If you are a mobile app designer, you may have wondered how to create apps that look and feel native to both iOS and Android platforms. After all, these two platforms have different design philosophies, standards, and guidelines that influence the appearance and behavior of their apps. How can you design an app that follows the best practices of both platforms and provides a consistent and intuitive user experience?
In this article, we will explore the main differences and similarities between iOS and Android design guidelines, and provide some tips on how to adapt your app design for both platforms. We will cover the following topics:
- Basic differences: units of measurement, screen size, resolution, etc.
- Navigation and patterns: top-of-screen navigation, bottom navigation, tabs, side menu, etc.
- Components: buttons, icons, switches, checkboxes, radio buttons, etc.
- Miscellaneous: typography, color, animation, feedback, etc.
By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the iOS and Android design guidelines and how to apply them to your app design. You will also learn how to use some tools and resources that can help you streamline your design process and create more effective prototypes.
Basic Differences
Before we dive into the specific design elements of iOS and Android apps, let’s review some of the basic differences between these two platforms that affect the overall design of your app.
- Units of measurement: iOS app designs are developed in points (pt), which are independent of screen resolution and density. Android app designs are developed in density-independent pixels (dp), which are also independent of screen resolution and density. Both pt and dp are roughly equivalent to 1/160th of an inch. However, the actual size of a pt or dp on a device may vary depending on the device’s pixel density (PPI). Therefore, it is important to test your design on different devices to ensure that it looks good on various screen sizes and densities.
- Screen size: iOS devices have a fixed number of screen sizes and aspect ratios that you need to consider when designing your app. The smallest screen size is 320pt x 568pt (iPhone SE), and the largest is 428pt x 926pt (iPhone 12 Pro Max). You can find a complete list of iOS screen sizes here. Android devices have a much wider range of screen sizes and aspect ratios that you need to account for when designing your app. The most common screen size is 360dp x 640dp, but you can find devices with smaller or larger screens as well. You can find a list of Android screen sizes here.
- Resolution: iOS devices have three main resolutions: 1x (non-Retina), 2x (Retina), and 3x (Super Retina). These resolutions determine how many pixels are used to display one point on the screen. For example, a 2x resolution means that one point is equal to four pixels (two horizontal and two vertical). You can find a list of iOS resolutions here. Android devices have six main resolutions: ldpi (low), mdpi (medium), hdpi (high), xhdpi (extra-high), xxhdpi (extra-extra-high), and xxxhdpi (extra-extra-extra-high). These resolutions determine how many pixels are used to display one dp on the screen. For example, an xhdpi resolution means that one dp is equal to four pixels (two horizontal and two vertical). You can find a list of Android resolutions here.
Navigation and Patterns
One of the most noticeable differences between iOS and Android apps is how they handle navigation and patterns. Navigation refers to how users move between different screens or sections of your app. Patterns refer to how users interact with common features or tasks within your app. Let’s look at some examples of navigation and patterns on both platforms.
- Top-of-screen navigation: iOS apps use a navigation bar at the top of the screen to display the title of the current screen, as well as optional buttons for back navigation or primary actions. The back button usually shows the title of the previous screen or a simple arrow icon. The primary action button is usually placed on the right side of the navigation bar. Android apps use an app bar at the top of the screen to display the title or logo of the app, as well as optional buttons for navigation drawer or primary actions. The navigation drawer button usually shows a hamburger icon or an arrow icon depending on whether the drawer is open or closed. The primary action button is usually placed on the right side of the app bar.
- Bottom navigation: iOS apps use a tab bar at the bottom of the screen to display up to five main sections or features of your app. Each tab has an icon and an optional label. The selected tab is highlighted with a different color or a filled icon. Android apps use a bottom navigation bar at the bottom of the screen to display up to five main sections or features of your app. Each item has an icon and a label. The selected item is highlighted with a different color or a filled icon.
- Tabs: iOS apps use tabs to display different views or subcategories within the same screen. Tabs are usually placed below the navigation bar and have a horizontal scrolling behavior. Each tab has a label and an optional icon. The selected tab is indicated by a line or a different color. Android apps use tabs to display different views or subcategories within the same screen. Tabs are usually placed below the app bar and have a horizontal scrolling or swiping behavior. Each tab has a label and an optional icon. The selected tab is indicated by a line or a different color.
- Side menu: iOS apps use a side menu to display additional sections or features of your app that are not part of the main navigation. The side menu is usually accessed by tapping on a button on the top left corner of the screen, which shows the title of the current screen and an arrow icon. The side menu slides over the current screen and covers most of it. The side menu items have icons and labels, and may have submenus or badges. Android apps use a navigation drawer to display additional sections or features of your app that are not part of the main navigation. The navigation drawer is usually accessed by tapping on a button on the top left corner of the screen, which shows a hamburger icon or an arrow icon. The navigation drawer slides from the left edge of the screen and covers part of it. The navigation drawer items have icons and labels, and may have submenus or badges.
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Components
Another major difference between iOS and Android apps is how they use components, which are the basic building blocks of your app’s user interface. Components include buttons, icons, switches, checkboxes, radio buttons, and more. Let’s compare some of the most common components on both platforms.
