With increasing smartphone usage, it is now imperative for business owners like you to develop a Mobile App that is synergic with your company and adds value to your business.
An important step in joining this bandwagon is to identify the right platform to build your first app. Your options are likely to be Android or iOS, as these two OS’s together dominate more than 90% share of the smartphone market.
iOS vs Android development
- Market Share
Android dominates the market with an extensive reach of more than 82%, followed by iOS at around 15%. Another key factor in this decision making will be the geography you plan to focus on. Android has a higher market share in developing countries like Asia, Africa, whereas iOS dominates the market in developed nations like US, Europe etc.
- Demographics
Android has more users among the lower income, less educated and a higher average age set of people. But due to the availability of a plethora of free apps and tools, the engagement levels here are slightly lower.
iPhone has a strong following with the younger, more loyal and educated users, with significantly higher income levels which translate to higher levels of engagement.
- Content Category reach
iPhone users are termed as “power users”, as they tend to use more categories of content when compared to Android users. 15% more iPhone users use online shopping apps whereas Android users seem to engage more in social apps.
- Mobile Commerce Engagement
iPhone users exhibit a higher browsing-to-buying conversion rate than Android users.
iPhone users are 23% more likely to make a purchase via their smartphones when compared to only 17% of Android users. This factor is important for retail app business owners and for those with app monetization considerations.
- Revenue generation
iPhone users tend to spend more on app purchases, thus making selling apps more profitable on iOS. Android developers make money by ad based revenue generation.
As per App Annie, revenue generation per user is 60% higher on iTunes store of Apple compare to Google Play of Android.
- Costs of mobile App development and maintenance
On average, Android takes 40% more lines of code and is 30% more expensive to develop when compared to iOS.
Maintenance and bug fixing are easier and simpler in iOS, as Android has the complexity of multiple devices and OS fragmentation.
- Android App Features vs iOS App Features
Android has a more open source OS than iOS. This offers deeper access to their operating system, facilitating higher levels of customization by the Android developers. This is not possible in the case of iOS app development.
- Launching on App Store
It is easier and faster to publish your App in Play store compared to iTunes, as the latter has strict guidelines, higher quality standards and longer review process.
Choosing the correct platform
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When to Build an Android App First
Building your app on Android first is the ideal choice if you
- Plan to focus on a specific demographic segment
- Need a wider reach in developing nations
- Want to generate revenue by displaying ads
- Are focusing on or customising a specific feature of Android OS that is not available in iOS
- Need a quick launch in the market
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When to Build an iOS App First
You can choose to build your app in iOS first if you
- Are targeting elite customers from developed nations like the US
- Want to develop apps cheaper and faster
- Are a company in an early stage of start-up
- Want market influencers to embrace your app
- Want to sell apps
Identifying the right partner for App development
Whatever is the platform, it is important to identify the right tech partner, who can understand your business requirements and convert it into the best App solution.
With more than 300+ Apps delivered to more than 350+ customers across the world, at Moon Technolabs Pvt. Ltd., we are one of the leading players in the Mobile and Web App development arena and offer App solutions that add value to your business.
Get in touch with us today, to capture the emerging market of mobile savvy customers.
