Ask Our Expert

Apple's App Store versus Google's Android Market

Our mobile expert says...

Applications (apps) define a smartphone because they let you customise the phone by adding a unique mix of programs for everything from finding nearby restaurants to reading the news.

Apple App Store

Apple kicked off the app war when it launched the App Store in July 2008. The online store supports the iPhone, iPod Touch and now the iPad and lets you download miniature programs either directly onto the device or through iTunes.

Considering that the online store currently holds somewhere in the region of 185,000 apps, Apple’s claim that the App Store contains “an app for just about anything” may well ring true.

Android Market

The Android Market for smartphones running Google’s Android OS, of which there are many, launched later in 2008 - October, to be precise. Android Market still lags behind the App Store in terms of available applications with just 50,000 currently offered for download.

App Store versus Android Market

Before buying a new smartphone you should consider the advantages and disadvantages of both app stores because apps will rule how much you get out of your smartphone.

Both online app stores have crucial differences:

Layout: The App Store’s layout is generally considered cleaner and more user friendly than Android Market’s. For example, App Store categorises apps into numerous different categories (Games, Entertainment, Utilities, Social Networking, etc) and provides handy organisational layout options including by Top Paid, Top Free and by Release Date.

You can also view the App Store’s top 25 most popular apps from within one menu or view only "Featured Apps" - usually those released alongside an upcoming event or popular TV show.

Android Market has similar app categories, but only lets you browse by popularity or release date. Free to download apps are also usually displayed first, meaning you must scroll further down the list of available apps before getting to the more professionally developed ones.

Ratings: Both stores rate apps out of five stars, though only Android Market lets you see how many people have downloaded each app.

Screen shots: App Store displays screen shots of each application, letting you see what the app will look like while it’s running. This is a definite plus if the app’s description is ambiguous. App Market doesn’t offer this feature.

Payment: Both stores accept debit card payments. Android Market allows app developers to set their currency, meaning you could be asked to pay in US Dollars despite accessing the store from the UK.

Refunds: If you pay for an app and later discover that it isn’t what you expected or that it doesn’t work very well, Android Market offers a 24 hour no-quibble refund service.

The App Store doesn’t, though there are reports online of some users getting refunds after writing strongly worded letters to Apple HQ.