managed to stay on top simply because they’re great operating systems.

It has been going great for Android, but with a bunch of competitors waiting in the wings there’s no time to rest on laurels. So in 2017, what are the reasons why Android beats iOS?

Oh, the variety!

Courtesy TechRader

We have HTC, Google, Sony, LG, Motorola, Huawei, ZTE, Samsung, and others? Well they’re not competition. While it’s almost like apple doesn’t care about their users, Android is ALL ABOUT THEIR USERS. All niche demands like dual SIM, MicroSD slot, keyboard (BB priv), removable battery are catered for with android (Even tablets). Yes we know, not all manufacturers offer all these but because, ‘Oh, the variety’, there are manufacturers that still do. The huge range of manufacturers are attracted to android and licensed to run amok are allowed to do whatever they deem fit, from changing colours to changing and even inventing new interphases (HTC did a darn good job with that). As a result the similarities between smartphones and tablets are blurred. Compared to the same old iPhone/iPad lineup. Die hard apple fans will say “Apple has sizes to offer”, but size is really the only differentiator there and there’re just 2 sizes. The iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, for example, have pretty much the same specs with the main difference being screen size and resolution. The same argument applies to the iPads, even though there are more choices than with the smartphone counterparts.

Like I said before ‘Oh, the variety’. When it comes to budget, you can get whatever you’re looking for with android while apple just keep on giving you virtually the same thing every time with drastic changes in price (and I mean drastic). Almost anyone can afford an Android phone. It might not be all-singing and dancing, but there are solid budget options that give people a true smartphone experience. There’s the Moto G, Honor 5X, OnePlus 2, and even low-cost flagships like the Moto X Pure Edition. Apple gives you so many options like iphone 7, Iphone 7s and  iphone 7s plus (Wow so many) and they’re so affordable  their prices will choke the life out of you.

You can literally spend $150 to $300 and get you a reliable android smartphones which give experiences nearly as good as the flagship devices. Affordability has been a major driver for Android while the same can’t be said about apple (you know it’s true). You could get the Google Pixel, or the Samsung Galaxy S7 that do well to surpass apple’s iphone Or you could get very good budget phones like the mid-range HTCs or the Nexus.

Customizability (a word?)

Oh my goodness, Android lets you do whatever you want (Almost). They have given you the freedom of setting up live wallpapers, alternative keyboards, using launchers to even custom ROM installs. Awesome, isn’t it? But even after all the money you pay, apple wants you to not be able to customize your device because they want to keep control of default apps in order to maintain a homogenous software and hardware experience.

Apple lovers defence to this is always “only geeks care about this stuff”, but we all know that’s a big lie. I mean come on, did you see how happy they were when apple introduced third-party keyboards and basic widgets (They hyped it so much they forgot android users could see them). Some manufacturers even allow complex hardware customization. For example LG has replaceable leather back plates and Motorola has Moto Maker. Don’t forget google is working on ARA and we’re all excited. Remember, It’s almost like apple hates you so they will never allow you do that. But apple has graced you with insane colour varieties like black and jet black (That’s really literally insane).

Beautiful Widgets

Android’s widgets have long been the jewel in their crown compared to the boring rows of icons you find in iOS. Even Microsoft saw the advantage, developing the Live Tiles for their Phones and laptops.

You don’t need to open an app to see the information you need. Just one look at the widget is enough for you to see what you need and that’s a major advantage android has over ios. And yes, I know Apple introduced widgets in September 2015. They’re ridiculous. They are only live in your notification area. They’re not the same! Android still wins here.

Multi-tasking

Yes iOS does multitask. You can do multiple things at once by switching apps back and forth, but that doesn’t even come remotely close to the level of multi-tasking of most androids. Take Samsung as an example, which introduced multi-window long ago, in which you can view multiple apps at once.

Courtesy PhoneArena

Apple has been slowly trying to adopt android features. An apple fan will say “ios has multi-window too”. Remember ios started multi-window in 2015 and most of Apple’s multi-tasking features also remain limited to the ipad, however, and by the time they really bring it to the next level, it’s fairly likely that even Google’s “stock” vision for Android will offer some form of multi-window navigation.

Launchers

No need to say much here because the only difference between my iphone and yours is the wallpaper. But when two android users come together in the presence of an iphone user start talking it’s like a foreign language (to ios users). Words like ‘launchers’, ‘live wallpapers’ and ‘theme’. Android users have full control over the kind of interphase they want their phone to have (at least I do) and because android loves us like their kids they give us what we want (even before we ask). You can choose from a variety of custom launchers in Google Play and even customize everything from home screen layout, to page transitions, effects and gestures.

Apple users will say “we don’t care about launchers”. Another lie. Ask them what they do to make their boring phone interphase more interesting, they’ll say “It’s not boring” tell them “you’re not creative”. More interesting Launchers are also very good for those instances where you love a handset but don’t really like manufacturer’s custom interface. A launcher goes a long ways in these kinds of situations. And if you love android but actually like the looks of IOS or Windows you could get launchers that give you similar looks and feel and when you get bored you delete it. Simple as that!

Custom ROMs

You can actually replace the software that came with an android device with a custom ROM if you want to. I know you’re thinking, what does this mean!! It means installing a new operating system and many Android users do it because some manufacturers are slow to provide upgrades to the latest version of the Android platform. Some do it to achieve better performance or  gain access to some add-ons or tools. This is definitely the extreme end of Android customization and you need to exercise a little caution to ensure that you don’t mess up. “Hell, there’s even ways to install completely different operating systems on some Android devices, such as Ubuntu, Firefox OS, Sailfish, and the list goes on. Google integration Some years ago we discussed why Google and Android will prevail over Apple and iOS, and this specific topic is still one of the main reasons. Android devices integrate seamlessly with Google’s array of services. People are increasingly using their mobile devices to go online and Google is king of the web. Google Docs, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Music, Google+, Google Chrome…the list goes on, and Apple and iOS are not keeping up. Sure, many Google services are now in iOS, but that deep level of integration simply isn’t there. And this is anIMPORTANT factor, because most of us use one or two… or three or 10 Google services. You want these to work seamlessly, and Android offers that.” Forbes said.

Google Now

This stands out from the crowd of Google services. Now with Google now you can search whatever screen you are on and google finds info about it. That surpasses siri. Although there’s the Google app for ios there are elements of Google Now that you can only enjoy on Android. “When we look to our technology to push things forward and offer real convenience boosts to daily life, the predictive and pre-emptive nature of Google Now as it seeks to fulfil your desires before you think to search, could be truly revolutionary.” Forbes said.

Being an A.I, siri is better than Google now but Google now is straight to the point and easier to access than siri (courtesy to the availability of Hello google on any screen). There’re also plenty other new features putting it on-top, such as Google Now on Tap.

Conclusion!!

“The Android industry moves fast, and so does Bugs, lag, an ugly interface, a lack of apps – Android’s weaknesses have been systematically dealt with by a determined development team. The Android platform is unrecognizable compared with the first release and it continues to improve and evolve at a faster pace than the competition. That big user base and the wide range of manufacturers producing Android devices can only drive further improvements to greater heights. While iOS stagnates, paralyzed by the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” school of thinking, Android continues to innovate and improve at a faster rate. Think about it. Android adopted NFC first, as well as fingerprint readers, and face & retina scanners, and mobile payments, and higher definition displays. The list goes on” Forbes said

The real conclusion!!!

Why would you spend so much on an ios device when they have so little to offer you? If you think otherwise let us know in the comments section.