Why Companies Still Launch on iOS First, Even Though Android Has More Users
A recent report from App Annie showed something interesting. The App Store still dominates when it comes to mobile app revenue, but when you look purely at downloads, Google Play pulls ahead by a fair margin.
Android has held a clear lead over Apple in device sales for a while now. Looking back, the launch of BlackBerry smartphones in 2002 was actually one of the biggest milestones in mobile app development history. Smartphones have come an incredibly long way since then.
Android phone sales have grown massively over the past five years. As the number of smartphone users kept climbing, demand for apps grew right along with it, which has opened up huge opportunities for mobile app development services around the world.
Both the iOS and Android development industries have expanded rapidly over the last five years. Right now, there are more than 20 million software developers worldwide, and that number is expected to climb to 25 million by 2020. Even though Android dominates the global smartphone market with roughly 84 percent share and over 2.2 million apps on Google Play, it’s still surprisingly common for developers and companies to launch their apps on iOS first. There are a few solid reasons behind that choice, and this article walks through the main ones.
Quality over Quantity
The biggest reason iOS tends to be the preferred platform comes down to quality. Apple has always leaned toward doing things well rather than doing a lot of things. The App Store currently holds around 1.5 million apps, and iOS development consistently delivers a level of polish that’s hard to match, largely because Apple keeps such tight control over both its hardware and operating system. Every app submitted to the App Store goes through a thorough review process before it’s approved, which means most apps that make it through are genuinely strong in terms of design, user experience, and functionality.
Android, by comparison, hasn’t built the same reputation for quality and stability. It’s always leaned more toward volume than polish, and there are plenty of low quality apps sitting on the Play Store as a result. This isn’t coming from an Apple fan, but Android really does need to tighten up its app quality standards.
Stronger Revenue Potential
iOS apps also tend to generate more revenue, and that’s no accident. Apple has consistently targeted premium smartphone users, many of whom have higher disposable income and are willing to pay for tools and services that improve their experience. Because of this, mobile app developers and companies often lean toward building for iOS first, since monetizing there tends to bring better returns. Apple’s approach focuses on both attracting new customers and keeping existing ones happy, which is a big part of what drives stronger sales over time.
Fewer Bugs
One of iOS’s biggest strengths is how bug free its apps tend to be. Part of that comes down to the limited number of devices Apple has to support, and part of it comes from the strict development guidelines Apple enforces. Apple also encourages writing leaner code, and less code generally means fewer bugs to chase down later.
Developer Tools
It is a known fact that Apple provides much better and enhanced developer tools for mobile application development as compared to its Android counterpart. The Apple developer tools are stable and provide faster emulators.
Apple is also known for offering stronger, more polished developer tools compared to Android. Its development environment tends to be more stable and comes with faster emulators, which makes the whole building process smoother.
Simpler Development Overall
iOS also tends to deliver better UI and UX thanks to its simpler frameworks. Again, this comes back to the limited number of devices Apple supports, which gives developers more room to focus on getting the user experience right. It’s a common observation that iPhone apps tend to feel less cluttered and easier to use, which naturally makes them more appealing to users.
