Converting iOS App to Android & Vice Versa – Reasons and Factors to Consider

The mobile scene in today’s world is segregated into two operating systems, i.e. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. According to netmarketshare.com, as of March 2018, these two platforms covers 98.8% of the market share. So, it’s obvious that most of the mobile solutions and apps are developed for these two platforms.

(Image source – netmarketshare.com)

Both platforms have their own peculiar characteristics and audiences. So if you miss either of the two platforms, you are missing a great opportunity. Let’s check some benefits of converting iOS app to Android and vice versa.

Reasons for Converting iOS App to Android or Vice-versa

Reach Larger Audience with Android App

Deploying your app to multiple markets means your app will reach to a larger audience. If your app is sailing in the sea of iOS then there is an unfathomable sea of Android users that you must explore. As of March 2018, the share of Android users in total mobile market share is 70.96%. That’s an enormous number of users! According to App Annie, in the first quarter of 2017 the worldwide downloads of Android apps were 135% more than that of iOS apps. Thus, entering this huge market opens possibilities for more app downloads and more revenue from in-app ads.

(Source – App Annie)

Earn Higher Revenue by Converting Android App to iOS

Now you might say, “Who needs an iOS app? I already have an Android app. And with a large number of downloads, I’ll naturally earn higher revenue.” Sorry for the spoiler but you may be wrong at this point. When it comes to revenue, iOS has generated 100% more revenue compared to Android in the first quarter of 2017(source App Annie). It is because iOS users are more inclined to in-app purchase that generates more revenue. Though the number of users of iOS apps is less, they are worth gold in weight when compared to Android.

(Source – App Annie)

Expand Your Market

Converting your Android app to iOS or vice versa will not only boost your audience reach and revenue but also expand the market for your app.

Android is popular in Asia, Eastern Europe, South America and Africa while iOS has a huge user base in North America and Western Europe. So, if you convert your app to another platform, you can expand your market to the new countries of the world.

Reign Over Two Platforms

Your awesome app must be available to all users whether it be Android or iOS. Even your favorite apps that you use every day are available on both the platforms. For instance, Facebook, Instagram, Skype, WhatsApp, Snapchat, etc. Irrespective of the device and operating system, users must be able to use your app. And having your app on two operating systems have a bunch of benefits as mentioned above. That’s the reason most of the successful apps are available on both platforms.

Things to Consider While Converting Your Mobile App

Now you know the reasons you must convert your app to another platform. So let’s discuss the thing that you must keep in mind while converting your app.

Converting the app from one platform to another is not like converting an audio or video file to another format, but it is more like creating a new one from scratch. And the reason behind it is the difference in coding language. iOS apps are made using Swift or Objective-C while Java or Kotlin are used for Android. Apart from that, the majority of mobile app developers prefer backend interaction with XML in Android while for iOS JSON is preferred. Let’s discuss this in detail.

Language, Technology and Code

iOS apps are built using Swift, first appeared in 2014 now it is the official language for building iOS apps and the successor of Objective-C. While Android apps are developed using Java and the newly launched Kotlin. Many mobile app developers have adopted Kotlin as it provides better features compared to Java. While you transfer your Android app to iOS or vice versa, you’ll need to select the respective languages for the app development. It is advisable to select the modern language that provides better features and ease while development.

Application Design

iOS and Android designs are worlds apart. While iOS development uses Flat design, Android development uses Material design. This makes it impossible to use the same interface while transferring the app. You can observe a noticeable difference in the icons, navigation bar, tabs, object placement, text alignment and fonts. Here take a look.

OS version

iOS and Android are here for a quite long time now. And many different versions have been launched since their first release. For instance, Android versions such as – KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow, Nougat and Oreo while iOS Versions -iOS 9, iOS 10 and iOS 11 are widely used.

The fact that not all users have the same OS versions as many don’t bother to update it, creates trouble for the mobile app developers. So while you transfer your app to another platform, you must keep in mind that your app runs on every version. While most of the iOS users have updated their device to the latest iOS 11, fragmentation is still an issue for Android.

(Image source – Statista)

App Testing

Testing is one of the most crucial steps of an app development process. Your app must go through different meticulous tests before it becomes a working app. You need to fix all the bugs or else the app will be a raw product resulting in annoying user experience, bad ratings and reviews in the store and ultimately users will uninstall it.

Wrap Up

If you already have an app for any of the two platforms it’s good. But you know what’s better? Your mobile application on both platform.  By now you must have understood it and as it is said, two heads are better than one. Converting your app is not a difficult task but yes, it is time-consuming. Hiring skilled and seasoned mobile app developers makes the process easy and efficient. So do consider it! Hope you are benefited reading this blog.

If you are looking for converting your iOS app to Android or vice versa we would love to help you with it. We are Techuz, a top-tier mobile app development company in India. Feel free to contact us for any inquiries.