Why Android isn’t catching iPhone any time soon

Which mobile platform has the best cameras: Android

Which mobile platform has the best displays: Android

Which mobile platform offers the best customisation options: Android

Which mobile platform has the best battery life: Android

But it still doesn’t compare to the iPhone.

Which mobile platform offers better multitasking capabilities: Android

Which mobile platform offers better cellular and wifi speeds: Android

Which mobile platform offers better AI integration: Android

Which mobile platform offers telemarketing spam controls: Android

But it still doesn’t compare to the iPhone.

Why the hell not?

I hear you. And let me say I’m an Android fan. I own a Galaxy S23 Ultra along with my 15 Pro Max, so I’m not a partisan fanboy, but there is still a reason why I think Google has work to do to level the playing field completely, and I’ll get to it in this piece.

Android

Android offers some fabulous features. I’ll be honest: I’ll often be navigating through my iPhone and become frustrated by the limitations that Apple’s tight-fisted control brings. We have to do things their way which is a predefined way. There are hardly any options to change the way we do things.

I don’t have a consistent ‘back-swipe’ option on my iPhone. I can’t change gesture controls to button controls. I can’t run more than one app on the display simultaneously, and I StIL cAnT pLAcE aPPs wHEre I WanT tHem!!!

But when I ask myself this straightforward question, it changes everything:

Where do I get the most value from my device — from the apps or the operating system?

And that is why iPhone is still the King of smartphone.

You see, it’s the developers that unleash the power of the product. Whether it’s your favourite task manager, your note-taking app, your health tracker, or your financial planner. Whatever your favourite app is, it’s likely to have a better version on iOS or better alternatives.

That’s not me being a snob; that’s me using both systems and coming to a reasoned conclusion. Remember, I love my Galaxy, but when I use my Galaxy, I have to compromise the apps I use. Granted, all this comes through the lens of someone who has used an iPhone, and if you never had, this won’t apply. But when you’re so used to the quality and vastness of the App Store, you notice a difference.

I know the Play Store has more apps than the App Store, but there’s a BIG difference between quality and quantity. You’re not going to find apps such as Things 3, Ulysses, Bear, Omnifocus, GarageBand, iMovie, Agenda, Pages, Overcast, Adobe Fresco, and Lookup, to name but a few.

It’s apps that help us achieve our goals, its apps that boost our productivity, its apps that track our output, and while there are some fantastic apps on Android, I don’t believe you can get the best of the best.

Elephant in the room

So you have to compromise. Will I place more value on the rarity of multitasking or having access to Things 3? Will I get more value from having my apps where I want them or Ulysses, my writing app of choice? Will I prefer a better zoom for moon shots, or accessing my Pages docs for on the go review?

That’s a question for the reader, but it is a significant elephant in the room for Apple users.

But the truth is, with the financial muscle of Google, Samsung, and other Android OEMs, this shouldn’t be the case. Indeed, finding the right incentive to get these apps onto the Play Store is a conundrum for Google.

Loyalty Undone

I don’t know about you, but if all those apps were available on the PlayStore, then I’m not sure I’d be so comfortable using the iPhone any more. My S23 Ultra offers so many benefits from a hardware point of view, and the display makes my iPhone feel a generation behind.

Add to those apps all the features of Android, and iPhone could become a second-rate device.

Now I don’t think Apple will ever place Keynote, Pages, or iMovie into the Play Store but I don’t think it’s out of reach getting the best independent developers to make an Android version of their apps, and if that’s done, it’ll shift everything.

Until then, while split screening and app placement are appealing, it’s not enough to cause me to relinquish access to these powerhouse apps.