Android vs. iOS: each design philosophy explained in simple lines
Contrasting differences between the two ecosystems boiled down to slogans.
Apple and Google are the two leaders of the smartphone marketplace and besides the few similarities, both of them share differing views on design. Their design principles are adopted by designers and developers all over the world, especially for Android and iOS.
While there are plenty of in-depth articles on the contrasting philosophies between the two ecosystems, I decided to boil it down to short lines.
On the design systems
Google: According to us, users should interact with content as if they’re holding it in their hands. Material design is the name of our design concept.
Apple: We believe in making minimalistic user interfaces that are consistent, intuitive, and approachable. Hence we call it human interface guidelines.
On navigation
Google: We love hamburgers and recommend the drawer menu for navigation. But, you can also use Bottom Navigation Bar or Tabs at the top.
Apple: We’ve stuck with only one navigation design which is the tab bar at the bottom of the screen. It’s in sync with the right-hand thumb rule and proven to be better.
On animations
Google: Animations help breathe life into the user interface. We recommend drop shadows, elevation, depth, light sources, and motion as key properties to demonstrate the interaction between components in the user interface.
Apple: We embrace gradients and flat design. But an animation that distracts the user is too much for our liking. We’d prefer subtle changes and a realistic motion design that directs the user’s focus to the important content.
On customers
Google: We know what our customers want. And design accordingly.
Apple: We know that our customers don’t really know what they want. And create designs accordingly.
On design priorities
Google: Consistency over clarity.
Apple: Coherency over consistency.
On innovation and evolution
Google: We rely on our huge data to experiment with design trends and refine them regularly. We are also the first movers and release features years ahead of our competition.
Apple: We believe in slow, gradual, and incremental changes instead of rushing into the market. Besides, we are more than happy to catch-up while ensuring that the finer details are right. Also, we do a more polished job of integrating features into our ecosystem.
On customizations
Google: We enforce fewer rules for customization and provide more flexibility to our designers, developers, and users.
Apple: We believe privacy and security are the central focus of any design. Hence we hand over only a limited set of options for customization.
On product releases
Google: Rapid and multiple releases every year. Some of them might not be supported for long.
Apple: Annual releases that stand the test of time.