Is iOS 16 better than Androids?

Is iOS 16 better than Androids? It is the question most Android users ask when they consider switching to iPhones. Some iPhone users raise the same question when they want to switch to Android. So, this question has to be answered with every possible detail. Hence here we are. Let’s proceed to iOS 16 vs Android.

Security and Privacy

First things First. Let’s talk about security and privacy. Trust me. Security and privacy are the most important things you even if you don’t know them. Hackers are waiting with bait to find their prey. They use a variety of techniques to hack people’s phones. It is best to safeguard ourselves from them. iOS is the mobile os apple announced years ago, and ever since iOS is known for security and Privacy. I doubt if androids’ Security is as good as iPhone 12 which is worth buying even today.

Security

Security is very important not only for VIPs and celebrities but for common people too. You might have important documents on your phone. You do transactions with your phone frequently. All these can be compromised if a hacker gets hold of your phone. He doesn’t need to touch it physically. All he needs is secret access to your phone.

Imagine you have a beautiful picture of your gorgeous girlfriend ( or Boyfriend :P). You don’t want someone with a black hat and a computer to steal it, do you?

That is why I said security is essential.

Both Androids and iOS are secure, and it is tough to break the code to get access to your phone. But only one can be the winner. Right?

Of the two, iOS is superior to Android in terms of security. 

There are many reasons for it. But the main reason is that iOS is a closed system, and the source code is with Apple. Also, the protection is so strong that hackers have to literally sweat to hack an iPhone. 

And the good thing is, if it is reported to Apple, apple will fix the loophole with the highest priority.

Apple sometimes doesn’t even budge with the govt to hack iPhones.

On the other hand, if you have an Android, the chances of hacking it are easier compared to iOS. 

Android is open-source software, and any developer worth his salt can go in and out of the code easily. So, hackers already have the code with them, and all they need to do is find loopholes. 

And, with the slow updating of Android, it might take a bit longer for Google to fix it as there is a delay in pushing updates because the carrier is involved in pushing updates.

Besides, apple’s architecture in executing apps is called sandboxing, and one app doesn’t have much contact with another. Hence, if there is a virus or malware in one app, it is highly unlikely that the virus will affect other apps. It is not true for androids. Viruses on one app can affect others.

Secondly, the app store of iOS is thoroughly reviewed by Apple for malware and viruses. So, you’re unlikely to get an app with a virus on the app store. Google Play Store doesn’t much review the apps; hence, viruses can still filter in.

In addition to all these, apple has Apple Pay and apple wallet. You can pay most merchants with the former, and it is very secure. However, in developing countries like India, apple’s payment service is unavailable, but not the Google Pay. Google Pay is Google’s implementation of a payment app but a little different from Apple’s counterparts. google pay is very popular in countries like India.

With the apple wallet app, you can put all your tickets and orders after the transaction. Apple Wallet is both secure and convenient because you get to access all the tickets and passes from different applications in one place. Android has something similar, Google Wallet.

The funniest thing is, once the head of the android team himself said that android is less secure.

So, if you’re a businessman and security is important to you, I suggest to use iOS for business applications.

Privacy

Again Apple rules with privacy. But Android has improved a lot over the years. There was a time not long ago the Android apps were allowed to have access to almost everything on the phone, from photos to contacts. Because advertising is Google’s bread and butter. Now, android has rebuilt the OS for privacy. 

However, Google still collects data from you. And some OEM manufacturers from android side doesn’t have app tracking transparency. collecting data is so much controlled in an iOS. app tracking transparency of iOS is very apparnt.

Advanced-Data Protection in iOS 16.2

This is a feature introduced in OS 16.2. Now, you can save your stuff, like messages, notes, files etc., in the cloud encrypted. The files are device-to-device encrypted, and no one in between can tap them. Not even Apple can hack it. Only your trusted devices can decrypt your stuff, and it takes file security to the next level.

Security keys come to Apple ID.

Now you can have a physical security key for your Apple ID, which helps with two-factor authentication. You can set up the key in Apple’s devices, and it can be used by inserting or taping (in case the key is NFC enabled) while executing two-factor authentication. The security keys replace the code in two-factor authentication.

This makes your devices even more secure.

So, if you care about security and privacy, iOS must be your choice. Hence, Is iOS 16 better than Androids?

Yes, as far as security and privacy go, iOS is better than Android.

