Where can I get decent Mastodon apps for Android?
I recently began looking for an alternative to Twitter (I believe I'm not alone) and discovered Mastodon. I prefer it there since the majority of the people seem clever, nice, and less prone to blow out than on Twitter. But as I got used to the interface, I noticed that the mobile app, while functional, left something to be desired. So when I heard that a new one in beta called Ivory was providing a lot better experience, I was excited to try it out.
Then I ran across an old problem: Ivory is only available for iOS devices. I'm an Android user.
I've been using Android phones for quite some time now. I like Android and am at ease with it, but I am not devoted to it. I have nothing against iOS or iPhones; in fact, I have one on my desk that I use for business. There are some features of iOS that I prefer above those of Android.
On the other hand, I have to admit that when I hear about an app that appears really simple and useful, rush to its website to see if I can test it out, and discover that it's only available for iOS, I can feel like an angry five-year-old for a brief minute. I want to play with this new gadget, and anyone who tells me I can't is a jerk.
I'm not alone in this. Recently, there have been some great discussions regarding this topic on Mastodon. Many Mastodon newcomers, particularly those accustomed to the Twitter UI and Twitter's third-party apps, are now looking for apps to enhance their experience. Unsurprisingly, iOS is producing better apps than Android.
Why? There are other options, many of which have been addressed in various places on Mastodon.
These apps are created by Twitter iOS developers.
Developers who had constructed Twitter apps are naturally migrating to Mastodon now that Elon Musk has booted third-party apps out of Twitter. Tapbots, a two-person development team that created Tweetbot and a few other apps for iOS and macOS, is now working on Ivory, which is currently being billed as the next big thing in terms of Mastodon clients. Android is clearly off their radar.
Creating apps for Android is more difficult.
Apple sells only a handful different phones each year, and they are designed to work with the company's latest operating system. Android, on the other hand, is featured on phones manufactured by a variety of manufacturers for a range of different phones — and the operating system is frequently heavily customized. For example, Samsung, which is responsible for a huge number of Android phones on the market, provides a version of Android whose interface and most fundamental functions can differ significantly from Google's version (which can be found on phones like the Pixel line).
To deal with those variances, resources are required — resources that individual developers and small businesses may lack. "These days, it's pretty rare to see any significant company fail to release an app for both Android and iOS at the same time, with equal priorities," says JR Raphael, creator and publisher of Android Intelligence. Where I believe we see a clear difference is with smaller, startup-based services and indie app developers. In those situations, where resources are clearly limited and a company must make decisions about where its attention is most beneficial, we still see places initially focusing on iOS and then returning to Android later — or even completely focused on iOS. It's an infuriating fact that I wish we could change."
Apple users are more willing to spend money on their products.
People that hang around in the Apple ecosystem appear to be more well-off or prepared to spend more money on technology. Apple is certainly notorious for its hefty hardware pricing. While the top Android phones, such as those sold by Samsung or the latest Pixels, aren't exactly cheap, there are plenty of lower-cost Android phones on the market.
Okay, here are some facts: According to Statista.com, Apple's App Store earned $21.2 billion in the third quarter of 2022, while the Play Store earned $10.4 billion. Nonetheless, in its first-quarter earnings report for 2023, Apple reported 2 billion active users, which is 1 billion fewer than Google's 3 billion active devices announced in 2021. So, unless Google lost over a billion users in the last year — which would have certainly made headlines – the App Store is making far more money while being utilized by significantly fewer people. While some of the money does go to games, it is still a larger pie for developers than on Android.
So there are some statistics that back up that impression. Because of this, as well as the other issues, a smaller company or even an individual developer may discover that developing apps for iOS devices makes more financial sense (regardless of their personal preferences).
Apple's interface is more artistic.
This is the one I found most intriguing: the claim that Apple's apps are simply more beautiful artistically and in terms of user experience. One of the most common arguments I hear from Apple fans is that the interfaces of macOS and iOS applications are considerably more aesthetically beautiful and easier to use than those created for Android's OS. http://sentrateknikaprima.com/
For example, John Gruber, author of the Daring Fireball blog and host of The Talk Show With John Gruber, published two well-written pieces on the subject. The entry "Making Our Hearts Sing," the title of which is a phrase from Steve Jobs' last stage appearance, particularly piqued my interest. "What's happened over the last decade or so, I think, is that instead of the two platforms establishing any sort of balance, the cultural disparities have expanded because both users and developers have self-sorted," says Gruber. Those who recognize and cherish the creative worth of software and interface design have overwhelmingly gravitated toward iOS; those who do not have gravitated toward Android." https://ejtandemonium.com/
I recently began looking for an alternative to Twitter (I believe I'm not alone) and discovered Mastodon. I prefer it there since the majority of the people seem clever, nice, and less prone to blow out than on Twitter. But as I got used to the interface, I noticed that the mobile app, while functional, left something to be desired. So when I heard that a new one in beta called Ivory was providing a lot better experience, I was excited to try it out.
