Comparing Android Marshmallow and iOS 9: What Each Has to Offer

Now that Google has given a name to the newest version of its Android OS—Marshmallow—it’s a good time to see how it stacks up against Apple’s iOS 9.

Apple shined a light on USB-C with its MacBook, but now it may be coming to many more handsets in the coming year. Android’s Marshmallow comes with full support for the USB-C plug connector technology, which not only offers faster charging, but also comes with backward-compatibility with earlier USB versions. USB-C is already coming to Android owners on the OnePlus 2, but look for it to be rolled out far and wide next year now that Marshmallow supports it.

The new iPad experience in iOS 9 will be a revelation for Apple’s tablet owners. When iOS 9 makes its way to the iPad, it’ll automatically adapt to the larger screen, allowing for full split-view app support. The operating system will also display a wider touch-screen keyboard, showing more keys than what one would find on the iPhone. The new iPad experience in iOS 9 is a much-needed improvement over previous versions.

Google Now, the virtual personal assistant designed to take on Siri, has received a welcome overhaul in Marshmallow. The feature not only makes Android devices smarter, but also is more cognizant of its surroundings so it can provide relevant information to users when they need it most. Google Now offers a nice mix of features found in both Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana.

Apple has brought some new apps to iOS 9. The most notable new addition is News, an app, like Flipboard, that helps users find the latest news and content they really care about and display it in a single pane. Think of News as a big, digital newspaper filled with the top stories from around the Web. It can also be curated to display only content that a person most cares about.

Although there are a few Android handsets that support fingerprint scanner support, many more do not because of the poor support for it in earlier Android versions. With Marshmallow, however, Google is opening its fingerprint security support API to developers, meaning third-party apps will be able to use fingerprint scanners for biometric logins..

Apple has done a fine job of improving multitasking with iOS 9. The company’s updated operating system allows users to slide apps over that can be viewed atop others to more easily get work done. In addition, the operating system has a “picture-in-picture” feature that will let users chat on FaceTime while looking at apps. Apple’s iOS 9 is a major improvement for multitasking seekers.

Google has come a long way in adapting the design of its Android installation. Marshmallow has a more refined look that makes it easier for users to move their way around the operating system. Google also puts Google Now and its own search platform at the center of the experience in an effort to make it easier to find things around the Web. Look for users to be quite pleased with Marshmallow’s new look and feel.

Apple’s Notes app has long been a disappointment, offering little in the way of actual value to people who want to take and share notes. Apple is trying to fix that problem with the new Notes. The application has several important features, including a Share button, to bring notes content to other apps. In addition, Notes has a sketching option, the ability to add photos and maps to items, along with much more. Notes, as Apple says, is far “more noteworthy” than it was before.

A new feature in Marshmallow, called Doze, is designed to improve battery life by turning off unnecessary resources when the device is in standby mode. Google discovered that previous Android versions were running too many resources in the background, causing a battery drain. By reducing some of those troubles, Google says battery life will be substantially improved in Marshmallow.

Apple’s Siri, like Google Now, is getting a nice update in iOS 9. The virtual personal assistant now goes out to more places to seek answers to questions. In addition, Siri has the ability to contextualize comments, so if users ask about photos they took from an event last week, she can pull them up. A reminder feature will make Siri capable of tracking users and providing relevant information based on their location. It’s a little bit of catch up with Cortana, but the new Siri is a significant upgrade.