Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8 comparison: which is the better platform?

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8 comparison: which is the better platform?

Loie Favre 2015-05-01T23:00:01Z3 days ago Loie Favre Loie Favre found her way to her present passion for Android and smartphone technology after experiencing an epiphany when she held her Galaxy Note 2. From that point onwards, you can find her with her nose buried in countless Android apps and different smartphone models, and thanking her lucky stars that she gets to work at something she loves.

We’ve had a number of months to get to grips with Android Lollipop (well, some of us have), and it's high-time we take another look at how it compares to Apple’s proprietary operating system, iOS 8. Find out which is better in our iOS 8 vs Android Lollipop comparison.?

Android Lollipop vs iOS 8 comparison: which OS is better? / c ANDROIDPIT

Apple upset many users with iOS 7, which dumped cutesy copies of real-world objects - a philosophy known as skeuomorphic design - for something bolder, more colorful and considerably flatter.

iOS 8 wasn’t as dramatic an upgrade; it’s a refinement, rather than a revolution, and it introduces some features which Android users might already find familiar: autosuggested words when you reply to texts, the ability to use third party keyboards, Google Drive-style file sharing and the ability for apps to send data to one another.

iOS and Android look quite similar these days, but iOS can't really be customized. / c Apple/ANDROIDPIT

Android went flat too, with its new aesthetic philosophy known as Material Design. Like iOS 8, the interface is bolder, with simpler icons than the previous editions. Google’s colorful design language also affects the interactivity to some extent, with icons and menus having a visible reaction when tapped, pulled and swiped:?Material Design is filled with subtle animations which add visual context for the user.

The refinement of icons can be seen first hand when looking at the how the navigation soft keys have changed: the return key isn’t a sweeping line with an arrowhead, it’s a triangle. And the recent apps menu, a square. Both Apple and Google focused on subtle changes to the look of the interface, rather than a total overhaul. ???

iOS 8 now supports widgets (though they are restricted to the notifications centre), and has changed the way it displays notifications to make them more discreet, but also more interactive (you can now reply to a message from the notification itself, rather than entering the app where the message lies).

iOS 8 opened the doors to replacement keyboards, Apple Pay, and HealthKit, and overall, iOS 8 is more “open” than it has been before, with more access given to third-party developers and apps. Additionally, iOS still has the lion's share of big-name exclusive apps and partnerships (highly-accurate weather app?“Dark Sky” and photo editing app “Camera+” are just two of the cool?apps Android is missing out on). ??

iOS 8 delivers on the pristine clarity that Apple is known for. / c ANDROIDPIT

Android made changes to?its?notifications department also. In?Lollipop, notifications are visible on the lock screen, meaning they can be viewed without unlocking the handset (an improvement which incidentally?killed the demand for a number of apps dedicated to solving this problem).

To compliment the advances with notifications, the latest version of Android reinvented the recent apps menu, which is launched by tapping on the new square icon. This gives an endlessly scrolling list of not just your most recent apps, but your position within those apps. It’s certainly clever, and the initial concerns of?the overall effect this would have on RAM and processing power have been subsequently cast aside.

Additionally, Android Lollipop delivers?multiple user-profiles and handset unlocking when paired with Android Wear devices located nearby.

Android's lock screen notifications can be seen on the left, with the new user-profiles on the right. / c ANDROIDPIT

Lock screen notifications, recent apps menu, multiple user profiles and replaceable keyboards are something both?UIs have in common, but where do they differ??Android is still more customizable, with iOS 8?limiting?even simple facets of the interface, like where apps can be placed on a?homepage (they have to start at the top left?and they still can’t be hidden from the homescreen).

That being said, Android’s ability to be customized and make use of third-party products means iOS 8 is still considered the “safer” platform.

Android has a difficult time optimizing its camera software for the plethora of devices running it, but Google did take one big step in Lollipop by letting users, and other developers, directly access RAW image files.

iPhone’s image processing software is first-rate, and this means that even with the relatively low megapixel numbers we see on iPhone cameras, their pictures still look great. Furthermore, iOS 8 brings a timer mode, and some enhanced photo editing features (color/brightness/exposure controls) which weren’t available previously.

