Android users: how does App quality compare to iOS?

[steathymonkey]

I have been an Android user for 3+ years and an IOS user for about 2+ years.

In my experience I found the applications for IOS are far more reliable and just work. The native Google applications for Android are reliable and nice as well, but most of the third party applications I used/tried for Android were buggy and unreliable.

Some applications I use, need, and rely on.

PayPal: The PayPal application works equally as good via IOS and Android. The Android version had one flaw and that was related to the PayPal here credit card reader compatibility with Android phones.

Phone.com: The Phone.com application first came to Android and was one of the reasons I stuck with Android for so many years. It recently came to IOS last year (Just found out this year) and the IOS version crushes the Android version. The Android version never worked right, is buggy, and crashes a lot. The IOS version is awesome.

Zipcar: The Zipcar application for Android is utter garbage that likes to crash and requires a memory refresh and restart. The IOS version of the application is far, far, far more reliable. This may not even be the application fault, but the nature of the Android OS or in my case the nature of the manufacture/carrier altered Android OS with bloatware

Also, Android gives application developers too much power over a user’s privacy and security. Most of the Android applications request/require access to way too much info/areas!!!

The only way anyone will truly know if Android or IOS will work for them is to try them both out. But when it comes to Android, I recommend going with an unlocked Google Nexus 5. The carrier versions of Android phones and all the other mainstream Android phones tend to come with manufacture and carrier bloatware.

 

[mib1800]

Sharing is horrible in iOS. For instance, You can share photo to BBM chat or groups directly from Android gallery. In iOS, sharing from Photos app is limited to built in service like messages, email, twitter, facebook, and flickr.

But thats an OS feature and has nothing to do with Android/iOS apps.

Just to add one more point. The quality of apps do depend very much on the underlying os.

For example sharing, widgets and ability for apps to multi task etc greatly enhance the capability of the apps. Apps on ios are of lower quality due to these factors.

 

[ravipiero]

Just to add one more point. The quality of apps do depend very much on the underlying os.

For example sharing, widgets and ability for apps to multi task etc greatly enhance the capability of the apps. Apps on ios are of lower quality due to these factors.

This limitation is only on iOS Photos app. If you're in other apps such as Dropbox, whenever you click the share button, there is "open in" feature. It will then shows correlated apps.

 

[Dontazemebro]

I can play the same game: Tweetbot, LinkedIn cardmunch, MegaReader, VSCO Cam, Kickstarter, loungeBuddy, diptic PDQ, games like plants vs zombies 2, garage band, iMovie , Keynote, pages, Reeder ... There are exclusive on iOS ...

That isn't my point. We were comparing the two stores. Reporting exclusives is futile and take the discussion nowhere.

To defuse the topic a little bit: the app I'm missing more on android is KYMS. There is nothing similar in Android. Go and search what it does

Are those all exclusive to iOS? I'm pretty sure LinkedIn, VSCO cam, Kickstarter, diptic, PV2 can all be found on Android. With equivalents for the rest save for iOS legacy apps like keynote or garage band.

 

[mib1800]

This limitation is only on iOS Photos app. If you're in other apps such as Dropbox, whenever you click the share button, there is "open in" feature. It will then shows correlated apps.

That is the limitation itself. You have to depend on an app to include that capability. Sharing on android is built into the os. You can share from anywhere and from any app.

And because of the limitation of ios, functionalities that can be programmed or implemented are always a subset of what can be done on android. Technically there is no app on ios that can't be duplicated on android but there are too many apps on android that can never be duplicated on ios (not even with jailbreak)

 

[ravipiero]

That is the limitation itself. You have to depend on an app to include that capability. Sharing on android is built into the os. You can share from anywhere and from any app.

And because of the limitation of ios, functionalities that can be programmed or implemented are always a subset of what can be done on android. Technically there is no app on ios that can't be duplicated on android but there are too many apps on android that can never be duplicated on ios (not even with jailbreak)

No, it's not. AFAIK, the limitation is only on the Photos app. On other apps its a built in feature from Apple. As long as you provide your document types in your Info.plist, other apps that recognise that document type will list your app in their "open in" choices.

 

[gotluck]

No, it's not. AFAIK, the limitation is only on the Photos app. On other apps its a built in feature from Apple. As long as you provide your document types in your Info.plist, other apps that recognise that document type will list your app in their "open in" choices.

i hear you, but it's still not as robust as inter-app sharing in android, photos app aside

 

[Max(IT)]

Just to add one more point. The quality of apps do depend very much on the underlying os.

