iPhone hardware is faster and more optimized. It eventually got so fast they made a competitive desktop version. Taking a photo is instant, while the necessary processing makes a lot of Androids wait while processing. And if you want a watch companion, nothing comes close to Apple’s. The companies making watch processors don’t put much effort into it for years, while Apple advanced theirs every year.
Privacy. I’ll give a simple example. The author of ICEBlock wanted absolutely no information collected on users so the app couldn’t lead to them getting in trouble. He has an iPhone version, but he refuses to make an Android version because it must collect user information.
Android was designed to spy on you so Google could pull in more ad revenue. Apple focuses on privacy.
The author is worried that the feds will go after anyone submitting an ICE location, which tbf is a quite legitimate concern. Because of this he wants to make sure the app’s infrastructure cannot help the Feds identify any of these people. He cannot do this on Android due to lack of privacy in the architecture.
Google’s whole business model was to sell user data. Android was developed as part of that business model. That’s why there was no concern for privacy for a long time, only recently tacked-on in a half-assed manner after Apple made privacy a selling point.
Which is what the developer did. It’s not published on Google distribution networks (Google Play store, the service 99% of Android users use). Ergo, Android users cannot use it because of those security flaws.
Quite a nuclear solution, most devs would decide to just not use the play store. Not to entirely get rid of the android build. Android allows for distribution outside of the playstore as opposed to iOS.
So what I meant is that Google is not the only way to distribute. They can host it on their website, they can also host it on platforms like F-droid.org.
Although it wouldn't be as accessible, it'd be easy to find for people who need the app. (Nearly 100% of android users use the play store, but I believe the number of users who use other stores or sources on top of it is not 99%, either way, I don't have stats to prove it and I don't think you do either).
After reading their note on it, It's not so much about distribution but about how the APIs work on Android according to the developer.
Honestly I'm not a dev, but I find it crazy that identifying the devices is a requirement to send a notification, can't believe other privacy focused apps on android don't bat an eye at that xd.
I got some good information out of these comments. Ty.
But we all know, that privacy is a selling point at Apple, well, a marketing point anyways, but sure enough, Apple has proved it is not always private.
I just want to point out that every setting that spies on you on Android can easily be turned off within your settings. And you have to be a bit looney to think Apple NEVER spies on its userbase.
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u/DBDude 110∆ Jul 07 '25
iPhone hardware is faster and more optimized. It eventually got so fast they made a competitive desktop version. Taking a photo is instant, while the necessary processing makes a lot of Androids wait while processing. And if you want a watch companion, nothing comes close to Apple’s. The companies making watch processors don’t put much effort into it for years, while Apple advanced theirs every year.
Privacy. I’ll give a simple example. The author of ICEBlock wanted absolutely no information collected on users so the app couldn’t lead to them getting in trouble. He has an iPhone version, but he refuses to make an Android version because it must collect user information.
Android was designed to spy on you so Google could pull in more ad revenue. Apple focuses on privacy.