iOS 8 vs. Android 4.4 KitKat: Apple’s newest mobile platform, the iOS 8 is now on 25.95% of eligible iPads and iPhones, together with 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus where it’s installed out of the box, according to Fiksu. The Android 4.4 KitKat, is on 24.95% of Android handsets. These two are the most dominant platforms in the mobile industry and we take a look at what they can do.

This review looks at the differences between the iOS 8 and Android 4.4 KitKat’s home screen and app experience.

The iOS 8, which was revealed during Apple’s annual WWDC event, sports a similar and clean appearance like the iOS 7. The Telegraph notes that the transparency and illumination of the new OS gives the illusion of layers, thus making iOS 8 more intuitive and easier to navigate.

The Android 4.4 KitKat, on the other hand, has tweaks that makes it effortless to use it. It’s more vibrant and uses non-standardized icons and shadows to give a 3D effect.

HOME SCREEN FEATURES

One noticeable change in the home screen of the iOS 8 is that it now changes in orientation depending on how you hold your handset. While before it was purely vertical, it can go horizontal as well, while keeping the home dock with three to four standard apps. Apps can continue to be organized in folders.

Android, on the other hand, provides similar experience and customization but also allows users to drop widgets straight onto the homescreen. These are basically functions from an app that you can use without actually launching the app itself. It’s a handy feature that’s not available on iOS 8 just yet.

APPS
The app store is an industry powerhouse at this point, making available over 1.3 million apps to Apple users worldwide. It’s still bigger than Google Play’s and continues to boas more updated selections.

But what levels the playing field for the Android 4.4 KitKat and the iOS 8 is that key apps like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are available on both Android and iOS format.

CLOUD SERVICES
Android 4.4 KitKat comes with a suite of Google applications, including Gmail, Google+, the Chrome browser, Google Maps, Google Play, Play Music, Play Moves & TV, Play Books, Play Newsstand, Play Games, Google Drive (aka Drive), Hangouts (formerly GChat), YouTube and Photos, lists Know Your Mobile. This can all be linked up through your Google account.

On iOS 8, Apple can be seen having revamped the iCloud to compete with the Google Drive as well as Dropbox, KnowYourMobile noted. The service is now called iCloud Drive and can customize file structures and organized things your way.

The iCloud Drive also now has widgets, which has been a common feature for the Google Drive and is now compatible with third-party keyboards.

Google Drive and Google services has seemingly more offerings than what the iOS 8 can bring but updates on the Apple mobile platform is catching up.