For example sharing, widgets and ability for apps to multi task etc greatly enhance the capability of the apps. Apps on ios are of lower quality due to these factors.

Keep speaking about multitasking .... you seem to know very little about iOS

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Are those all exclusive to iOS? I'm pretty sure LinkedIn, VSCO cam, Kickstarter, diptic, PV2 can all be found on Android. With equivalents for the rest save for iOS legacy apps like keynote or garage band.

I don't know now, but they surely was some months ago ....
My point is exactly that: it is silly to define a store better than the other based on exclusives or app non supported on the other.
But it is very difficult to find an exclusive for Android, while you can find several (sometime just temporary exclusive , but still exclusive) on iOS.
This don't define which store is better, but says something.

 

[Dontazemebro]

I just wish that all premium apps were cross platform. If I pay for it on one platform it would be nice to download it on another platform for free or at least for a fraction of the original cost with the same feature set. Case in point, paid for the Pro version of Tapatalk on Android a few years back and it came with less features than its iOS counterpart that was free.

But yes, I do agree with your premise that it doesn't define which store is better per se.

 

[taptic]

Keep speaking about multitasking .... you seem to know very little about iOS

Not to defend Android, but iOS doesn't have true multitasking. You can easily switch from app to app, but they're not all fully running at the same time.

 

[Max(IT)]

I just wish that all premium apps were cross platform. If I pay for it on one platform it would be nice to download it on another platform for free or at least for a fraction of the original cost with the same feature set. Case in point, paid for the Pro version of Tapatalk on Android a few years back and it came with less features than its iOS counterpart that was free.

But yes, I do agree with your premise that it doesn't define which store is better per se.

I'm an iOS, an Android and a WP user, so definitely YES I'm with you !

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Not to defend Android, but iOS doesn't have true multitasking. You can easily switch from app to app, but they're not all fully running at the same time.

Apps that need processes to really running in background, and are well programmed, are "fully running".
To have wasted CPU clock cycles and resources in background IT IS NOT a good thing or something desirable on a limited device (powerful but still limited as modern smartphones are, in terms of computational power, storage, ram and energy power).
I'm not going to open a debate on this, because it is off topic, but most of the people speaking about multitasking on this forum doesn't fully understand what it means, but use this argument to bash iOS without a good reason, or just because "someone said that iOS can't do multitasking while android can, and it have a droid".

 

[oldhifi]

Well I have the Galaxy Note 3, and I will go back to a iPhone when the new ones come out, constant upgrades and downloads, seems like windows..IOS Apps are superior

 

[petvas]

I'm an iOS, an Android and a WP user, so definitely YES I'm with you !

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Apps that need processes to really running in background, and are well programmed, are "fully running".
To have wasted CPU clock cycles and resources in background IT IS NOT a good thing or something desirable on a limited device (powerful but still limited as modern smartphones are, in terms of computational power, storage, ram and energy power).
I'm not going to open a debate on this, because it is off topic, but most of the people speaking about multitasking on this forum doesn't fully understand what it means, but use this argument to bash iOS without a good reason, or just because "someone said that iOS can't do multitasking while android can, and it have a droid".

I am sorry but this is what Apple is telling us. In theory that could be true, but if you look at all flagship Android devices, their battery life is at least comparable to the iPhone 5S, and they have true multitasking.
The first day I got my HTC One M8 I was doing the following at the same time and experienced no lag whatsoever:

• Synchronizing 2000 songs via WiFi
• Copying 8000 pictures to the device from my iMac
• Installing 50 apps from the play store
• Surfing the net using Chrome and having 10 tabs open
• Had many widgets open, among them Twitter feed, my Exchange mail and calendar, and Facebook
• Synchronizing 3GB of Exchange Mail
• Synchronizing my Dropbox folders (in the background)
• I was chatting with a friend on Facebook

When iOS can do that, please let me know..I wouldn't hold my breath

 

[gotluck]

I'm an iOS, an Android and a WP user, so definitely YES I'm with you !

----------



Apps that need processes to really running in background, and are well programmed, are "fully running".
To have wasted CPU clock cycles and resources in background IT IS NOT a good thing or something desirable on a limited device (powerful but still limited as modern smartphones are, in terms of computational power, storage, ram and energy power).
I'm not going to open a debate on this, because it is off topic, but most of the people speaking about multitasking on this forum doesn't fully understand what it means, but use this argument to bash iOS without a good reason, or just because "someone said that iOS can't do multitasking while android can, and it have a droid".