- Buttons: iOS buttons are usually rectangular with rounded corners and have a text label or an icon. Buttons can have different styles, such as filled, outlined, or plain. Buttons can also have different states, such as normal, highlighted, disabled, or selected. Android buttons are usually rectangular with sharp corners and have a text label or an icon. Buttons can have different styles, such as contained, outlined, or text. Buttons can also have different states, such as enabled, disabled, focused, pressed, or hovered.
- Icons: iOS icons are usually simple and flat, with minimal details and colors. Icons can have different sizes, such as small (25pt), medium (30pt), large (40pt), or extra-large (60pt). Icons can also have different shapes, such as circular, square, rounded square, or custom. Android icons are usually simple and flat, with minimal details and colors. Icons can have different sizes, such as small (24dp), medium (36dp), large (48dp), or extra-large (72dp). Icons can also have different shapes, such as circular, square, rounded square, or custom.
- Switches: iOS switches are used to toggle the state of a single option on or off. Switches are rectangular with rounded ends and have a thumb that slides from left to right. Switches can have different colors for the on and off states. Android switches are used to toggle the state of a single option on or off. Switches are rectangular with rounded ends and have a thumb that slides from left to right. Switches can have different colors for the on and off states.
- Checkboxes: iOS does not have native checkboxes, but you can use custom components to create them. Checkboxes are used to select one or more options from a list. Checkboxes are square with rounded corners and have a checkmark when selected. Checkboxes can have different colors for the selected and unselected states. Android checkboxes are used to select one or more options from a list. Checkboxes are square with sharp corners and have a checkmark when selected. Checkboxes can have different colors for the selected and unselected states.
- Radio buttons: iOS does not have native radio buttons, but you can use custom components to create them. Radio buttons are used to select one option from a list. Radio buttons are circular and have a dot when selected. Radio buttons can have different colors for the selected and unselected states. Android radio buttons are used to select one option from a list. Radio buttons are circular and have a dot when selected. Radio buttons can have different colors for the selected and unselected states.
Miscellaneous
Besides the basic differences, navigation and patterns, and components, there are some other differences between iOS and Android apps that you should be aware of when designing your app.
- Typography: iOS apps use San Francisco as their default font family, which has two variants: SF Pro for text and SF Compact for small text on watchOS. San Francisco has different weights, such as regular, medium, semibold, bold, etc., as well as different styles, such as normal, italic, rounded, etc… Android apps use
Roboto as their default font family, which has four variants: Roboto, Roboto Condensed, Roboto Slab, and Roboto Mono. Roboto has different weights, such as thin, light, regular, medium, bold, etc., as well as different styles, such as normal, italic, etc.
- Color: iOS apps use a system color palette that consists of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, as well as semantic colors that convey meaning or status, such as red for error or green for success. iOS apps can also use dynamic colors that adapt to the system appearance mode (light or dark) and accessibility settings. Android apps use a material color palette that consists of primary, secondary, and surface colors, as well as accent colors that provide contrast and emphasis. Android apps can also use dark theme colors that reduce eye strain and battery consumption.
- Animation: iOS apps use animation to enhance the user experience and provide feedback. iOS apps can use system-provided animations, such as transitions, alerts, activity indicators, etc., or custom animations, such as springs, keyframes, etc. Android apps use animation to enhance the user experience and provide feedback. Android apps can use system-provided animations, such as transitions, dialogs, progress bars, etc., or custom animations, such as interpolators, animators, etc.
- Feedback: iOS apps use feedback to inform users about the results of their actions and the state of the app. iOS apps can use visual feedback, such as highlighting, dimming, changing color, etc., or haptic feedback, such as vibrations or sounds. Android apps use feedback to inform users about the results of their actions and the state of the app. Android apps can use visual feedback, such as highlighting, dimming, changing color, etc., or haptic feedback, such as vibrations or sounds.
Summary:
iOS and Android apps have different design guidelines that reflect their different design philosophies, standards, and guidelines. Designers need to be aware of these differences and similarities when creating apps for both platforms. By following the best practices of both platforms and adapting their app design accordingly, designers can create apps that look and feel native to both platforms and provide a consistent and intuitive user experience. Some of the tools and resources that can help designers with this process are:
- Midjourney: an AI tool that can generate realistic images based on natural language prompts.
- ChatGPT: an AI tool that can generate natural-sounding text for headlines, taglines, body copy, and more.
- Zeplin: an AI tool that can generate CSS code for web design automatically.
- Adobe Sensei: an AI tool that can resize graphics without losing quality or distorting proportions.
- Hocoos AI: an AI tool that can create responsive websites that adapt to different devices and screen sizes.
- Sketch2Code: an AI tool that can detect and correct syntax errors in code.
- UXPin: an AI tool that can perform usability testing and user research on prototypes.
- iOS Human Interface Guidelines: a set of guidelines that describe the principles and best practices of designing iOS apps.
- Material Design Guidelines: a set of guidelines that describe the principles and best practices of designing Android apps.