The world has more than 3 billion smartphones and 2.5 billion devices connected to the Internet. With
so many devices onboard, the market is majorly divided between the Android and iOS platforms, which
have very different technical, backend requirements. So, let’s get started with what you need to
consider before selecting a mobile app development platform:
- The Android v/s iOS market share
The giant ecosystem of smartphones has Android as the operating system running on 74% of the devices, while iOS runs on about 15% of the devices. The remaining percentile comes from other OSes like the Baidu and Tizen. No OS should be neglected; each has its own specialty and both of them share an equal fan following in its own domain. The iOS ecosystem is preferred in countries like the US, UK, Japan, and Australia. Android is a more popular choice in Asian and African countries. It is the more preferred OS for mobile app development in India. You must keep in mind where your target users are located. - The demographics
Demographics are a really important aspect to consider. Android users are generally people from lower income groups and older people as the range of Android devices starts from as low as $30 USD. iOS devices are preferred by the younger generation, working professionals, and users belonging to medium to higher-income groups. These users are generally open to spending money on digital products like apps. - Content
One can find diverse content for Android OSes, from custom launchers to system tweakers. However, this diversity is limited by the specification of the device. Hence, most Android users can use a few social media apps and some lightweight games. On the other hand, iOS users don’t get apps that will customize their device experience, rather they download apps of a variety ranging from entertainment to gaming and productivity apps. Hence, it is important to understand the category in which your app comes in order to help you choose the right platform to build it for. - Paid app share
It is seen that iOS users are more likely to purchase paid apps from the app store. Android users, on the other hand, despite having cheaper apps are less likely to make purchases. - Generation of revenue
This is very crucial when choosing the development platform. While its true that iOS users are open to purchasing mobile apps and making in-app purchases, there is also another way where companies generate revenue, and that is advertisements. Most free Android and iOS apps have in-app advertisements, which are their major revenue source. However, it is seen that ads running on iOS devices give more returns. - Development costs
The cost of different mobile development platforms varies in India. iOS apps often take less time to develop as compared to their Android counterparts. Hence, it may be costlier to develop an android app. Development cost is not just about the development time but also the availability of developers. In India, app development is quite different, where we need more Android developers than iOS ones. Companies often release iOS apps before the Android version since it takes less time to develop.
While all the above points can help you choose the right development platform for you. There is a new breed of apps called hybrid development platforms such as the Xamarin, Flutter and many more, which can help you build your app on both the platforms with the same code base.
