Mobile app development is now essential for business brands to smartphone users worldwide. The loyal customers of any brand prefer to use dedicated mobile applications to go to the same web portals. So, is iOS app development vs Android app development viable for any business? It is key to capturing and keeping customers in the digital world and better engaging them. However, while planning for it, there could be many hurdles. These will appear during the development, implementation, and maintenance of mobile apps.
Business owners and IT teams may face one question when thinking of a mobile app: Should we make it for iOS or Android? For those in a dilemma, this article aims to explore the key points about this choice. It aims to help you make the right decision. Let us jump in and identify why iOS or Android could be the right choice for you to go with.
Table of contents
Mobile App Development Android Vs Mobile App Development iOS – What to Choose?
As mobile app revenue is expected to grow multifold in the coming years, it essential to have a great mobile presence. Android seems to beat iOS in user numbers globally. But, some studies show that iOS dominates revenue and return on investment. So, you have to carefully consider many things, both internally and externally, to go with one.
We can put it only as mobile app development iOS is apt for any startups trying out for immediate profit. This is more lucrative if the customer makes a payment to use the featured app. Once an iOS app becomes popular and starts to yield profit. You may also think of working on Android app development. This can help you reach more people. By now, you know which features of the app are in high demand. You can boost those in the Android version.
On the other hand, if your business model does not want paid mobile apps, choosing iOS may not be the first option. So, if you want an enterprise use or as an e-com platform. Android may be the best choice as it offers many customization options. It is also straightforward to integrate on the Android platform. In the mobile app development for Android vs iOS confusion, iOS wins. It is the main source of income for paid apps. In contrast, Android offers a broader reach.
You can rely on both the platform and the app store. This is for subscription-based business models and to promote in-app purchases. Understanding the user location will also help you choose the right platform. It will give you better insight. For example, if the customer base is mainly in the United States. iOS is the best choice. That’s because most phone users there prefer Apple devices. But, if you target users in other countries like Japan, China, or Mexico, etc., then Flosum suggests choosing Android for your app.
Android App Development
When choosing a suitable technology stack for Android or iOS app development, it depends on your project’s goals. For example, if you want to speed up your app, you may need to use a much simpler and easier to load interface. Don’t focus on making a complex user interface.
Once the web app is already written, the API creation is the next big step to accomplish. An ideal API will help connect the mobile and web platforms. If .Net, C #, or Ruby on Rails, etc., are used for the back-end development, these same technologies should also be considered for the API. Once you are ready to release the API, you can then begin app development.
Java for Mobile App Development Android
To code for mobile app development Android, you need some specific Java knowledge to start with. Java is widespread. So, unlike hunting for Objective-C or Swift developers for iOS app development, it will be much easier to find an Android developer.
Kotlin For Mobile App Development Android
If you want to try out Kotlin development for Android, which is a more efficient language lately, it may not be easy to find expert developers. However, if you can find one, it is worth the effort to develop on Kotlin. This language is fully interoperable with Java and also makes coding and debugging much more comfortable.
With Visual Studio toolkits and Android, the mobile app development process for Android can be fully optimized. IDEs can help accelerate code completion. They can conduct crash tests and deliver the best visual features. With powerful Android libraries like Eventbus, Retrofit, and Active Android, the API interactions and communications between apps can be more efficient.
iOS App Development
When it comes to mobile app development iOS, then you are presented with various opportunities. As discussed above, Swift and Objective-C are the two major coding languages for iOS apps. Objective-C is more complex, whereas Swift is more straightforward yet powerful by featuring a high-performance memory.
Swift for Mobile App Development iOS
All the latest applications on iOS are developed on Swift, which means that it may fully replace Objective-C over time in terms of mobile app development iOS.
XCode for Mobile App Development iOS
Apple has strict specifications for mobile app development on iOS. But, it also helps development by offering a big and featured IDE called XCode. The new XCode can handle large files. It does this by doing refactoring and code visualization.
App Code is another such IDE that will assist the Objective-C developers in refactoring and code compilation. You can find many libraries also for iOS as Realm, Hydra, and Moya, etc.
Conclusion
When considering mobile app development for Android vs iOS, the best approach is to make apps for both. But, this requires extra cost and effort. So, you may decide which to build first, which can be somewhat problematic.
You survey customers and do thorough research to learn your client’s choice. This will help you decide on the best platform to go to first.
Another new option now is to develop for both Android and iOS with native app development. We will discuss native app development in detail in another article in this series.