Which is more secure android or ios?

Which mobile operating system is more secure, Android or iOS ?

  • Android

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • iOS

    Votes: 3 60.0%
  • Neither, they are both the same.

    Votes: 2 40.0%

  • Total voters
    5

ian

Administrator
Staff member
I used to use an iphone, but I much prefer android.
Not a fan of paying high apple prices for hardware which is not as good as the android flagships, and I dont like the inflexibility of ios, I like my widgets, though dont know if they have a similar implementation in iOS 9. So as a happy samsung android user, using the google now launcher, I couldnt imagine going back to using an iphone, that was until a few weeks ago.
When somebody at work was saying that iphones are much more secure than android. I don't know upon what basis they made that statement.
I am interested in peoples opinions about which mobile operating system is more secure.
 

Troncoso

VIP Member
It's pretty much true, if we are talking about non-jailbroken iPhones vs. non-rooted Android phones. Apple is pretty strict about apps they allow in the app store, so you are very unlikely to download anything malicious there.
Android users, on the other hand, can install apps from any number of sources, on top of having a much less secure app store.

Security is probably the biggest benefit of Apple's closed OS.
 

DMGrier

VIP Member
I think this depends on how you look at security, iOS has done better job at keeping malicious apps off there store then anyone else so far. I would still argue though that Android is going to take it on security.

Android is facing the same battles as Microsoft with security, one of the issues of being King of market share is that you have caught the majority of hackers attention. However with Android being 85-90% open source the code can be audited by google, manufactures and the community. In fact more then half of the infections I read about that are exploiting Android is usually to the proprietary code for the added bloatware from the OEM.

On the other side where this argument is being made is the news of Android will now start receiving monthly security updates.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...y-android-security-updates-start-to-roll-out/

As far as I know the only time which updates are pushed to mobile OS is either to upgrade the OS or when a security patch is needed because it hit the news. This will mean that updates will be made available to the Android OS monthly which I would also assume that means that Android will be undergoing some auditing as well to ensure Google has a nice batch of updates to push monthly.

In the end security can truly be measured at the level of user, smart choices is best security practice.
 

ian

Administrator
Staff member
With iOS, if a security vulnerability is discovered, an update can be made fairly easily to the end user direct.
With android, when something is discovered, even if google are quick to do a security update, unless you are using a nexus device, you then have up to two extra links in the chain before it gets to you. The manufacturer like samsung, etc have to integrate the update, and then also sometimes the carrier has to approve and release the update before it gets to you. If one of those links in the chain are slow or fail to do their bit, it potentially puts your phone at risk.
 

Geoff

VIP Member
There are a few Android OEMs that have high security, one is a device without data over USB and has very high security, mainly meant for government users, and Samsung has Knox which is pretty secure. Overall though I'd say Android is less secure as most devices are running outdated versions without the latest security updates, you can side load applications, you can root them, and some apps in the Play Store are malicious.
 
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