- I've been a longtime iPhone user,
but I've often wondered what it would look like
to switch to Android.
One of the first things that comes to my mind is security.
I wanted to know how security
and privacy compare between iPhone and Android.
The first place I started
was taking a look at native messaging.
On iPhone, there's two types of messaging;
iMessage and SMS.
iMessage works between iPhones and other Apple devices
and every message you send is end-to-end encrypted.
iMessage may very well be one of the most secure
online messaging platforms you can use.
But what if the other person doesn't have an iPhone?
In this case, your message is sent via SMS
or short message service.
For all you iPhone users, this is what happens
when you get the green bubble in a text thread.
SMS is one of the least secure methods
of communicating privately with someone
and it's not encrypted at all.
And you're probably thinking,
"Surely there's got to be a better way
to securely send text messages between devices, right?"
And you'd be correct.
It's called RCS,
which is short for Rich Communication Services.
This is the new standard for texting
that introduces modern features like end-to-end encryption,
typing indicators, read receipts,
and support for sending high resolution photos.
RCS has been live on Android for a while now,
but Apple refuses to offer support for it on iOS.
They're stuck on iMessage being the standard
for sending messages back and forth between devices
even though they won't allow Android
to implement any form of iMessage.
Meanwhile, Google is offering RCS as an open standard
that Apple can implement, but they won't do it.
Apple CEO, Tim Cook, has made statements
implying that he wants the messaging system
to remain clunky between iPhone and Android
because he wants everyone to just buy an iPhone.
One time at a conference, someone was pressing Tim Cook
on why he wouldn't implement RCS in iOS,
stating that his mom owns an Android phone
and he just wants to be able to communicate
securely with her.
And in response, Tim Cook said, "Buy your mom an iPhone."
- Buy your mom an iPhone. (crowd laughing)
- I gotta be honest, this kind of stuck-up,
stubborn attitude from Apple
makes me wanna give the win to Android
for secure messaging.
Sure, iMessage is secure and I'm biased.
I think it's a great communication platform,
but the fact that Apple won't offer it to Android
is really telling that they just wanna get people
to buy more iPhones.
Meanwhile, Google's over there saying,
"Hey, RCS is for everyone.
Apple, you're welcome to implement it,"
but Apple refuses and I don't like that they're doing that.
Now, obviously iPhone users could use alternative platforms
like WhatsApp or Telegram
to securely communicate with Android users,
but that requires both sides to use a third party platform
and that's not nearly as convenient as built-in messaging.
When it comes to file security
for data stored on your device,
the iPhone automatically encrypts app data
and prevents unauthorized access
as long as you have a passcode, fingerprint,
or face ID set up for your iPhone.
All third party iOS apps are sandboxed
and this prevents apps from accessing files
from other apps or making changes to your device.
This is one of the the reasons
we don't really see viruses on iOS
because it would be incredibly difficult
for something like that to happen.
Now nothing is 100% foolproof.
There's always security holes in software,
so it's not that iOS can never get a virus,
but it's highly unlikely
since each app operates in its own isolated container
Android phones are also encrypted by default
and it's extremely rare to get viruses.
There is a bigger security threat with Android
because you're able to side load apps
and install them from places outside the Google Play Store,
but the operating system still has things in place
to mitigate the security risks.
One of the biggest data protection benefits to iOS
is Apple's app tracking transparency feature.
This feature requires apps to request permission
to track user activity
and minimizes those creepy targeted ads that you get
from all your internet connected devices.
Now, in the latest version of iOS,
apps are automatically denied
the request to track unless you opt into the allow apps
to request to track feature.
So you have to go to your settings and turn on a feature
in order for an app to ask you if it can track you.
That's pretty savage.
This feature does two things.
First, it blocks apps
from accessing your Apple device identifier.
This is a random string of numbers
and letters that is used to keep track
of your device across different apps.
So if an app doesn't have access to this identifier,
it's a lot harder to track your activity
between apps and shared data with advertisers.