A look at the battery page on Android Lollipop. / c ANDROIDPIT

Regardless of battery capacities, iOS 8 still provides a better native platform for battery performance. Android Lollipop is said to offer a 10 percent increase in battery life compared to Android KitKat, but this hasn’t being observed across all devices. This is the price paid for multiple manufacturers and multiple UIs.

Be that as it may, Android batteries come in all shapes and sizes, so there is scope for far superior, and also far inferior, battery life. Still, few Android devices can reach the three/four day standby time of the iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple has Metal, a new API for games developers; Android 5.0 Lollipop has OpenGL ES 3.1 and the Android Extension Pack for games developers. Both can provide?console-quality gaming on mobile devices, but few games take full advantage of the technical capabilities yet.

Android 5.0 Lollipop means you won't have to wait as long for future software updates. / c ANDROIDPIT

Android devices are notoriously slow to receive updates. There are a lot of hoops manufacturers have to jump through to distribute new software, which is why, six months later, only 5 percent of devices have Lollipop. This means 95 percent of users will be comparing KitKat or a previous OS to iOS 8, which most iPhones are running (Apple usually distributes a new OS to the majority of devices within the first week).

Furthermore, Android devices are usually only supported for the first 18 months of their life, compared to iPhones, which are usually guaranteed updates for three years. (This is to say nothing of the current status of both platforms, only the longevity of devices running them.)

Let’s be honest,?the Google Play Store is all too often a hive of villainy, and while Apple may be a bit heavy-handed on the censorship front there’s no need for a big “Here Be Dragons” sign above the iTunes app store. The ongoing battle between Google and the baddies is the price you pay for a more open app store.

iOS's Health app is designed to work with all kinds of sensors / c Apple

Both OSes are designed to work with health hardware, both in smartphones and in external devices such as smartwatches.

Apple’s iOS 8 uses Health App, which it’s been working on with big names in healthcare such as the Mayo Clinic and which it’s punting to healthcare providers as a safe and secure way to store patient data as well as a useful way for customers to track their fitness. There’s an API for third party developers called HealthKit.

Android 5.0 Lollipop’s equivalent is Google Fit, and it sounds rather similar. Partners include Adidas, Asus, Withings, Runkeeper and Polar, and Nike Fuelbands will be part of the Google Fit club too. There isn’t a direct equivalent of Apple’s Health app: Google’s leaving that to the manufacturers.

Google now has a serious competition in the digital wallet arena. / c Google, Apple, ANDROIDPIT

Apple now has a rival to Google Wallet (Google's free digital wallet which allows you to save your debit and credit cards on an Android device for simple in-store or online payments) called Apple Pay. While it uses the same basic idea as Wallet - wireless payments via NFC - it takes a different approach. Using the TouchID fingerprint sensor to authenticate payments means that Apple Pay payments are counted as Cardholder?Present payments, just like when you use a credit or debit card in the shop. That's important because Cardholder?Present transactions cost retailers less in fees than Card Not Present ones, and it's something Apple Pay offers and Google Wallet doesn't.

For now Apple Pay is US-only but if it proves popular, and early indications suggest it will, then we'd expect to see it in Europe next year.

Mobile OSes have evolved. Both iOS (formerly iPhone OS) and Android started off as mobile phone operating systems, expanded to take in tablets - belatedly, in Android’s case - and now have their sights set on the wider world.

Both platforms are interested in three major kinds of accessories: home automation, wearables,?and in-car systems. As ever the approach is different, with Apple providing a one-stop shop and Google concentrating more on providing the platform for others to work with. How Google responds to the recent release of the Apple Watch is going to be particularly interesting, and will most certainly have an effect on the direction it takes Android Wear.

