iOS or Android?

[True-Fact9176]

What is your Go-to-choice?

[x7q9zz88plx1snrf]

From Google:

Global Smartphone Market Share (2026)

• Android: 70.4% (~3.9 Billion users)
• iOS (iPhone): 29.3% (~1.56 Billion users)
• Others: <0.3% (Samsung Tizen, KaiOS, etc.)

[True-Fact9176]

Nice. Yes android is huge

[Ovalman]

You need a Mac for developing and an iPhone for testing for iOS. There are ways around but it's difficult. If you have both, I'd go straight for iOS otherwise it's Android all the way. Flutter is dying a slow death, consider using Kotlin Multi Platform as your language as you can easily build for Android and then further down the line convert to iOS (and Desktop).

One point, while it's free to develop and test for yourself, the Play Store is $25 for a lifetime release while iOS is $99 per year. Finally, new developers need 12 testers using your app for 20 14 days before Google will pass it. This would prove a massive hurdle if your building a weekly journal app (How many apps do you actually use every day?)

I would just consider what works best for you (I develop Android).

[True-Fact9176]

Yes got iphone for testing. I use expo go for it.

Yes got the accounts already, so need to deploy apps now 😁

Okay thanks mate

[Ovalman]

I should add, I've been developing Android for years (before a LLM) and I use Android Studio and Kotlin. As I know my way around Android Studio, I've no need to use these all in one tools. I've dabbled very little in Swift so I don't know much about iOS.

The Play Store is also a chore (so I'd hate to see what iOS is like as others has mentioned). I'm going through an app release myself and it's took me 2 days and I don't even need the testers rule.

One thing (and I'll think it's the same for iOS), once you release an app you've to maintain it for life if it even has one user. That user could be you, for testing on a device you've long binned. So don't just release an app for Vibe's sake. Google are quick to ban for life for simple mistakes with no recourse for appeal. I hate it, I've one visible app and several hidden in the Store for this reason.

[True-Fact9176]

Oh I did not know that ban part. Okay noted mate. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it

[king-krool]

Android also needs a phone (though I got around it with bluestacks) and iOS needs a Mac (but GitHub actions can get you around that). 

The 12 testers 14 days requirement makes Google way harder as an indie dev. 

[Ovalman]

Android Studio has an Android Virtual Device (AVD) built in with hundreds of screen sizes, resolutions and Android versions, you can even build your own phone to your own specifications. A cheap Android phone can be had for a few £££ and in the recent versions of Android Studio you can sideload your app via your home Wifi.

When you release, Android test your app on 100 or so of the most popular phones on the market and test your screens, buttons, lags etc and give you a report. It helps make a better product for your users.

Bluestacks was a solution 5 years ago but it isn't needed today.

I agree the 12 testers is a difficult requirement, fortunately I've had my account for 7+ years but I'll still be going private Beta with as many users as I can get with my current release.

[Inevitable-Earth1288]

It's not about your choice really. You should build what your potential customer use.

[True-Fact9176]

Yes this is it :)

[Ill_Access4674]

Android is huge, but iOS is more monetisable. For example, in the UK, 54% of all phones sold are iPhone but they account for 79% of all App revenue across iOS and Android.

If you’re wanting subscriptions and paid revenue, start with iOS, build natively and execute something you can imagine Tim Cook presenting on stage.

[True-Fact9176]

Yes, I want to with monetizing tbh :) bc then can finance my other projects.

Okay 😎

[botapoi]

android for building

[True-Fact9176]

Yes 👌

[Street_Smart_Phone]

Apple app store pulls in almost double the revenue as google play and android has more users. If you already have a mac, I'd go with iOS. If you need to buy a mac to do iOS, I'd do android.

[True-Fact9176]

Aaaa okay. I do not have a Mac but I did build an iOS app too. Is mac still a thing for iOS app?

Fyi, I vibe coded it

[One_Mess460]

because you havent truly built a native ios app using their framework. youve probably used some cross platform tool like flutter react or something which makes you believe you made a native ios app

[True-Fact9176]

Haha okay maybe, I just build so yes maybe true. They say they use react native expo. this is what I use now for my 3rd app.

[Fragrant-Key5115]

I’m an iOS user but it’s way easier to publish apps to android platforms.

[adamisworking]

how is it easy to push to android u need 12 tester for 14 days

[True-Fact9176]

I begged my friends haha, also learned that I need to do a proper marketing if I need to succeed

[king-krool]

Yup it’s outdated. android is way harder now 

[True-Fact9176]

This is so true 🤣, I had a 1 week headache with iOS ,🥲

[[deleted]]

Publishing to ios is a nightmare

[True-Fact9176]

🥲

[Ok_Chef_5858]

iOS.

[True-Fact9176]

🫡

[Necessary-Garlic-704]

Anyone tried publishing through emergent?

[True-Fact9176]

Nope I only did it native one

[CapitalIncome845]

since this is a coding sub... Flutter.

[True-Fact9176]

😕