Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: the battle that benefits everyone's devices

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: the battle that benefits everyone's devices

This fall sees the release of two major mobile operating systems: Android 5.0 Lollipop and iOS 8. While the launch of a new Apple OS might not seem that interesting to Android users, it does matter: good ideas tend to make their way from one OS to the other.

Android 5.0 Lollipop features a bright, bold color scheme and interface.

• Apple’s iPhone 6 launch marked the arrival of iOS 8, the latest version of its smartphone and tablet
• operating system, and Android 5.0 Lollipop isn't too far behind, being launched alongside the Nexus 9 on November 3rd. Both operating systems have some crucial differences, but they also have an awful lot in common. Here’s how they compare:

Android L vs iOS 8: design

iOS and Android look quite similar these days, but iOS can't really be customized.

Apple upset many users with iOS 7, which dumped cutesy copies of real-world objects - a philosophy known as skeuomorphic design - for something bolder, more colorful and considerably flatter. iOS 8 isn’t as dramatic: it’s a refinement rather than a revolution, and it introduces some features you might find familiar: autosuggested words when you reply to texts, the ability to use third party keyboards, Google Drive-style file sharing and the ability for apps to send data to one another.

Android went flat too, but the flat design of KitKat is being supplanted with Google’s new Material Design language. Like iOS it’s very bright and colorful, but it’s a little warmer than Apple’s UI, which can occasionally be eye-poppingly white.

Android L vs iOS 8: performance

Like its predecessor iOS 8 is a 64-bit operating system running on 64-bit hardware, and while Apple devices tend to be considerably less powerful than Android equivalents Apple’s control of both the OS and the hardware means that iOS often outperforms supposedly more powerful Android devices.

This all may change with Android 5.0 Lollipop, which fully supports 64-bit processors and uses a whole new runtime: the Dalvik compiler has been dropped in favour of ART, which employees “ahead of time” rather than “just in time” compilation to improve app performance.

Android Lollipop vs iOS 8: customization

iOS 8 gets autosuggestions and third party keyboards at last 

Surprise! Android remains far ahead here. Apple still provides unremovable stock apps such as Stocks, and it still limits customisation to ringtones and wallpaper. 

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: battery life

Project Volta makes a huge difference to Android L's battery life.

Android 5.0 Lollipop uses Project Volta’s battery saving technology, which delivers around 1/3 longer battery life than KitKat. The new runtime is less demanding too, which should benefit battery life.

We’re told iOS 8 is more efficient than before, but the presence of fairly hefty batteries in the iPhone 6 suggests that iOS is still fairly power hungry: while the iPhone 6 appears to get better battery life than the iPhone 5S, its battery is much bigger. It’s too early to tell what effect the iOS 8 upgrade will have on existing devices.

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: gaming

Apple has Metal, a new API for games developers; Android 5.0 Lollipop has OpenGL ES 3.1 and the Android Extension Pack for games developers. Both promise console-quality gaming on mobile devices.

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: updates

Android 5.0 Lollipop means you won't have to wait as long for future software updates.

Apple’s updates are made available to all iOS users instantly, something Android users may have felt envious about as they waited for manufacturers to roll out Android updates for their devices. That’s changed now, with Google Play Services handling the updates every six weeks to prevent devices from waiting too long for essential updates.

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: app store

Let’s be honest. The Google Play Store is all too often a hive of villainy, and while Apple may be a bit heavy-handed on the censorship front there’s no need for a big “Here Be Dragons” sign above the iTunes app store. The ongoing battle between Google and the baddies is the price you pay for a more open app store.

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: health

iOS's Health app is designed to work with all kinds of sensors / © Apple

Both OSes are designed to work with health hardware, both in smartphones and in external devices such as smartwatches - although unless we’ve missed an announcement only Apple has prohibited app developers from sharing health data with third parties.

Apple’s approach is its Health App, which it’s been working on with big names in healthcare such as the Mayo Clinic and which it’s punting to healthcare providers as a safe and secure way to store patient data as well as a useful way for customers to track their fitness. There’s an API for third party developers called HealthKit.

Android 5.0 Lollipop’s equivalent is Google Fit, and it sounds rather similar. Partners include Adidas, Asus, Withings, Runkeeper and Polar, and Nike Fuelbands will be part of the Google Fit club too. There isn’t a direct equivalent of Apple’s Health app: Google’s leaving that to the manufacturers.

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOs 8: Apple Pay vs Google Wallet

Google now has a serious competition in the digital wallet arena. 

Apple now has a rival to Google Wallet (Google's free digital wallet which allows you to save your debit and credit cards on an Android device for simple in-store or online payments) called Apple Pay. While it uses the same basic idea as Wallet - wireless payments via NFC - it takes a different approach. Using the TouchID fingerprint sensor to authenticate payments means that Apple Pay payments are counted as Cardholder Present payments, just like when you use a credit or debit card in the shop. That's important because Cardholder Present transactions cost retailers less in fees than Card Not Present ones, and it's something Apple Pay offers and Google Wallet doesn't.

For now Apple Pay is US-only but if it proves popular, and early indications suggest it will, then we'd expect to see it in Europe next year.

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: ecosystems

Mobile OSes have evolved. Both iOS (formerly iPhone OS) and Android started off as mobile phone operating systems, expanded to take in tablets - belatedly, in Android’s case - and now have their sights set on the wider world. Both platforms are interested in three major kinds of accessories: home automation, health monitoring and in-car systems. As ever the approach is different, with Apple providing a one-stop shop and Google concentrating more on providing the platform for others to work with.

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8: early verdict

Android 5.0 Lollipop looks pretty sweet.

We can’t make a fair judgement without using both OSes for a decent period in the real world, but we can identify the key areas of difference. Android is ahead in customization but doesn’t benefit from the tight hardware/software integration iOS has, Apple has a less chaotic app store but makes every customer keep apps they don’t want, and Android gives you a wide choice of hardware while Apple offers a handful of admittedly beautiful devices. And once again, most of Google’s apps and services are available on iOS but not vice-versa.

Chances are, if you’re a paid-up fan of one OS you won’t be tempted by the other, but the truth is that iOS and Android are more similar than ever: they do much the same thing, but they have different ways of doing it. The intense rivalry between the two tech giants is driving progress for all of us, and that has to be a good thing.

What do you think? Is there anything in iOS 8 you’d like to see in Android 5.0 Lollipop?