Do you know why some apps and games arrive in iOS first and then Android?
Have you ever thought as to why many top mobile apps and games come to iOS before they come to Android? Lot of talks have been going around the uniqueness of Android and iOS platforms.
Apple, the biggest phone manufacturer had developed its own operating system called iOS and released in 2007, while Google brought Android in 2008, after it started to gain popularity with Google’s search engine. Considering that Google’s mobile platform is the largest in the world when it comes to market share, it is sad to know that Android users have to wait to get some apps and games after they are made available to iOS users.
So, what is the actual reason behind this? How do developers see things from their side? Do they think it’s better to start developing for iOS first and then Android?
To get a better sense of what’s going on, the folks over at The Next Web asked several Mobile App Developers why their applications and games are only available on iOS platform, or hit iOS ahead of Android (if they had a cross-platform app), or why they have developed for Apple’s platform first.
Based on the app in question, their answers were different. However, many of them agree that Java language sucks and that even if Xcode can be buggy, it’s still a really good IDE for their workflow.
Here is what one developer thinks about Android and iOS users, and why he chose to bring its app on iOS:
“For my target demographic and audience, the people who have iPhones are far more desirable than their peers with Android phones. When talking with teens and 20-year-olds, having a big, gold iPhone 6 Plus is like carrying a Prada bag or driving a BMW. It signifies a social status, a place at the top of their social circle. You buy an iPhone because you want the best.
“Young people I talk to with Android phones have them because it was cheap, or free, and their goal is to buy an iPhone a year or two from now when they have the money. They settled with an Android phone and now they’re settling with clunky implementations of the apps their friends had before them on their iPhones. I’m building for iOS because I want to target users with taste and buying power.”
When it comes to monetization, many of them complain almost 95% of downloads for a paid Android application come from pirates. Also, developers have discovered that they can find more profit in developing an iOS app than an Android app. They also know that if they monetize an app, it will deliver them good returns as compared to an Android app. This is a huge factor for smaller developers who are just looking to make ends meet, and if they want to make immediate returns on their investment, iOS is the better bet.
Mobile developers also choose iOS over other platforms because the app development for it takes less time and less money.
While Android is definitely a giant mobile operating system that has influenced most customers in the smartphone market, but it is one of the most fragmented OS too. It appears differently on different mobile devices as mobile manufacturers are free to customize the OS according to the hardware-environment in their devices. Not all Android apps work on all Android devices. On the other hand, some simply say they don’t have time to learn a new platform, language, or IDE, so they prefer to launch iOS-only apps.
I can afford an iPhone. I’ve even had iPhones, infact I still have one in my drawer at work. I chose an android because it is a superior OS for MY needs in my opinion. I love the customisation of Android and that I’m not stuck to one source for my apps.
I’ve jailbroken iphones and I’ve routed Androids.
It’s true that apple is expensive and kinda Infasionable for me because it have some limitations and about xcode it comes out from c++ or something. But you can build android app over xcode and pirates I cannot tell you about that that’s a really mass problem. I’m thinking fotr the developer because it comes every thing free but personally everyone likes that as me and I’m so sorry developers
It is from one view maybe in usa, but many apps are created only for android now, becouse it has bigger market share and it is often enough to cover more than 70% of the market with only android app.
Also, programming for iOS is much more simply because you have only a few devices without any customization. Instead on Android, where you have:
1. Chipset (SnapDragon, MTK, Intel, Exynos, Surge, HiSilicon, Spreadtrum, Rockchip etc) any of it have series, variants, revisions…
2. Display from 720p (or less, in very old or/and cheap devices), till UHD-4K.
3. Camera from 5 Mpx with nothing, till real 3D-cameras or cameras with more than 20 Mpx, optical zoom, stabilization etc.
4. Sensors just a few more than Apple, but from many vendors and with an infinite number of combinations, that depends not only on the chipset.
5. Extremely wide customizations from vendors (TouchWiz or MiUI for example) and users, especially in rooted devices.
6. Most of the applications already present on market, sometimes less powerful and/or comfortable than it can be, but a really big number of alternatives (I don’t know any app, excluding huge, cross-platform products, de facto monopolies, without at least three apps with similar functionality).
These circumstances make programming for Android complicated and expensive if you do not plan to release an application for few models of one vendor.
I’d guess it has almost nothing to do with java or xcode. There’s one stat on which iOS is winning a lot vs Android and that’s money gained on app and in-app purchases. People with iPhones tend to buy more, because they’ve already bought the phone that costs hundreds just to do selfies and text their friends. As an app developer, you just try to tailor your app for the market that potentially will bring you more income. Simple as that.