Performance

Performance-wise, you can’t go wrong with either of the two. Both iOS and Android have excellent performance. The only difference is that Androids use excessive hardware to achieve this, and Apple uses optimisation on iOS to get great performance. Android devices need excessive hardware support because they run on Java runtime.

Although both the OS have great performance, it is the iOS that stands out. Hence, in terms of performance, iOS 16 is better than Android.

Efficiency

This is where the iOS blows androids out of the water. The iOS is simply more efficient than iOS because of its design. With less powered hardware and less RAM, iOS can give excellent performance without much affecting the battery life. So iOS 16 vs Android, which is better in efficiency? Its iOS 16.

Battery life

Speaking of battery life, the main reason androids have great battery life is not because of efficiency. But because of huge batteries.

Most flagship androids have a battery capacity of more than 5000 mAh. At the same time, iPhone flagships have around 4000 mAh. Despite that, iOS often gives excellent battery life compared to most Android because of its outstanding efficiency.

standby battery drain

Standby battery drain is the amount of charge the phone uses during standby mode. Standby mode is the time when you don’t use the phone at all. An example is the night when you sleep. 

iOS uses very, significantly less battery when not in use. Androids use more. This is because of their inherent design language. 

So, even in terms of efficiency, iOS 16 is better than Android.

Exclusive features

These are some of the important features available in one operating system, and there is no proper alternative to the other. New features are often added in both

handoff

It is a feature where you can use any connected Apple device to attend calls, listen to music, etc. If you receive a phone call on your phone, you can attend and speak on your iPad or Mac devices.

Also, when you’re doing something on your iPhone, you can continue the task on iPad OS and MacOS easily. For example, you’re browsing on Chrome on your Apple device. You can click on the chrome handoff that appears on the desktop and instantly switch the browsing to the desktop—such a handy feature of Apple’s ecosystem.

Airplay

Another Apple-only feature. It is similar to Chromecast but different. It is a combination of Chromecast and mirroring. You can stream videos and audio from any Apple device to other compatible Apple’s devices. Airplay is also built on many third-party devices like audio video receivers etc.

Airdrop

This is the most loveable feature of the Apple ecosystem. You can wirelessly send files to other supported Apple devices in a jiffy. iOS is supported, and you can send pictures to Mac instantly.

Facetime

This is a video call feature exclusively for iOS, MacOS, iPad OS and TV OS. You can make video calls to other Apple devices from your iOS device or MacOS devices using FaceTime. Apple revamped Facetime so much that now you can have group calls and group video calls even with people who don’t have Facetime. You can use avatars and stickers and can even stream music or video across the participants.

Measure tool

This tool is awesome. You can measure distances with this tool. It uses the camera as a viewfinder and range finder. The tool is quite accurate. Again an exclusive tool for iOS. This is one of the new features in iOS

Share wifi passwords

You can enter the wifi password just one time, and this password syncs to other devices of apple in no time. This makes setting up and connecting multiple devices to the internet easy.

App offloading

This is one of the best exclusive new features of iOS. This is helpful, especially for low-storage phones. This feature will delete the app data of the apps that are not used for a long time. Remember, it doesn’t remove user data. So, when you want to use this app, iOS can download the app, and you can use the app from where you left off as the user data is retained.

a free VPN, and new clear calling for Google’s latest phones

Google has introduced a free VPN and clear call service for new pixel phones free of cost. The VPN will hide your identity and can be used as if you can browse from a different location.

The clear calling service will clear the background noise so that the listener on the other end of the call can hear you better. This is similar to the ENC feature of TWS earbuds.

Recorder app

Google’s new recorder app is fantastic. It is available only on pixel phones as of now. It can detect different people’s voices and label them accordingly, saving you much time from segregation.

Split screen

Well, here is where Androids pull ahead. The split screen feature is very intuitive and productive. You can have two or more windows on the same screen. You can now use your Android phones like a desktop. Heck, you can connect your Samsung phone to a monitor and use it just like a desktop pc. iOS doesn’t have split screens yet. iPad OS has it, however. We can hope this feature will trickle down to iOS as well.

Bluetooth file sharing

In Android, you can send a file to another Android device or even to a pc with Bluetooth. Bluetooth FTP is enabled in Android. It saves so much time and energy to transfer files across. Apart from airdrop, iOS doesn’t support sharing over Bluetooth.

NFC

Well, both iPhones and Androids have NFC, but in iOS, NFC is only used for authentication purposes like Payment apps, CarPlay etc. However, in Android, NFC can have many uses. You can even skip Bluetooth pairing with NFC authentication and send files directly within Androids.