Both Apple and Android have made the move into wearables. / c ANDROIDPIT

Comparing Android Lollipop to Apple iOS 8 definitely highlights more similarities than differences; these?platforms are closer than ever before. Lollipop is the most customizable OS, but the “locked-down” nature of iOS 8 means it benefits from better security, and wider integration?with services in the real world. If you walk into a store which supports a smartphone feature, be it for payments, an app download, or something else, you can bet that this will be available for iOS 8 first, and Android second. Meanwhile,?Android gives you a wide choice of hardware options,?while Apple offers a handful of admittedly beautiful devices.?

It would be unfair to look too much at availability here, after all, this is a comparison of Lollipop and iOS 8. That being said, we are comparing an OS which is on more than 70 percent of peoples'?iPhones, to something which is apparent on around five percent of Android devices, and that’s something that should be noted.

Android 5.0 Lollipop looks pretty sweet. / c ANDROIDPIT

When all is said and done, we are of course biased towards Android, because it’s what we live and breath. Calling Lollipop the victor won’t mean much coming from us. iOS 8 is a worthy competitor to Android Lollipop, and Android 5.0 wouldn't have been as impressive without it. But because Material Design presents something genuinely fresh, and takes Android and smartphone interfaces at large in a smart new direction, there might not have ever been a more exciting time to go Android.

What do you think? Is there anything in iOS 8 you’d like to see in Android 5.0 Lollipop?

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How to factory reset the LG G2 for better performance

How to factory reset the LG G2 for better performance

Gary Marshall 2015-05-02T23:00:00Z2 days ago Gary Marshall Former lion tamer, Girls Aloud backing dancer and habitual liar Gary Marshall has been writing about technology since Google was two guys in a garage. He's written for many fine magazines, newspapers and websites, written a range of how-to-books and a novel, co-written a BBC documentary series and dishes out weekly tech advice on BBC Radio Scotland.

We raved about the LG G2, but it’s not immune to the bugs and other issues that all smartphone owners experience. If your G-phone is no longer a G-whiz, here’s how to factory?reset the LG G2.

The LG G2 is still a great phone. Resetting it can solve niggling problems. / c LG

We reckon the LG G2 was one of the very best smartphones of the last few years, and while it was released way back in 2013 - an eternity in smartphone years - many LG G2's are still going strong and delighting their owners each and every day.

Unfortunately, though, like any Android smartphone, over time the lumps, bumps and app-related bugs can take their toll and rob the G2 of its gee-whiz, causing stability issues and the odd performance problem. The good news is that in many cases, you can solve all of your problems with a hammer. Sorry, a reset. We meant reset. Don’t get a hammer.

There are two ways to reset the LG G2: the hard way, which involves pressing buttons quite a lot, and the easy way, which involves pressing buttons a bit less. As you might have guessed, we like the second method the best.

You can reset the G2 in two ways: via the Settings menu or using the hardware buttons. / c LG/Americanas

Back up. Back up. Back up! A reset returns your LG G2 to something like the state it was in on the day it came from the factory. So while it’ll still have any Android updates installed - you’re not going to be bounced back to Android Exciting Biscuit (or whatever version of Android it shipped with if you’ve updated it since),?it won’t have your apps, your data, your passwords or that fantastic wallpaper picture you really like. If you don’t backup before performing a reset, people around you will soon discover terrible words they didn’t know you knew.

If you don’t already practice good backup, LG has made it easy. From your home screen go into Apps > LG Backup > Backup and tick the boxes for the things you want to back up. That backs up to your device, but a master reset will kill that, so you need to transfer it via USB to your computer. To do that:

Make your backup using the LG Backup appFind a USB cable and plug it in three times until it goes in right (why does it always take three goes? It makes no sense!)When your G2 prompts you to Select USB Connection Method, tap Media SyncOn your computer, navigate to your phone’s storage and look for the LGBackup folderCopy it to your computerDisconnect your phone Resetting won't affect your SIM card, but it does wipe the internal storage. / c ANDROIDPIT

When we said it was easy, we weren’t kidding. Backup your data, and then:

Tap the Menu buttonGo to System SettingsGo to GeneralScroll to PersonalTap Backup & ResetTap Factory Data ResetTap Reset PhoneTap Erase EverythingConfirm that you want to go aheadUnder no circumstances remove the battery until your phone has finished resetting and rebooting unless you want to brick it.

