The Bard of Robots

Report finds iOS apps riskier than Android apps!

I recently read this article that states that iOS apps are riskier than Android apps.  I make a point of not trusting news articles…  I’m an Android developer, so I like hearing Android doing well.  And it would be easy to just rejoice that Android is awesome, but instead I decided to look a little deeper.

First, the PCWorld article itself But let’s face it, Android @ 83% vs iOS @ 91% hardly makes me feel good.  It is akin to saying, all your data is stolen 9 out of 10 times on iOS but only 8 out of 10 times on Android.  So… you’re telling me all my data is stolen?  Great.

Second, what does ‘risky’ even mean?  So I decided to pull down the report and take a look myself.  Here were the things they considered risky…

  • Location Tracking
  • Access Address Book
  • Access Calendar
  • Single Sign-On (via social network)
  • Identify User (UDID)
  • In-App Purchases
  • Ad Networks

Really? These are the scary ‘risky’ behavior you are basing things off of?  Some I would consider the price of wanting a free app (in-app purchases, ads).  While others may be considered features, depending on the app function (location, address, calendar, single sign-on).

My conclusion?  More FUD, carry on, there’s nothing to see here.

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