Mobiles 7 things that Android phones can do but iPhone can not

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7 things that Android phones can do but iPhone can not

The Android-iOS war is one that will never cease to exist. Haters will hate, and fans will drool at the obvious. Apple's iOS has for long been awed for its good looks, while Android for its ease of use and functionality.

However, as things stand today, we are seeing a gradual shift in how these two acclaimed operating systems are moving: Google with its material design in Lollipop is now working to look and feel good, while Apple with its iOS 8 seems to have got most things right on the functionality front.

That said there are still quite a many things that only Android can do, while iOS can only dream of. Here are 7 such instances:

--Endless customisation

Like you didn't know that already! Android is the undisputed king of customisation, the platform gives you so many options to tinker and more. In fact, by the time you're finished customising it, your smartphone literally becomes a reflection of who you are. It's what you want, where you want with Android. Not so much with iOS though.

Take for instance the ability to install launchers. The Android platform gives you a string of launchers to fit your taste and help change the way you as a user view your home screen and go about doing your stuff. Some of these launchers even give you the ability to tinker around internally, so that you can change icons, animations, widgets and more to suit your mood. There are launchers that replicate the look of iOS too. On a more serious note, iOS doesn't give you such customisation unless you jailbreak your iPhone, that is.

--Widgets, widgets and more widgets

Widgets have recently found their way to iOS, via update version 8. Android users have been playing around with widgets since time immemorial, when talking in tech eons. It's one of the many instances where Android users can say, "Hey, we did it first!" and quite rightfully so. But widgets are now available on iOS 8.

So what's the catch? Well, unlike Android, iOS limits widgets to the Notification Center under the 'Today' tab, instead of implementing them on the home screen. Yes, it does look all sophisticated and leaves your phone clutter-free, but then what about your freedom? It's like the feature has been enforced on you: you can do it but you'll have to do it as Apple wants you to.

Android on the other hand lets you embed as many widgets as you want (depending on the number of home screens available) directly into your home screen. Also, you can move them around and place them where you like.

--Seamless integration between phone and PC

This is another area that's recently been covered in the latest iOS 8 update. Again, Android users have been there done that.

If you head over to the Google Play Store, you'll find a number of good apps, AirDroid for instance that make seamless integration between your phone and PC seem like a walk in the park. These apps make it heck of a lot easier for you to have better control over your different devices, working together in tandem with your Android phone.

Meaning, you can share files between devices, even install apps directly on your phone via PC (so that you can save on to your data packs), send text messages from your PC and more.

In the case of iOS 8's new Continuity features (that make some of this possible), you'll have to go through the trouble of signing into multiple Apple devices to get things done.

--No-hassle charging

If freedom wasn't enough, Android gives you the luxury of taking things easy. If you're not carrying your charger, well, it isn't the end of the world for you. Majority of Android-based devices can be charged by any micro USB cable, there's a very small number that require proprietary chargers.

iPhones on the other hand require you to exclusively carry the company's proprietary Lightning charger at all times.

--True multitasking and multi-windows

We may sit and crib all we want about Samsung's less than inspiring design endeavours and its less than satisfactory TouchWiz, but there's one thing that we really appreciate about the company. It's their multi-windows support that works remarkably well on the Galaxy Note 4 down to the Galaxy S III. The feature that lets you open two or more apps on your screen at once and work around with them, all at the same time is what you call true multitasking and only Android can give you that as of now.

Until the time Apple comes out with something like that, Android is undoubtedly the king of multi-tasking.

--Application packages

Once in a while there comes a time when one or more of your favourite apps maybe brought down due to whatever reason. Remember how sad we all got when they pulled down Flappy Birds off the Play Store? Now, in case of Android, you get apk (application package) files that you install on your device to get the app up and running. In case you have an apk of a particular app at your disposal, you won't need to be at the mercy of the Play Store to have that app running when you want.


In short, if you have an apk for an app that your Android-based device supports, you can still install and use it, whether it's officially available or not. iOS doesn't give you that option.

--Better quick settings panel

There's no doubt that Android's pull down notification panel is good. But what makes it even better is the quick access it provides to key settings right within the notification panel itself so that you don't have to scurry through the full settings every time you need to change something.

Android's notification panel seems to be more alive, depending on the smartphone in question and gives you access to a larger number of quick setting options unlike iOS which gives you far less options to tinker.