If you can’t use that method because your phone isn’t booting, doesn’t stay on long enough or you just really like pressing hardware buttons, there’s a slightly less easy but still quite easy way to reset it:

Switch off your G2 and make sure it isn’t connected to any USB thingsHold down the Power key and the Volume key for around 10 seconds until you see the LG logoRelease and then re-press the Power buttonWait until you see the Factory Hard Reset screen and then release the buttonsPress the Power button to select the reset option or use one of the volume keys to cancelPress the Power button again to confirm Resetting via hardware means a bit of fiddling with these. / c ANDROIDPIT

Have you reset your LG G2 and found your hair more shiny, your teeth brighter and your disposition sunnier - or did you encounter a problem that even the nuclear option of a factory reset couldn’t fix? We’d love to know your experiences. Let us know in the comments!

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7 reasons why KitKat is better than Lollipop

7 reasons why KitKat is better than Lollipop

David Nield 2015-05-05T01:00:01Z6 hours ago David Nield David is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about Android apps and gadgets since the earliest days of the platform. He spends most of his time experimenting with phones, tablets and most other types of tech, particularly if it's Google-related.

Wanting an upgrade to the latest version of Android is understandable — after all, in theory it should be the one with the best features and the fastest performance. In practice?though, that's not always the case, and there are several reasons why you might want to hold off on a Lollipop upgrade.

Lollipop is here — but is KitKat better? / c AndroidPIT

That's if you have the option of course: Your handset might not be getting Lollipop, or it might have been waiting for a very long time. Whatever the situation, here are seven areas where we think Android 4.4 KitKat beats out Android 5.x Lollipop — let us know if you agree in the comments.

Lollipop brings its Project Volta optimizations and promises of a better battery life for your device, but that doesn't necessarily work out in the real world: In the tests run by GSM Arena, the Nexus 5 and the LG G3 actually suffered from worse battery life after the upgrade. At the very least check the benchmarks for your handset before pushing the upgrade button.

Your battery might do better on KitKat. / c AndroidPIT

As you may know if you've searched through the feature lists, Android Lollipop brings notifications to the lock screen — that means anyone picking up your phone can see your alerts (though sensitive content can be hidden). If you want a more streamlined, less cluttered lock screen, then you're better off sticking with KitKat for the time being.

Android KitKat: For a cleaner lock screen. / c AndroidPIT

Google has made some tweaks to the way multitasking works in Lollipop which may or may not be to your tastes. Each browser window and open document counts as an extra pane on the multitasking screen, so it gets more crowded more quickly, and the open apps stay open even after a reboot so you can't quickly clear everything out from the memory.

The old-style multitasking screen. / c AndroidPIT

One of the most baffling decisions made by Google in Lollipop was the removal of the silent mode shortcut — accessed by a long press on the Power button — that let you quickly mute your phone. You can of course mute a Lollipop handset but it's a much more complicated process and the old Power shortcut has been cut for no apparent reason.

The silent mode option is missing in Lollipop. / c AndroidPIT

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as far as OS design goes but not everyone is happy with Lollipop's revamped navigation buttons and the white apps drawer that you can't edit without installing an alternative launcher. The Material Design has been widely heralded as an improvement by most, but for some it looks a little garish and cartoonish.

The white apps drawer in Android Lollipop. / c AndroidPIT

If you're a fan of lock screen widgets then you won't like the Lollipop upgrade — they're no longer supported. Why Google decided to give them the chop isn't clear, but maybe the new lock screen notifications have something to do with it. If there are certain lock screen widgets that you rely on, then you're better off sticking with Android KitKat for the time being.

Lock screen widgets are missing in Lollipop. / c AndroidPIT

Of course Google has been quick to update its official apps for Android, and many of the big names have done the same, but smaller and older apps can throw up bugs and complications when running with the new-look Lollipop. If a handful of your favorite apps haven't been updated to be fully compatible with Android 5.x, you might want to hold fire on upgrading.

Have all your apps been upgraded? / c AndroidPIT

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