There’s
no operating system that can be called perfect. Despite the fact that Android
leads the mobile OS game, running on 84% of smartphones globally,
it’s known to have some rough edges. With the latest version of Android, called Lollipop,
Google aims to smoothen these rough edges with plenty of design improvements,
new features and security upgrades.
Android’s
closest rival is Apple’s iOS, which runs on 12% of smartphones shipped
globally. It’s been two months since Apple launched iOS 8 – the latest version of its operating system for
iPhones and iPads. With better multitasking and support for third party apps
and widgets, Apple calls it the biggest update since the launch of the App
Store.
Look and feel
iOS 8 is just like iOS 7 in terms of
the overall look and feel. It uses colourful and flat vector-based icons, while
other aspects of the UI stick to basic colours of blue and black with a white
background.
While iOS 8 continues to be
conservative with subtle colours, Android has always been the more colourful
one. However, we’ve noticed Android steadily toning down its colours with each
iteration.
Android 5.0 Lollipop goes a
step further in that direction. While it uses a fantastic colour scheme as part
of its ‘Material Design’, the colours are lighter and you see a prominent white
background instead of black (except for the app drawer, which still uses a
black background). It’s also good to see other Google apps including Gmail,
Google keyboard and Google Maps, carry on the same design language.
Features
As always, Android offers lot more features than iOS 8,
including the option to add multiple users, the ability to cast the screen to a
separate device without the need for installing a third-party app and making
calls from the lock screen. The latest Android 5.0 Lollipop update takes this
one step ahead by making these features easier to use.
In terms of refinements, again, both
are pretty close to reach a level where it gives users enough control without
overwhelming an average user. For example, with Lollipop, you now see how much
more time you have before you’ll need to charge the device again, which is
missing in iOS 8. However, iOS 8 tells you exactly which apps have been
consuming battery and by how much, so you can delete unnecessary apps – a
feature we would have loved to see in Android Lollipop.
Android 5.0 Lollipop now lets you
control which notifications can appear on the lock screen. iOS 8 also gives you
this option, but it also lets you dictate which apps can push notifications on
a locked screen.
iOS 8’s built-in keyboard lets you
send voice clips other than photos and text. However, voice clips can only be
sent through iMessages i.e to a fellow Apple user and not to non-Apple devices.
It introduced predictive text, which does a great job at helping you
complete the words you are about to type. You can also disable the suggestions
while you are using the keyboard. If you’re unhappy with the keyboard, you can
switch to third-party keyboards apps.
Android Lolliop’s stock keyboard is
very different from the one on iOS 8. It’s flatter and, as usual, lets you
‘swype’ instead of typing individual keys. While iOS 8’s built-in keyboard does
not let you swipe text, both keyboards are equally accurate and intuitive to
use.
Unlike Android Lollipop, iOS 8
separates the notification and shortcuts for quick settings. While
notifications appear on the top dropdown, the Control Center lets you swipe
upwards from the bottom of the screen to give you quick access to Bluetooth,
Airplane and Sleep modes, Wi-Fi and auto-rotate options. However, it lacks the
GPS/Location setting which you’ll find on Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Android Lollipop has uncluttered its
notification dropdown and includes essential quick settings such as Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, Auto rotate and Location. Like iOS, there’s now a flashlight option.
Plus, there’s more you can do now – you can switch between users directly from
the notification screen, tap to reply to message notifications and cast the screen
on to a connected device.
To put it in a nutshell,
Android has more features to offer, while iOS 8 has limited features that are a
bit more refined.
Verdict
It’s a tough call. Having used both
iOS 8 and Android 5.0 Lollipop, I must say that I’m impressed by both. The
latest mobile OSes from Google and Apple, take inspiration from each other to
make their existing mobile platforms even better. The complete design overhaul
in Lollipop shows that Android is trying to refine its features and make them
easier to use, while Apple is being more open and trying to give users more
control over their devices. You can tell this from the addition of widgets,
support for third party keyboards and the battery-usage feature. Similarly,
both operating systems have some useful features that you won’t find in the
other.
In the process of one-upping each
other, both are getting to be more alike, which should help those who are looking
to make a switch from iOS to Android or vice versa. However, this also means
that there’s no clear winner among the two major mobile operating systems.