Well the fact still remains that android can multitask in the way that you describe as bad, while ios cannot. Well iOS can, but it requires jailbreak hacks (background manager on cydia)

It is a differentiating feature android has, whether you can appreciate it or not. IMO these devices are computers and are capable as such.

Just because you get riffed by some ignorants doesn't mean that a difference in the full featuredness of multitasking doesn't exist, or is 'bad'.

Yes iOS' approach is better for battery, but it is more 'limited'. There is a give and a take, and you are free to think iOS is equal or even better, but dont claim that people can't feel that androids approach is better like its some kind of fact

 

[Max(IT)]

I am sorry but this is what Apple is telling us. In theory that could be true, but if you look at all flagship Android devices, their battery life is at least comparable to the iPhone 5S, and they have true multitasking.
The first day I got my HTC One M8 I was doing the following at the same time and experienced no lag whatsoever:

• Synchronizing 2000 songs via WiFi
• Copying 8000 pictures to the device from my iMac
• Installing 50 apps from the play store
• Surfing the net using Chrome and having 10 tabs open
• Had many widgets open, among them Twitter feed, my Exchange mail and calendar, and Facebook
• Synchronizing 3GB of Exchange Mail
• Synchronizing my Dropbox folders (in the background)
• I was chatting with a friend on Facebook

When iOS can do that, please let me know..I wouldn't hold my breath

Sorry I don't believe you.
I'm an android user, I'm currently writing from a Nexus, and I know what it can do ....
The things you listed above are theoretically possible, but on a smartphone you don't have the resource to do that on the same time. And most of those things are theoretically possible even on an iPhone, but just not convenient.
Why d you have to sync all the things in the same time, flooding your network connection? What is the use of copying 8000 photos, while browsing the web, while chatting, while following your tweet/facebook , while installing 50 (!!!) apps, all of that on the same time.
And all of this on a 5" display ....
You exaggerated a lot just to prove your point.

As I said, I know what Android can do, I actually LOVE Android on my Nexus, without any laugh UI and in all its coherence. Apple just made a different choice, to preserve battery life and to be able to use smaller batteries (and thus have very portable phones).
Two different philosophies, but when I really need two or three tasks to be done at the same time , and not just to impress another user on a forum, I can do that also on my iPhone (I mean something like browsing the web while sincronizing mails/drop box and installing apps).

----------

Well the fact still remains that android can multitask in the way that you describe as bad, while ios cannot. Well iOS can, but it requires jailbreak hacks (background manager on cydia)

It is a differentiating feature android has, whether you can appreciate it or not. IMO these devices are computers and are capable as such.

Just because you get riffed by some ignorants doesn't mean that a difference in the full featuredness of multitasking doesn't exist, or is 'bad'.

Yes iOS' approach is better for battery, but it is more 'limited'. There is a give and a take, and you are free to think iOS is equal or even better, but dont claim that people can't feel that androids approach is better like its some kind of fact

I didn't say it is bad, as I didn't say that Apple approach is better.
They are just different.
Apple is more conservative, with optimization of resource as primary target, while Google approach is more prone to have a full featured so.
I'm enjoying both.
I just don't like when someone (and there is many on this forum) try to bash Apple with the same false statement: iOS can't multitask. It is not true. It can, just in a different way.

 

[Switchback666]

Max why do you question that guy about how he use the phone mate? And no you can't do that on iPhone in fact I think even with backgrounder tweak you can't; on Android any current phone can perform those task.

Take a break from the fighting mate, I enjoy your posts by lately is been fight after fight not even a discussion.

 

[pdqgp]

Well I have the Galaxy Note 3, and I will go back to a iPhone when the new ones come out, constant upgrades and downloads, seems like windows..IOS Apps are superior

Not sure what you're driving at. So our apps upgrade and improve often. Do you read what's being improved on each one? Often times they are being tweaked for more features not bugs. In terms of iOS being superior, please elaborate with details on comparison to support the statement. I actually see it the other way around.

