How do you decide between iOS and Android app development?

How about hitting every mobile device out there in the world? Instead of choosing one platform & reducing your target audience, you can choose Flutter & build a cross-platform app with close to the same performance as you get in Android or iOS. Another amazing perspective is you can scale your product to Web as well later on, all with a single app's codebase!

My thoughts - Should consider the target audience first if it is outside Asia then iOS will be a better option. one important thing is, Android will cover the most users of the world as it has the largest user base. - Android development is a bit harder than iOS but development resources are widely available - iOS deployment in the app store is more expensive than Android Play Store deployment. iOS charges $100 whereas Google charges only $25 lifetime. - Development tool iOS is expensive as it requires a Macbook - Flutter can be a good option as it produces both iOS and Android apps with shorter development times.

Also, take into account that currently iOS is over half the market in the US and growing across the world. iOS has also fewer devices to look after and thus, it's easier to develop stable, predictable apps for IOS.

Understanding your target audience is paramount when deciding between iOS and Android app development. iOS tends to attract a demographic that values sleek design and premium experiences, making it a great fit for businesses targeting affluent consumers or creative professionals. On the other hand, Android boasts a broader user base and is often favored by tech-savvy individuals who appreciate customization options. Analyzing your potential users' preferences and behaviors can help guide your decision.

If you're writing an app that people are going to pay for, I would start with iOS and follow it up with Android because iOS users are more willing to pay more money. They're also much more sensitive to the UX of the app and appreciate a fluid UI with grace notes in it. As a developer, there are a lot fewer combination versions for iOS than for Android (Google? Samsung? Tracfone?) so it doesn't require as much effort to cover your market's devices. If you're writing a relatively simple front end for a REST or GQL API, then something like Flutter might be practical.

Design plays a significant role in user experience. iOS and Android have distinct design guidelines. iOS follows a minimalist and sleek design language with a focus on uniformity and consistent user experience. On the other hand, Android provides more flexibility for customization. Discuss the importance of adhering to each platform's design guidelines to ensure your app feels native and intuitive to users.

For IOS design, less is more. Decades of visual perception research have pointed up the importance of making the user's target easy to find and easy to focus on. (See any of the work done by Anne Treisman and Daniel Kahneman for good examples). In practice, this means some rules like "Don't clutter up the screen with decorations", "Don't have animations take your users' visual attention away from the important parts of the screen" and "Don't make the content less salient than the labels". Using heavy handed top-down "design frameworks" combined with short deadlines can yield terrible-to-mediocre UX; "web first" thinking will tend to have the same outcome as well. If you claim "mobile first", it needs to be *native* mobile first.

Siga as diretrizes de design específicas de cada plataforma. No iOS, use o Human Interface Guidelines para manter a consistência com a experiência Apple, focando em simplicidade e clareza. Para Android, siga o Material Design para criar interfaces intuitivas, com ênfase em animações e layouts responsivos. Cada conjunto de diretrizes garante uma experiência nativa e fluida, adequada ao ecossistema da plataforma.

One of the main differences between iOS and Android apps in that regard is the variety of devices to support. This affects not only development, but also testing and debugging. While iOS only has a few, there are a plethora of different sizes and configurations of Android devices. That means that even if you pick the most common ones from the major manufacturers to test on, you can't test on every device, and you might encounter weird bugs on a specific model or brand.

Another point to bare in mind is that if you choose to use Swift, there are now a multitude of UI options available, with those being Xib or Nibs, Storyboards or SwiftUI. Apple is pushing SwiftUI and will eventually consider Storyboards a legacy method of building UI on iOS. But learning and using SwiftUI will add a level of complexity as it’s still not widely adopted.

Use ferramentas de desenvolvimento adequadas para cada plataforma. Para iOS, utilize o Xcode com Swift ou Objective-C. No Android, use o Android Studio com Kotlin ou Java. Se preferir um desenvolvimento multiplataforma, frameworks como Flutter ou React Native permitem criar apps para ambas as plataformas a partir de uma única base de código. A escolha da ferramenta depende do objetivo do projeto e da equipe.

Monetization is a critical aspect of app development. iOS users tend to spend more on apps and in-app purchases, making it an attractive platform for revenue generation. On the other hand, Android's larger user base can lead to higher download numbers and ad revenue. Consider your preferred monetization strategy—whether it's through upfront app purchases, in-app transactions, subscriptions, or ads—and how each platform aligns with your goals.

Ad revenue can be a tricky beast. After seeing enough ads, users can tune them out so that the eyeballs go ad-blind. More than a few users install ad filtering like PiHole in their home networks, because people hate ads. YouTube is in a race right now with people who make ad blockers because *people hate having to watch ads*. For monetization, the current hotness is subscription revenue but that comes with its own constraints - the value is in the back end, but that doesn't mean you can ignore UX on the device and an app that doesn't _feel_ like a native app will always feel off.

One thing about the monetization of iOS apps is that PMs tend to believe it's relatively easy to generate revenue from an iOS app on the App Store, mainly because iOS and iPadOS users are willing to pay more for apps. That is arguably true, but the initial cost of deploying an iOS app to the Appstore differs largely from its Android counterpart, not to mention the 30% App Store cut on in-app purchases. To publish an iPhone app on the App Store you must at least: - Invest in a Mac machine (compared to a cheaper Windows machine for only Android) - Invest in an iPhone (generally more expensive than an Android device apt for development) - Purchase an Apple developer account (min. $99 annually – compared to $25 lifetime for Google Play)

As opções de monetização variam entre iOS e Android. No iOS, foco em compras no aplicativo, assinaturas e apps pagos, que tendem a gerar mais receita por usuário. No Android, além dessas opções, também é comum o uso de anúncios, devido ao maior alcance global da plataforma. Ambos permitem modelos freemium e integrações com plataformas externas de pagamento. A escolha da estratégia depende do perfil do público e dos objetivos de receita.

A great alternative is to make both using Flutter. You can easily produce iOS, android and web apps. There are now a plethora of plug-ins, including maps, graphs etc, and you can easily adjust the user experience to be unique for each.

UI/UX. as it stands iOS has a better in built system for UI and UX, most of their default alerts, screens and navigation options are kept consistent through most iOS apps, so making a smooth and well built experience can be easier on iOS. With that said, if you’re looking for a more bespoke looking app, which moves heavily away from standard designs, this can be more tricky on iOS as opposed to Android development.

The optimal choice between iOS, Android, or even hybrid app development hinges largely on the specialized skills of you and your team. When time-to-market is critical, such as during Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development, relying on unfamiliar tools or hiring new experts is often impractical. Your decision is influenced by various factors, including your team's expertise, development timeline, and desired app performance. While metrics like native feel and user device preferences become relevant when time permits, they may take a backseat during rapid development cycles.

User Experience: The user experience (UX) your app offers is directly impacted by the platform you choose. iOS apps often exhibit a polished and consistent UX, thanks to Apple's stringent app review process. Android apps, while providing greater customization opportunities, may require more effort to ensure a consistent experience across various devices and versions. Delve into the nuances of UX on each platform to determine how well they accommodate your app's intended functionality.

App Store vs. Google Play: A aprovação de aplicativos na App Store é mais rigorosa e demorada, enquanto o Google Play tende a ser mais flexível. Leve em conta o tempo de lançamento.