Android’s Trade-Offs For The Privilege Of Flexibility

It’s no secret that Android offers far more flexibility in terms of choices when compared to iOS. That is why choosing between them depends solely on one’s preference. We’ve covered the reason for this in a previous article: Why The Android Vs iOS Argument Is Pointless.

Though proponents in the Android camp scoff at iOS fans for their love of a rigid, uncompromising and vanilla operating system – there’s actually a point to this ‘Gestapo-like’ practice. Security is of paramount importance to Apple, which is why the company waits for technology to mature before implementing it.

Here’s where Android’s compromises are made:

# 1 – Trusted Devices
This is by far one of Android’s most convenient features. It gives you the option to authorize Bluetooth connected devices as ‘trusted devices’. Once on the list, your phone will remain unlocked as long as it maintains a connection with a device on this trusted list.

This allows you to quickly access your phone without having to authenticated via face unlock, fingerprint authentication, or worse still, pin code. It is especially useful when driving or when needing access to your data. But this also means that within a 5m radius of your headset, anyone with direct access to your phone, can unlock it without permission.

# 2 – SD Card Storage
Most Android phones have an SD Card slot. This facilities the need for storage expansion beyond that of the phone’s internal capacity. Said feature lengthens the service life of a device, enabling users to hold off of upgrading until absolutely necessary. Apple has never attempted to offer this feature on its devices, and for a good reason.

Allowing a removable storage device to house apps, important data and pictures, is a serious security vulnerability. Unscrupulous individuals don’t need to gain access to your phone’s OS to steal data, what’s needed is to pop out your memory card. Now, you can encrypt a memory card, but that is only acts as a band-aid to a much bigger security flaw.

It is far more difficult to steal data from a phone’s internal storage than it is to simply remove a memory card. It’s a trade-off that most Android users accept for the sake of being able to manage their own data storage. This isn’t the case with Apple.

# 3 – Storage OTG
Android allows users to easily transfer data between a phone and a USB stick. This helps users quickly access the file system and transfer necessary data. Though this gives users access to a world of possibilities, it also gives anyone with access to your pin code, complete access to your entire data.

Now, iOS does offer OTG functionality, but it is limited to storage of general files. Unscrupulous individuals won’t have free reign, and are restricted to a certain level. It is one of many reasons why Apple’s ‘Gestapo-like’ tactics pay off in the long run.