There are multiple factors that one has to take into consideration when contemplating on buying a new smartphone. Sure, hardware is important and so is aesthetics, but somewhere in the middle lays the operating system. Android and iOS are the two most popular operating systems for smartphones available, and often time’s people are having a hard time figuring out which appeals more to them. A big part of the OS’s ecosystem is the app store from where users would fuel up with apps that let them do all sorts of things with their new phones. There are things each platform does better than the other, and there’s no denying that Apple’s iOS excels in its own favorite categories. However, in this article we will take a look at what Google’s Play Store does better.
Better search function
Since we’re talking about Google it’s no wonder that the Play Store has a better search engine. The thing that sets it apart from the App Store in this department is the fact that when a user searches for something, it compares the search query with everything. And here, everything really means everything, as far as text is concerned. App title and description, user reviews and such, every bit of text is scanned so that the best result for your search can be found.
Apple’s iOS on the other hand only compares what you search for with the app’s pre-determined keywords, which developers have to fill out when submitting the app. This limits your chances of finding a specific or accurate app drastically since you have to pretty much guess what keywords the developer used. If it’s something obvious or very specific then you won’t have a problem, but if you’re not sure yourself what you hope to find, things get complicated a bit.
More free apps
Apple’s platform is known to deliver apps of far better quality than the Play Store, even when that app has versions on both marketplaces. This is due to the much stricter rules implied by Apple to developers for adding apps to the store. While this is in its own a point scored for Apple, it also means that most apps will cost more because developers expect compensation for their hard work. If you’re looking to have a wider collection of free apps, Android’s app store has that. The app quality might be lower, but there are still a lot of great Android apps of high quality. It’s just that they seem more scattered because of the large number of “filler” apps in between.
Direct line with developers
Apple and Android might have a lot of similarities since they’re in the same business, but they are also very different in many ways. One of them is how they handle customer complaints or inquiries. On Apple’s side, developers have no control over this. If a customer complains or wants some answers, the best they could do is tell them to talk to Apple, as the iOS creator handles all these itself.
Android users can speak to developer directly and work out a solution with those that created the app they are not pleased with or want information about. Android developers can simply offer a refund or any similar compensation as they see fit, which is a big plus for consumers and developers alike.
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