Android against iOS again
Android and iOS

Even though Android is more widespread, iOS users spend more time online.

Although we know that Android leads the global market in the number of devices sold, and Apple is raking in astronomical profits, this tells us next to nothing about which of the two platforms are best suited for gamers on the go.

Thankfully, we have some numbers to help us out with this question, too.

First of all, when it comes to the number of all native apps, both platforms have over 800,000 of them available for download. According to Apple, that includes some 300,000 applications optimized for iPads.

While there are no reliable figures for apps that can be downloaded to Android tablets, the figure is estimated to be significantly lower. The same ration can be projected unto mobile casino software: it is practically unheard of for any online casino to release such apps only for Android gamers, while the opposite (i.e. released only for iOS) is not uncommon at all.

The reason behind it is of course the higher disposable income possessed by the average iOS user, making this group the prime target for businesses.

It is also common for online gambling destinations have their mobile offers developed in HTML5 code, thereby allowing access from all platforms. This solution offers greater flexibility at the cost of sacrificing some benefits inherent to native apps, but it works well for casinos that can attract players without the publicity and constraints of App Store or Google Play.

Android and iPhone casino apps are of course not meant to be used offline, so the internet activity of portable devices is also an interesting figure to look at.

According to research about last month’s online use of Android and iOS, the latter one seems to be the platform of choice, with 60% of the internet traffic from mobile devices being attributed to Apple’s products. Android systems accounted for only a quarter of the activity.

Again, this is hardly surprising if we remember that the average Android user is less affluent than the average iOS user and/or lives in areas where mobile internet proliferation is either underdeveloped or too expensive for frequent use.

The above figures suggest that the platform of choice for mobile gamblers is clearly the iOS. Or to put it more precisely: among iOS users there are more who can afford to wager at mobile casinos than among Android mobile gambling fans. Nevertheless, the latter group – as well as Windows Phone and BlackBerry users – also has a wide range offers to choose from, both in terms of native apps and especially HTML5.