Then I ran across an old problem: Ivory is only available for iOS devices. I'm an Android user.
I've been using Android phones for quite some time now. I like Android and am at ease with it, but I am not devoted to it. I have nothing against iOS or iPhones; in fact, I have one on my desk that I use for business. There are some features of iOS that I prefer above those of Android.
On the other hand, I have to admit that when I hear about an app that appears really simple and useful, rush to its website to see if I can test it out, and discover that it's only available for iOS, I can feel like an angry five-year-old for a brief minute. I want to play with this new gadget, and anyone who tells me I can't is a jerk.
I'm not alone in this. Recently, there have been some great discussions regarding this topic on Mastodon. Many Mastodon newcomers, particularly those accustomed to the Twitter UI and Twitter's third-party apps, are now looking for apps to enhance their experience. Unsurprisingly, iOS is producing better apps than Android.
Why? There are other options, many of which have been addressed in various places on Mastodon.
These apps are created by Twitter iOS developers.
Developers who had constructed Twitter apps are naturally migrating to Mastodon now that Elon Musk has booted third-party apps out of Twitter. Tapbots, a two-person development team that created Tweetbot and a few other apps for iOS and macOS, is now working on Ivory, which is currently being billed as the next big thing in terms of Mastodon clients. Android is clearly off their radar.
Creating apps for Android is more difficult.
Apple sells only a handful different phones each year, and they are designed to work with the company's latest operating system. Android, on the other hand, is featured on phones manufactured by a variety of manufacturers for a range of different phones — and the operating system is frequently heavily customized. For example, Samsung, which is responsible for a huge number of Android phones on the market, provides a version of Android whose interface and most fundamental functions can differ significantly from Google's version (which can be found on phones like the Pixel line).
To deal with those variances, resources are required — resources that individual developers and small businesses may lack. "These days, it's pretty rare to see any significant company fail to release an app for both Android and iOS at the same time, with equal priorities," says JR Raphael, creator and publisher of Android Intelligence. Where I believe we see a clear difference is with smaller, startup-based services and indie app developers. In those situations, where resources are clearly limited and a company must make decisions about where its attention is most beneficial, we still see places initially focusing on iOS and then returning to Android later — or even completely focused on iOS. It's an infuriating fact that I wish we could change."
Apple users are more willing to spend money on their products.
People that hang around in the Apple ecosystem appear to be more well-off or prepared to spend more money on technology. Apple is certainly notorious for its hefty hardware pricing. While the top Android phones, such as those sold by Samsung or the latest Pixels, aren't exactly cheap, there are plenty of lower-cost Android phones on the market.
Okay, here are some facts: According to Statista.com, Apple's App Store earned $21.2 billion in the third quarter of 2022, while the Play Store earned $10.4 billion. Nonetheless, in its first-quarter earnings report for 2023, Apple reported 2 billion active users, which is 1 billion fewer than Google's 3 billion active devices announced in 2021. So, unless Google lost over a billion users in the last year — which would have certainly made headlines – the App Store is making far more money while being utilized by significantly fewer people. While some of the money does go to games, it is still a larger pie for developers than on Android.
So there are some statistics that back up that impression. Because of this, as well as the other issues, a smaller company or even an individual developer may discover that developing apps for iOS devices makes more financial sense (regardless of their personal preferences).
Apple's interface is more artistic.
This is the one I found most intriguing: the claim that Apple's apps are simply more beautiful artistically and in terms of user experience. One of the most common arguments I hear from Apple fans is that the interfaces of macOS and iOS applications are considerably more aesthetically beautiful and easier to use than those created for Android's OS. http://sentrateknikaprima.com/
For example, John Gruber, author of the Daring Fireball blog and host of The Talk Show With John Gruber, published two well-written pieces on the subject. The entry "Making Our Hearts Sing," the title of which is a phrase from Steve Jobs' last stage appearance, particularly piqued my interest. "What's happened over the last decade or so, I think, is that instead of the two platforms establishing any sort of balance, the cultural disparities have expanded because both users and developers have self-sorted," says Gruber. Those who recognize and cherish the creative worth of software and interface design have overwhelmingly gravitated toward iOS; those who do not have gravitated toward Android." https://ejtandemonium.com/
