Learning Android vs. learning iOS in 2020

Wayfair
DwCJ86

Go to company page Wayfair

DwCJ86
Nov 28, 2020 19 Comments

Background: Coming up on 6 YOE, mostly in full-stack web. I've done some mobile work on-and-off, first with iOS (Swift) and then with cross-platform in React-Native. I'd like to re-commit to learning either iOS or Android, but it's been long enough since I took a serious look at the landscape from of either that I'm interested in knowing what the value of either is head-to-head in 2020.

- If I pivot into either, as gig or FT work, which has the better job market?
- How useful are Swift/ObjC/iOS design patterns outside of app development? Do any major enterprise companies even still use ObjC?
- How useful are Kotlin/Java/Android design patterns outside of app development? How extensible is Java usage in Android to Java usage in other platforms?
- What are the best (free) resources for picking up either? I know the Stanford course for iOS is the gold standard for beginning with iOS; is there something similar for Android? (i.e., course material that assumes you know the basics of app development, and has sprinkled in some tips that would be novel even for more advanced developers)

Before commenting "Learn both" or "pick what aligns with what you use on a day-to-day" -- neither of these points are relevant for me at this time, I'm just looking for what has the better combination of 1.) pleasant to work with and has better community support, and 2.) what will age better over time, not only domestically but hypothetically in an international / remote-friendly job market.

YOE: 6
TC: 260k

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TOP 19 Comments
  • Apple
    xipe

    Go to company page Apple

    xipe
    Learn lc
    Nov 28, 2020 7
    • New
      iaolm_

      New

      iaolm_
      ^is interviewing harder since covid?

      I've done both iOS and Android I prefer iOS, ecosystem feels way more polished to me.
      Nov 28, 2020
    • Wayfair
      DwCJ86

      Go to company page Wayfair

      DwCJ86
      OP
      @iaolm_

      I feel like since COVID, in some ways it's gotten easier. My theory is that, because there's naturally a more limited number of data points you can gather remotely vs. in person, questions I've been asked have been more straightforward and easier to quantitatively evaluate.

      If a question is originally designed to be intentionally ambiguous and strike up more of a dialogue, it's not as good of a question during COVID because the process of disambiguating and debugging remotely takes much more time and is ultimately not efficient. This is just an observation based on personal experience, however.
      Nov 29, 2020
  • Amazon
    scudBooks

    Go to company page Amazon

    scudBooks
    I am an Android engineer, feeling pessimistic about the future of mobile though. I think mobile web apps could take over. I want to get out and move to the backend.
    Dec 2, 2020 4
    • Bosch
      nioD02

      Bosch

      nioD02
      Do you have to take interviews /tests for internal transfer
      Dec 3, 2020
    • Amazon
      scudBooks

      Go to company page Amazon

      scudBooks
      I think it depends. I’ll probably have to go through an interview though. But I think it will be an easier than normal interview loop.
      Dec 3, 2020
  • Netflix
    Ubvo13

    Go to company page Netflix

    Ubvo13
    If you have Java and Gradle experience then you should be able to get up and running pretty quickly with Kotlin on Android. Kotlin is more useful than Swift imo due to its increasing popularity as a server side language and the fact that it can be compiled to native iOS frameworks and transpiled to JavaScript.
    Nov 28, 2020 2
    • Wayfair
      DwCJ86

      Go to company page Wayfair

      DwCJ86
      OP
      Honest question: Assuming all new projects are being written in Kotlin, do you suppose there are any sufficiently large commercial applications that still leverage a non-trivial amount of Java? Or there are any commonly used Android libraries that are >85% Java? Or in both cases, has there been enough time and maturation that most codebases have been significantly rewritten in Kotlin?
      Nov 29, 2020
    • Netflix
      Ubvo13

      Go to company page Netflix

      Ubvo13
      Yes Java still exists in large commercial Android apps and libraries. The Netflix Android streaming app is one example. I'd guess that 90% of organizations write new Android apps/features/libs in Kotlin though. It's just so much better.
      Nov 29, 2020
  • iOS is easier to learn than Android and I think there is more demand for iOS developers in US - because of relatively high entry barrier (you need a Mac and they are not cheap) and more iOS users.
    Nov 28, 2020 1
  • Amazon
    IsiG27

    Go to company page Amazon

    IsiG27
    Neither
    Nov 28, 2020 0