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Industry knowledge posits that developing an iOS app is a no-brainer for promoting your business. iOS apps imply credibility and Apple users tend to spend significantly to download and use applications that are actually adding value to their lives in some way or the other. However, if one intends to reap the business’ potential, porting iOS to Android can go a long way. The reasons for this are worth some exploration.
Take a look at this study by Gartner. About 80% of all mobile devices sold in the world run Android as their operating system. Naturally, an Android app has the potential to cater to a much larger number of customers. By the law of averages, this will lead to a higher number of downloads and, usually applicable, higher sales.
If your revenue stream depends on placing ads in your app, then more views will translate into more revenue. Port iOS app to Android and gain the advantage of a larger audience.
Compared to Apple, Android allows greater flexibility in designing an app. Android also allows users to have greater flexibility in working their apps. For example, users can set an app as default if it proves to be useful. If you port iOS app to Android, you cannot just recreate the same experience as the iOS app, but make improvements on them.
What may initially appear as a disadvantage in Android can translate into a benefit. For example, since Android devices tend not to have the most advanced cameras, video processing apps are rare for Android. If a business is able to innovate and create a similar app for Android, then it would certainly address a major need among Android users. While Android users may not usually be willing to pay for apps, an app that serves a crucial need will inevitably open pockets.
Android apps do not just earn more revenue by virtue of their larger customer base (as explained above), but also through various channels of download. Android apps can be hosted on and downloaded from the company website and other third-party websites. This offers greater exposure and more possibilities of download and usage.
Google is also far less stringent about the apps they host on Play Store. This means that apps can be hosted and downloaded within hours, rather than the weeks that Apple takes to approve a new app. Updates to the app are also easy to implement and run fairly quickly.
Before deciding if you should port iOS app to Android, a certain point must be taken into consideration:
To port iOS app to Android, you will have to undergo significant design adaptation. One cannot simply pick up and transfer design elements between platforms. In particular, one cannot use design tools intended to create iOS apps.
Most iOS design tools create iOS templates automatically. However, these will not fit the vagaries of the Android platform. Using them to port iOS app to Android will inevitably cause a conflict between the interface of the app being ported and the Android interface.
A number of features in the Android interface have significant differences with their Apple-based counterpart. To name a few:
Tools like Photoshop, Balsamiq, Visio, and OmniGraffle can be useful in crafting the design of the Android app.
If you convert iOS app to Android, then lesser time has to be consumed while iterating the design. Since the user interface has already been crafted and refined by various layers of testing, less than half the time creating the original app has to be spent creating the ported app for Android.
The decision to port iOS app to Android should not be lightly taken. If it is done well, it can open multiple avenues of increased revenue generation. In addition, the more widespread your app’s presence, the more traction your business receives.
However, all this applies only if the conversion to Android is done with expertise. Consequently, it might be best to hire iOS developer who also have some experience in the realm of Android app creation. This would save costs and bring a much wider range of perspectives to the software strategy.
