The question – which platform between Android and iOS should an app be developed for the first – still exists. But when it comes to answering this question, experts have their own suggestions, theories and conclusions to either support both or one of them. Of course, it’s not easy to decide this, but still, there are certain aspects which may guide a business or developers to choose one of them or both. Also, beginning the project of app development for multiple platforms at the same time isn’t a smart go as it will cost double the time, double the money and double stress.
So don’t even think of launching an app on multiple platforms at the same time unless you have big budgets and a large team of managers to take care of processes and progresses. The smart choice for businesses is that they go with a single platform because you can easily spot 99 users out of hundred using a single device in routine.
But still, we have not discussed anything about which platform a business or developer should choose first for their app. Here is how you can do this:
Go By Demography
If your aim for your mobile app development is to reach large audiences from every social stratum, the advised platform, without any doubt, is Android. This Google mobile OS is nowadays powering more than 86 percent devices over the world and, reports suggest that this share will increase more in future.
This simply means that apps aim to reach mass should first be developed for Android because demographically, it’s the largest OS used all over the world.
On the other hand, if you want to reach more audience interested in purchasing your app or its subscription, the recommended platform is iOS. Reports and data from various sources have confirmed that iOS apps deliver more ROI in comparison to Android apps.
Looking At Future
Getting into the argument about which one between Android and iOS to win the battle will not benefit you at all. In fact, there is no need to do this. Time will reveal everything. But for now, we need both because they both are not going to lose their relevancy any time soon so don’t worry.
In this way, choosing an app platform with the thought that other one will soon lose its market share isn’t a wise decision.
Concentrate On Locations Of Users
Apple has no more than 12 percent of share in global marketplace but still, there are some regions where Apple dominates even Android in terms of numbers. The countries and the regions like Europe, America and Asia Pacific have highest the number of users owning iPhone smartphones.
So if you have to target a particular region or country in the market, make sure you are going with the right choice of platform.
The Target Audience
Before you decide on a platform for your app, make sure you know who your audience is. Commencing a mobile app development without knowing anything about target audience means you are shooting in the dark. There is no guarantee you will hit your aim. You would be able to find your target audience when you know about every goal you want to achieve through your app and about the type of the app that will help you to do that.
However, it’s also not easy to know your target audience but there are some simple ways, to begin with. To know the basic demographics and user-behaviour patterns, discover about the gender, income, age, occupation interest, attitude belief and education of your audiences. When you have precise data in your hand, you would also be able to know which devices a particular audience group does prefer and then will be able to decide on which platform you should prefer to develop your app for.
Development And Deployment
The mobile application development cost mostly depends on its type, complexity, and features. iOS apps, as per the developers, can be built and launched a lot faster as it doesn’t have any sort of device fragmentation. Android ecosystem is made of hundreds of devices and tens of OSs which make the app development a complicated process.
Features Of The Platforms
Android has become such popular because of its nature of being open-source. The openness of the OS gives device manufacturers and app developers with enough freedom to access every hardware and software feature which we usually see restricted in a close-source mobile OS like iOS.
In this way, if you are looking for heavy customizations then make sure you have chosen the right platform supporting your customizations.
Choosing The Right Revenue Model
iOS users have been found to spend more money on apps in comparison to Android users. Though this gap is decreasing with big margins and, Android too is generating sufficient money for app developers.
If your app itself is a product, for example, it’s a gaming app then preferring iOS is recommended. Because iOS users are more willing to pay for buying apps or in their in-app purchases, an iOS app will deliver ROI.
If your app is like a medium selling products or services to people from all strata, you better first go with Android and then others.
Launching The App In Stores
If you want to rapidly launch an app and also hope to make changes quite frequently, the best platform for you is Android. Its flexible environment lets the developers or businesses launch an app at the same day of its submission. Also, you need to pay $25 only as lifetime subscription to the Play Store and, you are done.
This is just not the case with Apple’s iOS. The app will never be lived on the same day. In fact, you will have to wait for several weeks to see it live. Then you have to pay $99 yearly as the subscription to the iTunes stores.
Updates To The Platforms
This is also a factor helping you decide one between Android and iOS. For now, Android devices do not get timely updates to the OS. Most of the devices are two to three versions behinds. But, the iOS devices get timely updates and, all the devices can be updated to the latest version almost at the same time.
Loyalty Of Audience Towards Particular Platform
Last but not least, the loyalty also decides you go with certain the platform. iOS device users are seen more loyal and, they stay with the brand for a long period of time. It’s seen that many users want to switch to Android devices but because iPhone devices are rather costlier, they cannot easily do this.
Author Bio:- Sofia Coppol is a digital marketing expert in Rapidsoft Technologies, a prominent software product development company offering magento development company, mobile app development and product development services across the globe. She loves to write on latest web and mobile technology trends, startups and enterprises.
