How are iOS and Android similar? How are they different?

iOS

The iOS is the operating system created by Apple Inc. for mobile devices. The iOS is used in many of the mobile devices for Apple such as iPhone, iPod, iPad etc. The iOS is used a lot and only lags behind Android in terms of popularity.

The iOS architecture is layered. It contains an intermediate layer between the applications and the hardware so they do not communicate directly. The lower layers in iOS provide the basic services and the higher layers provide the user interface and sophisticated graphics.

The layered architecture of iOS is given as follows −

Android

Android is an operating system developed by Google for mobile systems. It is based on the Linux kernel and mainly designed for touchscreen devices such as tablets and smartphones.

The Android architecture is divided into four main layers and five sections. This is explained using the given diagram −

Similarities Between iOS and Android

Some of the similarities between iOS and Android are as follows −

• The basic functions in iOS and Android are alike. Both the iOS and Android phones have calling, messaging, web browsing, video chat, maps, voice commands etc.
• The user interfaces of iOS and Android have a lot of similarities. Both of these support swiping, tapping, pinch and zoom etc on their phone screens.
• There is a status bar on both the iOS and Android devices and it offers similar information such as battery life, time, app notifications, wifi etc.
• 4G cellular network can be enjoyed on both the iOS and Android devices. This is very important as cellular network is crucial for internet surfing.
• Privacy settings are paramount in both iOS and Android. Users are presented with app permissions as this lessens the risk of data leakage.

Differences Between iOS and Android

Some of the differences between iOS and Android are as follows −

• iOS is a closed system whereas Android is more open. Users have barely any system permissions in iOS but in Android, users can customize their phones easily.
• Android software is available for many manufacturers such as Samsung, LG etc. and this may lead to some quality problems in the cheaper phones. However, iOS is strictly controlled by Apple and there is no quality problem as there are few models.
• The Android applications are obtained from Google Play while iOS applications are available in the Apple app store.
• Integration with other devices is better in Apple iOS as compared to Google Android.
• There are different voice assistants for iOS and Android namely Siri and Google Assistant. Google assistant is much more powerful than Siri.
• The running speed of iOS devices remains consistent with time. In contrast to this, the performance of Android devices may decline over time.