USB

Since Androids have a USB type C port, you can connect the USB devices directly to your Android phones. You cannot do that on iPhones running iOS.

Multiple user and guest users

This is yet another exclusive feature of Android. Just like a PC or MAC, you can add more users to your phone. You can even add guest users on your phone if someone wants to use your phone temporarily. This way, your privacy is secured. Both multiple users and guest users are great features to have, which iOS sorely misses. Maybe because phones are personal, apple decided against multiple users and guest users.

Both Android and iOS have their own unique features. It is up to you to prioritise which feature you want. I use Airplay, Airdrop, and Handoff daily. In my use case, iOS is better.

Hence, is iOS better than Android? Yes, it is. Because it has more value proportions.

Exclusive third-party software

Software like RTA, RT60, hearing tests, colour correction, and display calibrators made for iOS hardware

This is one of the positives of iPhones. Since iPhone models are limited in numbers, and the hardware capacity is known, one can develop custom software in and around iPhones for specific needs.

For example, the screen calibrator. This software uses the camera of iPhones to calibrate the display. The properties of the iPhone camera can be determined, and software can then be tailor-made for that model of iPhone; thus, you can make a reference-grade calorimeter to calibrate the display. Remember, the iPhones have very accurate cameras and displays.

This is hard to execute in androids simply because there are too many androids in the market. It is easy for the software makers to choose only a few phones and build the software around them. 

The idea is the same for software like, real-time audio analysers, RT60 detectors, Hearing test software and even photo editors.

So between iOS 16 vs Android, is IOS 16 better than Androids in this application? It is iOS 16 is better than Android.

Customisation

You might already know that Androids are great with customisation. It is one of the plus points and also one of the selling points of Androids. You can customise it to your personal preference by a huge margin by downloading third party app icons pack, fonts etc.

iPhones can be customised, such as wallpaper, font size, lock screen etc., but it is in no way close to Android in terms of customisation. Let’s see some of the major customisation options for Android.

Launchers

You can get any look on an Android by using launchers. Launchers are more like themes. Some launchers come with customised icon packs and fonts. Some launchers, like Nova launchers, make the device faster by giving it a simple look.

iOS doesn’t have the concept of launchers.

Widgets

Both iOS and Android have widgets. Widgets are small application that runs with the help of the main application. It takes a role in showing the important details right on the home screen. Examples are Clock, stock widget, weather widget etc.

But Android’s widget has more and more functions and customisation. Even on the lock screen, the iOS widget is not that great.

Lock screen

Lock screens on iOS and Android phones are a little bit different. The idea of the Lock screen is that while the phone is locked, the users can still see some of the data and wallpaper. Both iOS 16 and Android lock screens show the latest notification. The lock screen on iOS shows a shortcut for the camera and flashlight. The lock screen on the Androids has a camera as standard and other tools depending on the manufacturer. Time and calendar on the lock screen is a common feature on both OS phones.

You cannot pull down old notifications on iOS 16 lock screen, but on Android’s lock screen, it is possible. iOS 16 can put the subject of wallpaper on the front of the clock while pushing the background to the rear of the clock. It is a cool feature.

Home screen and app drawer

iOS doesn’t have a home screen. You open the phone, and the UI goes straight to the app drawer. You will get a fairly standard app drawer. Now you can put widgets in the app drawer and move the apps around. But you cannot customise it like an Android. 

For example, you cannot have icons only on the lower part of the screen, leaving the top of the screen blank. No, you cannot do that on iPhone. Apps simply occupy the vacant space. However, you can choose how many apps to be shown on each page of the app drawer.

Androids differ from iOS significantly. Androids have a home screen. As you know, you can put a clock, calendar, a few apps and widgets on the home screen. It gives you many data at your fingertips. Then there is an app drawer. You can customise the position of the apps in there. You can have apps on the lower part of the screen while the upper part is blank. You can customise the number of rows and columns on the app drawer. The list goes on and on.

developer options

It is an option for androids. It is hidden and can be viewed by tapping the build number under system settings. Here you can customise the animations, their speed, USB options etc. Please do things with care, as this option can break your smartphone.

Custom ROM

Custom ROM is a concept on Android. Since Android is open-source, anyone can download the AOSP source code and create a customised operating system for any Android mobile. Usually, custom ROMs have more features. They are performance or battery-life-oriented. In some ROMs, you can choose what you want. Custom roms open up many possibilities. You need to unlock the bootloader to install custom ROMs.

