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Android and iOS have competed against each other since 2008, and have borrowed a lot from each other over that time—so a lot of the differences that did exist between these two operating systems have now disappeared.
However, Android and iOS are still unique in some ways. It’s worth knowing these differences so you can make the most of the handset you have, and perhaps make a more informed decision as to whether you want to switch OS the next time you upgrade your phone.
Want to see a video alongside a social media feed? Or a text message next to a map? If you’ve got an Android phone, you can get two apps together on the display in a split-screen mode, but it’s not something that you’re able to do on an iPhone.
On a Pixel phone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to the center to see your recently used apps. Swipe left and right to find the first app you want to put in split-screen mode, then tap its icon and choose Split screen. You can then select a second app to go alongside the first one.
On a Samsung phone, the process is largely the same: Swipe up from the bottom of the display to the center, tap the icon of the first app you want to use, and select Open in split screen view. You’ll then be asked to choose a second app as well. Tap and hold on the border between the apps to change where the split is.
If you’ve got two Google accounts, you can set up two profiles on a Pixel phone, each with their own data, settings, and apps. From Settings, tap System > Users to manage different accounts and switch between them.
The most obvious way to use this is to have one account for personal use and another for work. You can also use Guest mode if someone else needs to borrow your phone, but you don’t want to give them access to all your apps and data.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a trick you can do on an iPhone with your Apple accounts. It’s also a feature that’s now missing on Samsung Galaxy phones, though it used to be there.
If you’re using a VPN on your phone, you get extra layers of security and privacy when connected to the web, but there’s an interesting difference in how Android and iOS handle these apps.
On Android, VPNs can make use of a feature called split-tunneling. This essentially means some apps use the VPN and some don’t (maybe the apps where raw speed is more important than security). It’s a useful option to have, and virtually every VPN app on the market offers it.
This isn’t an option on iOS, though—Apple only lets VPNs run or not run, and there’s no way to configure protection on an app-by-app basis.
Ever dismissed a notification that’s popped up on screen too hastily, and then wished you could bring it back to see what it said? Android phones let you do this, but iPhones don’t—sorry, Apple users.
On your Android phone, open Settings and tap Notifications, then choose Notification history (Pixel phones) or Advanced settings > Notification history (Galaxy phones). The next screen lets you set up the feature and access the recent alerts you’ve missed.