• GPS - No comparison that Google Maps on Android beats out Apple Maps 10x over
• Grocery IQ - Great app but on the iPhone it would often crash until they applied several updates. On my Note 3 it's been flawless and runs way faster.
• Photo Album - Android blows apple away in terms of functionality including sending them directly to any wireless printer
• PowerAmp - Far superior to Apple's music player and includes tons more capability in terms of audio enhancements
• Google Search is way better and far faster than Siri
• SalesForce1 is way more refined and offers more features than on iOS.
• So many widgets and quick abilities available on Android...can't do much different at all with iOS.
• Airdroid....no such capability to link an iPhone to a Windows PC like that app offers.

The list could go on....

 

[petvas]

Sorry I don't believe you.
I'm an android user, I'm currently writing from a Nexus, and I know what it can do ....
The things you listed above are theoretically possible, but on a smartphone you don't have the resource to do that on the same time. And most of those things are theoretically possible even on an iPhone, but just not convenient.
Why d you have to sync all the things in the same time, flooding your network connection? What is the use of copying 8000 photos, while browsing the web, while chatting, while following your tweet/facebook , while installing 50 (!!!) apps, all of that on the same time.
And all of this on a 5" display ....
You exaggerated a lot just to prove your point.

As I said, I know what Android can do, I actually LOVE Android on my Nexus, without any laugh UI and in all its coherence. Apple just made a different choice, to preserve battery life and to be able to use smaller batteries (and thus have very portable phones).
Two different philosophies, but when I really need two or three tasks to be done at the same time , and not just to impress another user on a forum, I can do that also on my iPhone (I mean something like browsing the web while sincronizing mails/drop box and installing apps).

----------



I didn't say it is bad, as I didn't say that Apple approach is better.
They are just different.
Apple is more conservative, with optimization of resource as primary target, while Google approach is more prone to have a full featured so.
I'm enjoying both.
I just don't like when someone (and there is many on this forum) try to bash Apple with the same false statement: iOS can't multitask. It is not true. It can, just in a different way.

I should make a video! I didn't do that on purpose, but it did work as described!

 

[pdqgp]

I should make a video! I didn't do that on purpose, but it did work as described!

I believe you even though I wouldn't have likely been doing all of that at the same time either.

I have had my Note 3 at the airport with more than I care to admit being done simultaniously.

Email
Text
Videos
Web
attachments opened

 

[petvas]

I believe you even though I wouldn't have likely been doing all of that at the same time either.

I have had my Note 3 at the airport with more than I care to admit being done simultaniously.

Email
Text
Videos
Web
attachments opened

It's not that difficult to do the stuff I did. I had my HTC connected via AirDroid and started copying my pictures. At the same time I configured my Exchange mailbox which started syncing. I started Google play music and selected the playlists I wanted to have offline.
A friend pinged me on Facebook and I started chatting with him..
and don't forget Dropbox sync..

 

[pdqgp]

It's not that difficult to do the stuff I did. I had my HTC connected via AirDroid and started copying my pictures. At the same time I configured my Exchange mailbox which started syncing. I started Google play music and selected the playlists I wanted to have offline.
A friend pinged me on Facebook and I started chatting with him..
and don't forget Dropbox sync..

ah yes, Airdroid. I love that capability. I use it all the time. Especially nice at work. I typically forward my phone to my desk and use my PC and Airdroid to reply to text messages. Something I wasn't necessarily able to do on my iPhone when I had it. Perhaps they've given Windows PC Users that capability. However, I would bet they will tie it to iTunes which we don't have on our work PC's. Another reason to go Android.

 

[soulreaver99]

Anyone try out the new Facebook app on Android? It looks pretty damn good! For once, Facebook works and looks better on Android than it does on iOS.

 

[petvas]

Anyone try out the new Facebook app on Android? It looks pretty damn good! For once, Facebook works and looks better on Android than it does on iOS.

Yes, it looks pretty nice on Android phones. Only on my Nexus it's not as optimized as I would like it to be.

 

[SurferMan]

Anyone try out the new Facebook app on Android? It looks pretty damn good! For once, Facebook works and looks better on Android than it does on iOS.

Have it on my tablet, mehh, I still prefer making a shortcut of the mobile site and adding a FB icon to that. That is the one app that all these years I don't know how they can't make a good facebook app, mobile site works better, and if you must have an app there are versions from like devs on XDA that are good w/o the constant running in the background and other issues of the regular FB app

 

[fredaroony]

I have been an Android user for 3+ years and an IOS user for about 2+ years.

In my experience I found the applications for IOS are far more reliable and just work. The native Google applications for Android are reliable and nice as well, but most of the third party applications I used/tried for Android were buggy and unreliable.

I can see why you were banned....