5 Areas where iOS Scores a Clear Edge over Android.

The world’s most premier mobile operating system is iOS and there’s no debating that! Numbering over 700 million active users, iOS is a highly popular platform that enjoys a following that is second only to Android in terms of volume. However, when it comes to the enterprise market and the premium user segment, Apple’s OS scores a clear victory over Android and for good! 

The following factors make iOS more desirable over Android:

#1. Jailbreak: It is second to none when it comes to security. The operating system is designed in a closed architecture which makes it hard to access and jailbreak. Compared to Android, the code that is written into Apple’s OS is not available for free use. This makes it hard to crack open these devices and gain root access.

#2. Testing: iOS is a highly effective platform when it comes to testing. The tools that are rolled out by Apple are highly efficient in identifying the flaws in app performance. This helps developers remove even the slightest of flaws and keep the app bug free. 

#3. Robust and Secure: It is a highly robust OS and its performance characteristics remain the same even after several years of usage. Apple’s devices regularly perform well on AnTuTu benchmark tests. Also, Apple’s privacy policy is heavily inclined towards guarding the user data and ensures that no breach of user information occurs. This is highly laudable.

#4. Enterprise Compatibility: In the space left by the exit of Blackberry devices, iPhones and iPads have steadily gained ground in the enterprise market. iOS apps thanks to their security and closed architecture are tamper proof and ideal for business applications.

#5. Premium Segment: Most of Apple’s users are from the premium segment. They can afford to pay for premium app content. Hence, businesses can make better revenue from iOS apps than from Android apps where the preferred monetization method is the freemium model.

If you are a business with aspirations to roll out an iOS-based app for enterprise usage, get in touch with us. We, Openwave, are a leading ios App Development Company in Malaysia and have a great track record when it comes to custom ios app development. Reach out to our business team today.

The App Transport Security Deadline Gets Pushed Back by Apple

During the Worldwide Developers’ Conference in June last year, Apple had announced that all apps on the App Store would have to comply with the App Transport Security (ATS) safety protocol by Jan 2017. It was implied that apps that didn’t comply would no longer be featured on the store. Recently, Apple reversed its decision and extended the deadline for ATS compliance indefinitely – giving developers worldwide room to breathe. 

However, ATS hasn’t gone away completely. Apple will attempt to bring back the feature shortly, as safety and data privacy become increasing causes for concern – most apps are nowhere near as secure as they should be.  
 
What is ATS? 
 
The App Transport Security is a feature that was implemented by Apple with the release of iOS 9. It gets apps to communicate with servers through the HTTPS (HTTP over SSL/TLS) protocol, which is one of the most secure protocols in existence and tough for hackers to crack. Before ATS, developers used third-party frameworks for HTTPS. 

The problem was (or is) that third-party frameworks don’t always use industry-standard encryptions and cyphers to protect communications. With ATS, Apple was hoping to make the security on most applications airtight. 

Iphone app development

Why did Apple backtrack on its decision?
 
Of the top 200 apps on the iOS store, only about 5% of them are fully ATS compliant. Many have bypassed one or more standards, making them weak or ineffective when it comes to communications security. Apple couldn’t possibly throw out most of its top grossing apps, which is why they pushed back the implementation deadline indefinitely. 

Why are developers so reluctant to encrypt their communications traffic? While HTTPs encryption isn’t hard to implement, the problem is that many applications are integrated with third-party advertisers, hosts, and analytics tools that don't support the future. 

Developers have no way of making these necessary core extensions of the app HTTPS compliant. Until everyone doesn't adopt the standard, it won't work. It's a job that could take a handful of years. 
 
What will happen in the future?

 We don’t expect ATS to go away, as cases of data privacy breaches and theft continue to rise. If you own a smartphone application that doesn’t comply with the feature, Openwave’s iphone app development team can be hired to upgrade your app at an affordable price.