The second thing it does is tell the developer
that you wish to not be tracked,
and then it's up to them to make a good faith effort
not to do so.
This is the thing that's a bit disappointing
because there's not really a way
that Apple can enforce this.
You're just trusting that the developer
is going to do the right thing,
and I have a feeling many of them are tracking you anyway.
But that's a lot more than you can say about Android.
As of now, there's no built-in feature
to request that an app doesn't track you.
Google is working on a new Android privacy sandbox
that looks similar to app tracking transparency,
but they haven't implemented the feature yet
and they're being really loosey goosey
on when this is gonna be implemented.
They've kind of said, "Hey, here's this concept.
We need the help of all the app developers
to make it happen.
And at some point in the future, we're gonna implement it."
I also remain skeptical of Google's commitment
to implement privacy features in Android
because Google is a data company.
Advertising is their main business
so they need user data to target ads effectively
in their free services like Gmail and Google search.
Apple's introduction of app tracking transparency
legitimately hurt Facebook's advertising revenue.
It's been down ever since they introduced the feature.
And since Google makes money in a similar way to Facebook,
I can't wrap my head around why Google would be incentivized
to hurt their own ability to track user data.
One thing you do wanna track
whether you're on iOS or Android
is your passwords for your accounts.
It's a terrible idea to use the same password
for every account,
but keeping track of a unique, randomly generated password
for each account can be a headache.
That doesn't have to be the case with a password manager
and my personal favorite password manager is 1Password,
the sponsor of today's video.
1Password gives you all the tools you need
to secure your accounts, store passwords,
credit card numbers, passport details,
and other sensitive information.
You can securely share your passwords
with friends and family, and conveniently access your vault
with face ID or fingerprint unlock.
And 1Password recently announced
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so you can eliminate the need for passwords
entirely on websites that support it.
I think I'm gonna start migrating my accounts to passkeys.
1Password is offering 25% off for new users.
So go to this link to get started.
Thanks to 1Password for sponsoring today's video.
And now, I wanna take a look at another security aspect
to iOS versus Android.
One thing to consider when it comes to data protection
is what happens to your data
in the event that your device is lost or stolen?
iOS and Android both have a feature
where you can remotely request that your device be erased
as soon as it comes online via wifi or cellular data.
Apple and Google also both offer a device reactivation log.
This is something that discourages theft
because if someone were to steal your device
and factory reset it and list it on eBay,
the device is going to be a useless brick
unless you authorize it and sign out of your Google account
or Apple ID before getting rid of the device.
Many people buying used phones
are also aware that you can check
if a phone has an activation lock on it or not
before you purchase it.
So thieves realize that phones
are not worth a whole lot used
if they have an activation lock
and that's meaning they're just not stealing phones
as much as they used to.
So in all honesty, the privacy and security differences
between iOS and Android are pretty minimal.
Going into this video, I expected Apple to come out ahead
because Apple is well-known for its marketing
around privacy and security for its devices.
And to add to that, Google isn't exactly a shining example
of data privacy.
They like to collect user data
for their advertising business.
But at the end of the day, both iPhone and Android
are going to do a great job at protecting your data.
You have to decide
whether you want Google having control of your data.
And once again, they are an advertising company.
So to me, it seems like there's a bit of a conflict
of interest there, or Apple having control of your data.
And while they seem to have this commitment of privacy,
their refusal to implement RCS in iOS
makes it seem like maybe some of these privacy features
are just to dangle the carrot over your head
to get you to buy one of their devices.
- Buy your mom an iPhone. (crowd laughing)
- In other words,
does Apple really care about everyone's privacy?
Both companies have some reason to not be trusted
when it comes to privacy,
so I think it just boils down to personal preference.
I've always enjoyed the Apple ecosystem,
so that's where I'm at,
and I personally prefer to not give Google
even more of my data.
But whether you choose iPhone or Android,
you can secure your online accounts with 1Password.
I would start exploring passkeys.
It will significantly upgrade your account security
on supported websites,
and it's just another way to get ahead of the issue
of account compromises.