Accessibilities

Both Android and iOS have accessibility features. This includes zooming the screen, VoiceOver, significant texts, increasing contrast, text-to-speech etc. I cannot rate one over the other as it depends on who uses it.

Better always on display

Only the latest iPhones after iPhone 13 have ‘always on display’, while Androids have it for a more extended period. And Android’s always on display is better. iOS’ always-on-display is good, but it consumes battery a lot even with an LTPO screen. Here android simply wins.

So, is iOS 16 better than Androids in customisation? Not at all. Androids win hands down in this iOS 16 vs android comparison.

Messages

You might have heard about iMessage. You might have used it too. iMessage is one of the finest pieces of software by Apple. It is secured, has many features and is fast. It uses the internet to send rich text messages.

With RCS support, android has upped the game as well. But it is still lagging behind the flexibility of the iMessages. Here iOS has the upper hand.

Notifications

I bet if you’re an Android user, you often pull down the notification panel. Android is built around the notification. So, you will get everything on the notification panel, including quick system settings. Also, the status bar shows notifications and icons.

The notification panel of iOS is limited, and you don’t have to pull down the notification, just like Androids. I don’t really use the notification drawer on my iPhones. 

Both iOS and Android have stacks to arrange the notifications from every app. iOS’ notifications feel cluttered while Androids have it very well organised, in my opinion. 

Camera interface

iOS camera app is the benchmark for camera software. It is fast; it is quick in capturing. It has all the necessary features, filters etc. Taking a picture is easy. Click the shutter button, and the phone figures out the best settings and take the shot. HDR and Night modes are automatic.

Google camera is simple, too, but it has advanced features which cover almost all functionalities that Apple offers. But phone makers are shipping the phone with their own software, and some have DSLR settings inside. They are very handy for taking customised shots.

iOS has burst mode which is extremely useful. I doubt many androids have that.

There is no winner or losers here. But I will give my vote for iOS for its simplicity.

Ecosystem

Apple has a better ecosystem with its Mac, iPhones, iPad, apple watch, HomePod, AirPods etc. as Apple say, “It just works.” These devices communicate with each other and thus make our life easier. The messages sync, The webpages syncs, and you can even attend cellular phone calls on other devices. You can use iPhones as cameras for Mac. The universal clipboard is awesome. In total, apple’s ecosystem is well put. 

Androids don’t have much of this ecosystem. So, in terms of ecosystem, is iOS 16 better than Androids? Yes, iOS 16 is better than Android.

Apps and availability

Apps are the most important thing about any operating system. Windows Mobile failed just because there were necessary apps in the market. On a smartphone, we spend most of our time on apps rather than elements of the operating system. Both Appstore and play store have millions of apps at your disposal. Let’s see something about the apps and a few apps now.

Better quality apps

Apple iOS generally has better-quality apps than Android. This is because Apple has strict policies about apps. And Apple does many quality checks before publishing the apps on Appstore.

The quality checks on the play store are comparatively not strict, and many not so optimised apps can filter through.

Bloatware in Android phones

Android phone is famous for bloatware. Bloatware means unnecessary apps that hog the phone’s storage and memory. Only google pixel and phones like Motorola has lass of bloatware. Comparatively, Apple ships only a few apps with their iPhones

Per-app language options in Android device

Android now has ‘Per-app language options.’ If you are multilingual and you want different languages on different apps, look at Android. Many apps have additional language support, and you can set a language per app for more productivity and convenience.

Notable apps included in your OS

• Digital Well-being and Focus mode on both Operating systems. Apple’s focus mode and associated software were the first in the industry, and androids followed it as a new features.

• Sleep and medication widgets on iOS

So, as far as software goes, I would say apple iOS 16 is better than Android.

File manager

To me, the file manager is essential. Only Android has a full-fledged file manager, and the file manager has access to many of Android’s folders. If the phone is rooted, you will get to see the files and folders in the root. The file manager in Android is awesome.

The Filemanager in iOS is very basic. You can only have access to some parts of the phone and the iCloud. Since iOS is a closed system, the functionality of the file manager is limited.

Hence, if your work involves many files and their management, you will be better off with an Android. So, in this regard, android is better than iOS. Period.

