Very subjective. iOS isn’t even in the running for any of my needs
That said, any time and old person or Luddite adult asks for a computer suggestion, I always tell them “if you don’t mind overpaying, get an Apple PC/tablet/whatever or the cheapest iPhone you can find”. Apple limits its users so much that it is perfect for those folks need a device that protects itself from them. Disclaimer: I work in a tech field, so I rarely see the people around me using iOS devices.
I was limiting things specifically to security. E.g. iOS uses encryption for local personal files, and attempts to use strict security as far as what apps are allowed to do instead of a single “yes do whatever / uninstall app” dialog at the beginning (refusing to use background apps to use the camera + network + etc). It wasn’t a general comparison.
Android also encrypts the user data by default since Android 10 (2019).
Android also has different permissions the apps need to ask for just like iOS. Including not allowing background apps to use the camera/GPS/mic by default.
Hm, maybe I am misinformed then. I haven’t used Android in a few years and I just remember being very struck by how enthusiastic iOS was, when I started using it, about smacking down apps that wanted to do something sketchy and how absolutely appalling were the app permissions choices I was faced with on Android.
Android also has fantastic notification controls on a per app basis compared to iOS. I can pop into settings and disable an apps “Marketing” channel, but continue to allow it to have its “Important notifications” channel for example.
Here’s Nextdoors notification channel settings:
I can disable any one of these channels independently, and then it goes a bit further
Tapping on a channel also allows you to set individual settings, maybe I want NDs “Announcement” notifications, but I want them to be silent, but maybe I still want them to popup on screen while I’m actively using my phone
Ofc, it’s still dependent on individual apps to implement their side properly, but when they do its amazing
You’re thinking of install-time permissions, which technically does still exist, but pretty much most of the permissions you’d actually care about are runtime (or special) permissions - the application must request these from the user.
Install-time, these are permissions granted to an application upon installation
In this group is also signature-level permissions, which are only granted to applications that are signed by the same party as the OS itself (usually your OEM)
Runtime permissions (also known as “Dangerous permissions” within Android internally), which are permissions that the application must request from the user. The system draws the permissions dialog, not the application itself. Permission can also be granted one-time only, or permanently (unless the user revokes the permission)
Special permissions, which also need to be requested by the application - except for these the system will not draw a permissions dialog, instead the application must send the user to the “Special App Access” menu within system settings, and the user must turn on the permission there. The best way I can describe these types of permissions is, “permission that the user really must think about before granting” - such as giving an app the ability to bypass DND rules, drawing over other apps, installing APKs from unknown sources, accessing all device files, etc. IIRC, Google also requires that developers provide justification for requesting these permissions when submitting to the Google Play Store as well.
Runtime permissions were introduced in Android 6.0, which was released in 2015, I am not sure when the special permission system was implemented however.
I have used both extensively, and that is my impression as well.
Out of the box, iOS seems far more secure than Android, but as you say, you can tinker to the end of time with Android to get it to a point where it is more secure, I just don’t have the time or patience to do so.
iOS’s security is far superior to Android’s in several of the ways that matter
It’s fine if you love open stuff; I do too. But being ignorant about the drawbacks isn’t advocacy; it’s just ignorance.
Very subjective. iOS isn’t even in the running for any of my needs
That said, any time and old person or Luddite adult asks for a computer suggestion, I always tell them “if you don’t mind overpaying, get an Apple PC/tablet/whatever or the cheapest iPhone you can find”. Apple limits its users so much that it is perfect for those folks need a device that protects itself from them. Disclaimer: I work in a tech field, so I rarely see the people around me using iOS devices.
I was limiting things specifically to security. E.g. iOS uses encryption for local personal files, and attempts to use strict security as far as what apps are allowed to do instead of a single “yes do whatever / uninstall app” dialog at the beginning (refusing to use background apps to use the camera + network + etc). It wasn’t a general comparison.
Android also encrypts the user data by default since Android 10 (2019).
Android also has different permissions the apps need to ask for just like iOS. Including not allowing background apps to use the camera/GPS/mic by default.
Hm, maybe I am misinformed then. I haven’t used Android in a few years and I just remember being very struck by how enthusiastic iOS was, when I started using it, about smacking down apps that wanted to do something sketchy and how absolutely appalling were the app permissions choices I was faced with on Android.
Android also has fantastic notification controls on a per app basis compared to iOS. I can pop into settings and disable an apps “Marketing” channel, but continue to allow it to have its “Important notifications” channel for example.
Here’s Nextdoors notification channel settings:
I can disable any one of these channels independently, and then it goes a bit further
Tapping on a channel also allows you to set individual settings, maybe I want NDs “Announcement” notifications, but I want them to be silent, but maybe I still want them to popup on screen while I’m actively using my phone
Ofc, it’s still dependent on individual apps to implement their side properly, but when they do its amazing
You’re thinking of install-time permissions, which technically does still exist, but pretty much most of the permissions you’d actually care about are runtime (or special) permissions - the application must request these from the user.
There are three main types of permissions on Android:
Runtime permissions were introduced in Android 6.0, which was released in 2015, I am not sure when the special permission system was implemented however.
I have used both extensively, and that is my impression as well.
Out of the box, iOS seems far more secure than Android, but as you say, you can tinker to the end of time with Android to get it to a point where it is more secure, I just don’t have the time or patience to do so.