TechsPlace | Everybody knows that iOS and Android OS are one of the most common known competitors of one another. While all smartphones have some security risks, Android is more exposed to attacks, harm, and bugs. Android OS platform is of open-source nature, and also the slow pace with which users update the OS makes Android more vulnerable to hackers.
There is no doubt that Android rules the smartphone market by occupying 75% of the world market share. But, I guess nobody knows the bitter truth that this dominance of Android OS comes at a cost. According to a CVE report in 2016, Android had the most vulnerabilities compared to any other operating system. Vulnerabilities are the loopholes in the software that can be directly used by a hacker to gain access to a system.
Both OS are trying their level best to offer the best user experience & security but it’s the iOS that wins the race. Moreover, because of the security factor, iOS apps are first released on Android. Let’s find out the reasons why mobile app developers and users trust iOS more than Android.
1. Open Source Platform vs Closed Source
Android was first launched on 23 September 2008. It is more often based on the open-source platform. Because of this nature, anybody can easily get access to code sources and what’s currently going on in the Android open-source platform (AOSP). But in the case of iOS, it’s not possible to access source code because it is more often based on the closed source platform.
Android doesn’t have its own strict rules and regulations, which results make life easier for hackers to attack android based smartphone devices. On the other hand, iOS has imposed some strict rules because of which nobody can’t easily jailbreak a phone or attack it with malicious bugs.
An initial study has revealed that Android users are more prone to root their devices as compared to iOS users. When you root your device, it allows hackers to trace your smartphone easily and get into the required details. With the open-source platform nature, hackers can also distribute malware easily. Generally, end-users blame android developers for such issues. Android developers have to face much heat as compared to iOS app developers. This is the reason why these days, mobile app developer wants to be expert iOS app developer compared to android app developer. But I would say it’s not the developer’s fault, it’s Google’s mistake.
2. Rooting Device Much Easier in Android
These days over the web you can find a lot of articles, videos, and infographics on how to root or jailbreak your android and ios devices respectively. It is becoming a major headache for any OS in terms of security, especially for Android. Rooting or jailbreaking in a simple term means removing the restrictions imposed by a particular operating system.
I would not say here that iOS users don’t jailbreak their devices. Their ratio is less compared to Android users because iOS devices are hard to jailbreak. Apple year releases a new version of its OS with updated security features. Now you must be wondering that even though Android every year releases a new version of OS then why root a device more in Android? The simple answer to this question is because of the adoption of a newer OS. More than 70% of iOS users are using the latest version of iOS software but in the case of Android 10% of people are still there who are using the Android 5th version of the software, Lollipop.
Because of strict rules & regulations, Apple always is very strict in terms of releasing its code and keeps a close eye on what the app developers are doing. That is the main reason why it is more difficult to design an iOS app compared to an Android app.
3. Testing Apps – iOS Wins
Testing is a vital step in mobile technology. Before releasing an app live to the public on app stores, it is very important to test the app. If we talk about testing quality and procedure in the Apple app store, they do not leave behind a single margin for a mistake from its side and is very strict on testing parameter. To get the app live on the app store, it needs to pass through a series of hard steps. But this case is reversed when it comes to Android. Because of the same reason, you’ll see more irrelevant apps on the Google Play store.
Both Android and iOS OS have their advantages and disadvantages, but one thing is for sure iOS remains unbeatable in the security factor. iOS wins because of a closed source platform, better testing procedure, strict rules and restrictions, regular software updates and moreover higher adaptation rate than the current version of the software.
Today, a lot of people are doing cashless transactions on their smartphones. So considering the security of a device as a priority factor, I would recommend opting for iPhone devices.
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