We've all heard, seen, or even participated in the argument over whether Android or iOS is better. It's been ongoing since the beginning of these two mobile operating systems' rise to fame.
In my opinion, Android is far superior to iOS and here's the reason why.
Android has always been and likely always will be an open source operating system. With the source code available to the public - provided you know how to use Git - anyone with the skills to can modify it to their taste. Custom ROMs are possible and customization options become increasingly available with each new update of stock Android. There's also a very wide variety of devices to choose from to suit different needs.
On Android, with root access it is possible to completely remove any software feature if you know how. If you wish to disable OTA updates, just delete the OTA push service's files! It's not that hard to change most things about Android. You can also add whatever you want by flashing new ROMs, and you have the ability to create a full backup of your entire phone if you have root access. There's also the whole thing where we don't have a blue screen of death.
For those who like split-screen multitasking, iOS didn't offer support for it until 2015. Samsung Android has had split-screen multitasking support since 2011, the year of release for the original Samsung Galaxy Note. This was introduced to the Galaxy S series in 2012 with the release of the S3. Stock Android was way behind on split-screen, but hey - the software was out there for Android four years before Apple added in support. Without options, there's bound to be a much smaller variety of features across devices and this is proof.
Android devices also allow you to sideload apps if you enable the feature. Don't want ads? Get FDroid and install AdAway! Need to test out your own Android app on an actual phone without putting it on the app store? Package it up and run it on your Android!
Finally, my last argument is that I simply like Android's interface better. A number of people defend iOS's interface and say that it's easy to use, simple, makes sense, bla bla bla. I disagree; Android makes way more sense than iOS to me. The settings and notifications are in the same area, you don't have to use one button for everything, and guess what's still running on new phones that actually have audio jacks right now? Android!
The whole removing-the-audio-jack thing just kinda ticked me off because what does Apple expect people to do? They're gonna just buy adapters so they can keep using their earbuds! I don't like that they removed such an important part of the modern smartphone. Bluetooth still lags, and who likes watching videos with a 2 seconds audio offset? I know I don't!
So there's my argument as to why Android is preferable to iOS. Feel free to comment whether you think Android or iOS is better, and give your reasons why.
- KK