iOS and Android. Android vs iOS. A war that seems to have no end and is still more alive than ever in 2024. iOS 18 and Android 15 are the latest versions and today it is worth asking what the real differences are between one operating system and another. Apple’s system is becoming more and more customizable, while Google’s offering is becoming more and more stable and continuous.

Is iOS as always closed and uncustomizable? Is Android still much freer and richer in options? Here at Xataka, we wanted to tell you in detail what makes them different today by reviewing available photos of both systems.

Let’s talk about technical data

To understand some of the differences between iOS and Android, it is inevitable to talk about how they were created. iOS is an operating system based on the Darwin kernel XNU. You don’t need to learn the names, but don’t forget them. Closed architecture, controlled by Applewith a tighter ecosystem and a focus on hardware and software integration. This means more stability but less flexibility.

Android, on the other hand, is based on the Linux kernel adapted with a few additional layers. really? A more modular and open systemThis allows for greater customization and adaptability, but can also increase ecosystem fragmentation.

The language used on iOS when developing apps is usually Objective-C or React, as well as Swift. Android apps can be developed in Java, Kotlin, C++, JavaScript, and many more languages, so it is also more common to find extra consistency in apps when we talk about iOS.

By designing both the hardware and software of its devices, Apple overall superior optimization What we see on Android phones. Mobile phones like the Google Pixel have their “own” processors, but for real purposes we’re talking about chipsets made in collaboration with other manufacturers (in this case Samsung), not in-house developments like Apple’s.

The file system itself is also different; Android uses ext4 or F2Fs, while Apple uses its own system. Apple’s system is a little more robust in terms of security, but it allows very little access to system folders. On Android we have access to almost all of them even without root.

In fact, one of the main benefits of Android is the ability to install apps in .APK format from any repository, without having to go through app stores or complicated processes.

In short, the two systems are still very different on a technical level, and security and privacy are preserved in iOS compared to the greater freedom provided by Android.

Is it true that iOS has no multitasking feature?

One of the main differences between iOS and Android manage background processeswith almost opposite approaches. iOS is much more restrictive in this regard, not only to save power but also to protect privacy and optimize system efficiency.

This limitation allows apps like Spotify to play music in the background, but makes it difficult for apps like Google Photos or Amazon Photos to upload photos when the screen is off. It’s not that iOS disallows background processes, it’s that it maintains control over what activities can continue running by imposing significant restrictions to prevent excessive resource consumption.

On the other hand, one of the advantages and disadvantages of Android is that applications Let your seconds run smoothly. There are certain elements of the system that hibernate processes after a period of inactivity, but if we have a lot of applications installed, management tends to be a bit chaotic.

This means two things: First, Android allows a lot more tasks to run in the background, and we can turn off the screen without any problems, it will continue to do what it’s supposed to do. The second, not so positive, reading is that autonomy and performance can be compromised if we have a lot of applications and processes in the background.

Let’s talk about customization

A few years ago, customizing iOS was considered heresy. Today we can take the interface to extremes we could never have imagined. Even if, Android remains a much more customizable systembecause we can change the system launcher itself.

This is an application that is responsible for launching and displaying applications on the desktop and cannot be changed in iOS under any circumstances. In Android, without relying on Custom ROMs, we can have more freedom when creating widgets, adding themes to the system and changing practically the entire interface.

The most extreme way to customize Android is to literally replace the operating system with another. We can root and access the root folders of the system to install new ROMs, as well as unlock the boot loader, the element responsible for starting the system. Alternatives such as LineageOS, GrapheneOS and countless third-party ROMs are available for the most popular mobile phones.

On iOS, the alternative is jailbreaking, a process that allows us to modify the system more deeply, but never goes to the extremes of a ROM-swapped Android.

Updates and long-term support

Until not too long ago, buying an Android phone meant buying a phone that would hopefully be updated within a few years. Both Google and processor manufacturers have gotten in on the action, and there are many manufacturers already offering five to seven years of system updates.

Apple never gives an exact figure for how many years its phones will be updated, but the average is six years. In this respect both systems are relatively equal.

The main difference is that when Apple releases a new version, all devices receive it at the same time. It doesn’t matter if you have an iPhone 16 Pro or an iPhone 12: on the day the new version of iOS is released, you will receive it at the same time.

On Android, it usually takes at least six months from the time Google releases the new version until the manufacturer optimizes its software. We have some guarantees that our phone will be updated, but it is difficult to know when it will be updated.

Artificial intelligence

According to Apple, one aspect where Android is two years ahead is artificial intelligence. Gemini Nano models are integrated into most of the system of the most current mobile phones, and on those that are not integrated, we can replace Google Assistant with Gemini .APK.

In addition to Google’s AI, manufacturers such as Samsung are also implementing object deletion functions, voice recording with smart summaries, call translation… Artificial intelligence is being applied to everyday processes. We may or may not use these features, but they are available and pretty flashy.

iOS is taking its first steps with Apple Intelligence. Problem? We won’t see this on iOS until spring. You can try it by setting the phone to English with an American account, a process that I honestly don’t recommend to any average user.

As of today, iOS does not have artificial intelligence in Europe, while Android manufacturers are making steady progress in this regard.

iOS is not as iOS, nor is Android as Android

With the passage of time, both systems converged on proposals that, although very different, have increasingly greater similarities. Android is an increasingly polished system, free from the instabilities and bugs of the name, and is completely on par with iOS in terms of support.

iOS, on the other hand, remains a safe bet, is very stable and with a little more customization ensures it’s not all pure privacy. The decision remains entirely personal.

Image | Xataka

in Xataka | After using an Android phone for a decade, I switched to an iPhone three months ago. I have already clarified which platform to choose.