Deciding Whether to Build Your App for Apple or Android First

So you’ve got a basic idea for a mobile app that you want to build.

The purpose of this app could be to improve your existing business, or maybe you’re building it to launch a startup company.

Regardless of your reason, you’ve got lots of decisions to make and a long road ahead of you in terms of the development process.

Don’t be intimidated.

This is an exciting time for you and your company.

Before you can start building, you’ll need to determine if you want your app launched on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

There are significant advantages and disadvantages for developing on either of the two most popular mobile operating systems.

Can you build on both?

In short, yes. But we’ll get into that a bit later on.

That option could be pricey. So if you can only afford to build one right now, I’ll help you decide which is best for your app.

It’s a critical decision because Apple and Android users behave differently.

So if your primary target market uses one platform and you develop for the other, then it would be a terrible mistake.

But there’s much more to it than just the user.

I’ll break down all of the factors that you need to consider before you finalize a decision.

Here they are.

Feature sets

Aspect	Apple	Android
Ecosystem	Closed, more control and stability	Open source, encourages innovation
Development Restrictions	More restrictions, higher price point for devices	Fewer restrictions, more modifications
User Cost	Higher device cost	Lower device cost

The features are related to the basic functions of your app.

What exactly is the purpose of your app?

The answer to this question will depend on the code that gets written for development.

Apple

Apple is restricted to a closed ecosystem.

A closed ecosystem means that Apple regulates entrance to use their platform.

All of the content is restricted to specific devices that are supported by that ecosystem.

This means that as a developer you’ll have to use Apple’s features, but there are a lot of them.

The advantage to developing your app on a closed ecosystem like Apple’s means that there’s more control and stability.

But with that said, there will be more restrictions for the developer.

From the user perspective, purchasing a device that operates on a closed ecosystem means that it will have a higher price point.

So in general, Apple devices are more expensive than Android devices.

This gives you some more insight about the user, but we’ll get into that in greater detail shortly.

Android

Android operates on an open source ecosystem.

This allows for tons of modifications as well as lots of functionality.

Open source platforms are less secure.

So sometimes updates get blocked by mobile network operators.

Android has an open platform to encourage developer innovation.

You can get Android’s source code for free and port it to your app’s hardware.

This means you won’t have to jump through as many hoops to develop your app on the Android system because there are less restrictions.

How to make money

The purpose of every mobile application is to make money, right?

If that’s not your primary goal, you’ll probably need to reevaluate your decision to build an app in the first place.

So how do you plan to make money?

Here are a few of the most common business models.

• Subscriptions
• In-app purchases
• Advertisements
• Pay per download

Depending on which strategy (or strategies) you decide to implement can impact your decision for developing on Apple or Android.

Apple

If you’re going to charge users to download your app, you should develop on Apple first.

Take a look at the distribution of free vs. paid apps between Apple and Android.

As you can see from the graph, there is a clear difference between the two platforms.

So if you’re going to charge for downloads, the Apple App Store is the place to do it.

That’s because those users are used to seeing more paid apps and less free apps when they’re searching for something to download.

Whereas Android users don’t see as many apps that require payment to download.

So if they see yours, they’ll probably consider just finding another one that has similar functions and is offered for free.

Just know that if you’re going to charge Apple users to download your app, it’s going to be an expensive strategy.

You’ll have a much higher customer acquisition cost than if you offered it for free.

But with that in mind, you’ll also make more money all at once.

Your users will be more engaged as well.

If they’re willing to pay for it, that means they probably won’t abandon it.

Android

If you’re going to make money off of advertisements and in-app purchases, then you should build on Android first.

Just don’t expect your in-app purchases to be too significant.

You’re going to get less money per purchase, but that’s spread over way more people.

Android users dominate the market share.

I’ll show you some more specific numbers when we talk about the different types of people using your app in a little bit.

The advantage of releasing your app for free on the Android platform is that you’ll be able to get more downloads.

But your users may not be as engaged since they’re not investing anything into the download.

So the key to this strategy is coming up with a way to get money from people who use the app the most.

Charge for app upgrades and premium services to enhance their experience.

Release cycles

Here’s something that developers don’t always think about right away when they’re trying to figure out which platform is better for their business.

You’ve got to consider which software version your users are using within their respective platforms.

Obviously, your app needs to be written in code that’s compatible for with the most up to date software versions.

But there’s a major difference between Apple and Android devices here.

Apple

The majority of Apple users are running their device on the most current version.

In fact, 95% of Apple users have one of the two latest operating systems installed on their devices.

This makes programming and development easier because you can estimate what your app is going to be able to do.

You’ll just need to be prepared to come up with more updates to optimize the user experience based on the software they’re using.

But for the most part, you won’t need to worry about software from a few years ago.

Android

Android users are not all up to date on the most current operating platform.

Frequently Asked Questions