Spatial audio

Spatial audio is unique to iOS. it also supports Dolby atmos like androids. But, with spatial mode on with dolby atmos, you will get even more immersion. The soundstage becomes wider and deeper. The instruments sound from a different but realistic place. Singers sound isolated and it is a cool way to immerse yourself in music. You can use any earphones or headphones to listen to music by connecting to your iPhone.

User interface

Both operating systems differ in the User interface. Apple has a simple, easy-to-use layout, while Android is geeky and intuitive. Both are gesture controlled, and the gestures are similar. Android has button navigation, too and has an edge. Both have a pull-down notification tray. Setting shortcuts are available on the notifications tray itself on Android. On iOS, you have to swipe down from the top right corner. If you crave a simple OS, it is Apple iOS for you. If you want something intuitive, Android is for you. In this case, no one is better than the other.

Software updates

As you guessed, Apple iOS has better software support. Apple will push OS updates and upgrades for several years, keeping the phones up to date. On the other hand, most Androids will have very limited OS updates. Only makers like Samsung give years of support. In this category, iOS is better than Android.

Open Source Operating System vs closed

This is the fundamental difference between Androids and iOS. This pushes iOS 16 vs Android debate to a new level. Android is open source. Anyone can download AOSP and modify it to their requirements. You can create your own ROM with it. Hence we have different flavours of Androids like colour os, oxygen os etc. Anyone can contribute to Android in their library.

But iOS is a closed system. You cannot modify the software. It is the propriety of apple. The system is thus closed. Only Apple developers can contribute and change codes in the OS. Hence, apple can maintain better quality.

Restrictions

Android has the least restrictions of the two. Since apple iOS is a closed system, it is restricted. You can install apps only from the apple app store. On the other hand, Android guys can install the app in Play Store or can even sideload the app by downloading the apk file.

There are Pros and Cons to this. But the main thing is that in iOS, it is very hard to inject a virus through apps. But in Android, third-party apps might contain malware or adware.

Wide range of devices to choose from

Another advantage of Android is that you can choose the Androids that convinces you. There are hell a lot of Android mobiles in the market with different flavours of Android. There are cheap phones. There are ultra-expensive phones. There are music-centric phones, and there are camera-centric phones. You can go with whatever floats your boat.

iOS is available only on iPhones. Although there are many iPhones available, everything has the same iOS. The hardware and features differ, but the OS is the same. Although iOS is better with single OS implementation, I would say Android is better here as you can choose exactly what you want and then customise it.

Floating windows and multiple windows

This is a feature of androids. You can make an app window float over another app window. This way, you can use two windows at a time. Unfortunately, anything similar is not available in iOS. The multiple windows are exclusively available on Samsung. You can have multiple windows on one screen. It is excellent for productivity. Not to forget about the split screen that we discussed earlier.

So, is iOS 16 better than Androids in this case? If you’re the type of person who does multitasking a lot and multiple or floating windows help you a lot, then yes, android is better than iOS for you.

Android Auto and Apple Car Play

I have used both android auto and CarPlay. Just like the respective OS, android auto and CarPlay have their unique qualities. Although I had some disconnections, Apple CarPlay is easy to use. Android is nicer but a little geeky. Both the OS are equally good. You can’t go wrong with either of the two.

Voice Assistants in both operating systems

So, google and Siri are the voice assistants of Google and Apple, respectively.  Both do the job well. But who is superior? Its google. It does better than Siri, Right from recognition to execution. Google can remember much more of the previous question to the next connected question compared to Siri. Also, google gives the precise answer most of the time, while Siri shows you a bunch of websites where you can read about your query.

So, is iOS better than Android in terms of Voice assistants? Nope. Android is better.

Conclusion – is iOS 16 better than Androids?

We have almost reached the conclusion of iOS 16 vs Android. So, is iOS 16 better than Androids? Yes, iOS 16 is better than Android most of the time, especially when it comes to productivity and security. I want best security and privacy in this world and it is a personal preference.

In addition to that, iOS has good performance and good efficiency. It doesn’t slow down easily. Using it is simple, and the navigation is smoother. The battery life is also very good. Another plus is that iOS has many exclusive third-party apps. I value security, privacy and performance more than anything. iOS also has better-quality apps. Overall, iOS is a very polished OS.

However, if you’re into customisation, multiple screens, Need a file manager, don’t want to stick to one manufacturer, don’t care about bloatware and risk from side-loading the apps and don’t want to be tied to Apple’s ecosystem, you will be better off with android.

Since most of the time we spend on phones is on apps and not on the OS components, you cannot go wrong with either iOS or Android. Thanks for reading