Difference Between iOS and Android (Operating System)
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| Credit: Google image |
Meaning of Android - Initial release date: 23 September 2008 Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google, based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
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Features
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Android
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iOS
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Customizability
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A lot. Can change
almost anything.
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Limited unless
jailbroken
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Developer
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Google, Open
Handset Alliance
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Apple Inc.
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Initial release
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July 29, 2007
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2008, model
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Open source
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Closed, with open
source components.
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OS family
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Linux
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OS X, UNIX
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Widgets
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Yes
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No, except in
NotificationCenter
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File transfer
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Easier than iOS.
Using USB port and Android File Transfer desktop app. Photos can be
transferred via USB without apps.
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More difficult.
Media files can be transferred using iTunes desktop app. Photos can be
transferred out via USB without apps.
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Available on
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Many phones
and tablets. Major
manufacturers are Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC and Sony.. Nexus and Pixel line
of devices is pure Android, others bundle manual capture software.
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iPod Touch, iPhone,
iPad, Apple TV (2nd and
3rd generation)
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Calls and messaging
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Google Hangouts.
3rd party apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Duo and Skype all
work on Android and iOS both.
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iMessage, FaceTime
(with other Apple devices only). 3rd party apps like Google Hangouts,
Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google Duo and Skype all work on Android and
iOS both.
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Internet browsing
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Google Chrome (or
Android Browser on older versions; other browsers are available)
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Mobile Safari
(Other browsers are available)
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App store
, Affordability and interface
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Google Play –
1,000,000+ apps. Other app stores like Amazon and Getjar also distribute
Android apps. (unconfirmed ".APKs")
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Apple app store –
1,000,000+ apps
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Available
language(s)
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100+ Languages
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34 Languages
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Video chat
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Google Duo and
other 3rd party apps
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FaceTime (Apple
devices only) and other 3rd party apps
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Voice commands
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Google Now, Google
Assistant
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Siri
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Maps
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Google Maps
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Apple Maps (Google
Maps also available via a separate app download)
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Latest stable
release and Updates
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Android 8.0.0, Oreo
(Aug 21, 2017)
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11 (Sep 19, 2017)
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Alternative app
stores and side loading
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Several alternative
app stores other than the official Google Play Store. (e.g. Aptoide, Galaxy
Apps)
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Apple blocks 3rd party
app stores. The phone needs to be jailbroken if
you want to download apps from other stores.
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Battery life and
management
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Many Android phone
manufacturers equip their devices with large batteries with a longer life.
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Apple batteries are
generally not as big as the largest Android batteries. However, Apple is able
to squeeze decent battery life via hardware/software optimizations.
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Open source
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Kernel, UI, and
some standard apps
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The iOS kernel is
not open source but is based on the open-source Darwin OS.
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File manager
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Yes. (Stock Android
File Manager included on devices running Android 7.1.1)
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Not available
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Photos & Videos
backup
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Apps available for
automatic backup of photos and videos. Google Photos allows unlimited backup
of photos. OneDrive, Amazon Photos and Dropbox are other
alternatives.
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Up to 5 GB of
photos and videos can be automatically back up with iCloud. All other vendors
like Google, Amazon, Dropbox, Flickr and Microsoft have auto-backup
apps for both iOS and Android.
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Security
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Android software
patches are available soonest to Nexus device users. Manufacturers tend to
lag behind in pushing out these updates. So at any given time a vast majority
of Android devices are not running updated fully patched software.
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Most people will
never encounter a problem with malware because they don’t go outside the Play
Store for apps. Apple's software updates support older iOS devices also.
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Rooting,
bootloaders, and jailbreaking
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Access and complete
control over your device is available and you can unlock the
bootloader.
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Complete control
over your device is not available.
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Cloud services
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Native integration
with Google cloud storage. 15GB free, $2/mo for 100GB, 1TB for $10. Apps
available for Amazon Photos, OneDrive and Dropbox.
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Native integration
with iCloud. 5GB free, 50GB for $1/mo, 200GB for $3/mo, 1TB for $10/mo. Apps
available for Google Drive and Google Photos, Amazon Photos,
OneDrive and Dropbox.
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Working state
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Current
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Current
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Interface
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Touch Screen
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Touch Screen
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Supported versions
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Android 5.0 &
later (Android 4.4 is also supported but with patches)
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iOS 8 & later
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First version
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Android 1.0, Alpha
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iOS 1.0
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