As it is the mobile era, the number of smartphone users outweighs desktop users. The business has adapted to smartphones to attract more users. A well-designed mobile application can reach more users than websites. So it has become the era of mobile applications too.
Now, when you have decided to build a mobile application, the next question that arises is the platform on which the application has to be built. Android is the most commonly used smartphone platform in the world and it has a consistent lead in market share since 2012 when compared to Apple. It is used by numerous mobile manufacturers as their default mobile platform. As Android is an open-source platform, it allows more flexibility to customize your app. So most of the businesses in India, opt for Android apps considering these factors. But it is always better to have an iOS version too when you decide to build a mobile application.
Let’s discuss this in detail.
1. Growing market - Even though Android is believed to be more customizable, iOS is also famous for the easy, simple, and intuitive interface it provides. It has to be admitted that iOS is a growing market and there is a large segment of Apple customers who prefer Apple for an incredible user interface. The unique nature of the iOS platform ensures the flexibility and speed of the app. You must develop your app in the iOS platform too if you are targeting users in an attractive application. Apple has an established user base that swears by Apple’s quality and performance. Once an iOS user gets familiar with it, they will never be satisfied with any other platforms.
2. Better App Revenue - The Apple Store has more than 2M apps, which means around 2,540 apps are released on the App Store every day. As of Q2 2019, the App Store revenue is around $25.5B, which is nearly 80 percent more than what Google Play Store earned. Businesses looking to catch market share in apps would be making a profitable deal by investing in iPhone application development for businesses.
Apple is dominant when it comes to customer solvency. The users of Apple devices are more willing to pay for an app when compared to Android users. iPhone apps are popular for their high quality and revenue-generating feature. Investing in iOS app development is helping both startups and established brands to meet their business needs and make a quick return on their investment.
3. The safest place for Enterprise Data - With Android apps, intrusion of sensitive Enterprise data is very risky. On the other hand, it is a well-known fact that iOS is more secure than Android. With its Integrated data handling systems and measures to prevent duplication of data and loss of security due to data encryption, iOS protects firmware and software through strict security measures. The platform also protects its users against hacking and malware.
4. Offers the highest standard - The iOS apps have to surpass the high-quality standards of Apple’s Play Store before they are made available to the market. Therefore, a user can be confident in the flawless performance and amazing experience of the apps available in the App Store. This has been a factor that fetched a large and loyal consumer base for iOS apps.
5. Tech-savvy Audience and Strong Brand Presence - The majority of iPhone users are tech-savvy and open to innovations. Therefore, iOS offers a great opportunity to build innovative as well as challenging apps that create a revolution in the market. Thus such apps can become market leaders and stride ahead of competitors. Having an iOS app also means you have a stronger brand presence. This could be the reason why new social media platforms like Clubhouse launched first in iOS and then in Android.
6. Lesser Development Time - iOS apps take nearly 28% less time than Android apps of the same specifications when it comes to the duration of app development. The main reason behind this is that Android apps have to be tested across at least 20 devices with varying resolutions, screen sizes, and OS versions. iOS screen sizes are few and it's easier to optimize the app due to the low number of screen sizes.
What are the cons of iOS app development?
Even though there are huge benefits for IOS app development, there are some cons too that you must be aware of. You must know the challenges too before you make up your mind.
Lesser Market share - According to statistics of 2019 done by a company specializing in market and consumer data, smartphones running the Android operating system held an 87 percent share of the global market and have even increased with the last two years, whereas iOS devices had only a 13 percent share of the market. Thus, it is very clear that users for iOS will be lesser when compared to Android.
Apple takes a commission - For all payments in Apple's in-app payment gateway, you will have to pay a commission of 30% to Apple. Any digital products purchased in iOS need to use an in-app payment gateway will have to pay a 30% fee as a processing fee.
Dependency on Apple ecosystem - Taking a build and release of an iOS application needs Xcode, Macbook, iPhone which are all part of the Apple ecosystem. Apple devices are more expensive than Android and this adds to the cost of development.
Harder app approval - Getting your app live on the App Store is one of the biggest challenges because Apple follows strict guidelines. The company also keeps updating iOS app development guidelines frequently. The App Store takes a minimum of 4 days to give a green single to an app.
Final thoughts The final decision to go build an iOS application would depend on the target customer, market, and the type of application. At Zartek we build iOS apps in Native and also in Flutter ( a cross-platform framework that allows us to develop android and ios apps with a single code base and effort. It would also have a consistent design and user experience across both platforms. To know more about Flutter, you can read our detailed article here.