Comparison of mobile operating systems

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a comparison of mobile operating systems (OS). Only the latest versions are shown in the table below, even though older versions may still be marketed.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1About OS
• 2Advanced controls
• 3Application ecosystem
• 4Basic features
• 5Browser
• 6Communication and connectivity
• 7Language and inputs
• 8Maps and navigation
• 9Media playback and controls
• 10Peripheral support
• 11Photo and video
• 12Productivity
• 13Ringtones and alerts
• 14Security and privacy
• 15Sound and voice
• 16Other features
• 17See also
• 18References

About OS[edit]

Legend

Yes

In later versions

Beta

Limited

Tablet-only

3rd party

No

About OS
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Company	Apple Inc.	Open Handset Alliance	Mozilla Foundation	Microsoft	BlackBerry Ltd.	Linux Foundation,Tizen Association,Samsung, Intel	Sailfish Alliance,Mer, Jolla and Sailfish community contributors	Canonical Ltd. and Ubuntu community contributors
Market share[1]	14.8%	84.1%	N/A	0.7%	0.2%	N/A	N/A	N/A
Current version	9.3.3	6.0.1	2.2.0	Windows Mobile 10(10.0.10586.420)[2]	10.3.2.2876	2.4	2.0.1.11	15.04 (OTA-10)
Current version release dates	July 18, 2016; 1 day ago[3]	October 5, 2015; 9 months ago	April 29, 2015; 14 months ago	April 12, 2016; 3 months ago	January 12, 2016; 6 months ago	October 22, 2015; 8 months ago	May 9, 2016; 2 months ago	April 6, 2016; 3 months ago[4]
License	Proprietary EULAexcept for open source components	Free and open-source, but usually bundled with proprietary apps and drivers[5][6]	Free and open-source, mainly theMPL;[7] Apache[8]	Proprietary	Proprietary	Free and open-source, but the SDK is proprietary and closed source	Free and open-source, but the UI is proprietary and closed source	Free and open-source, mainly theGPL
OS family	Darwin	Linux	Linux	Windows NT 8+[9]	QNX	Linux	Linux	Linux
Supported CPU architecture	ARM, ARM64	ARM, x86, MIPSand the 64-bitvariants of all three	ARM, x86|ARM64	ARM, x86, and the 64-bit variants of both	ARM	ARM, x86, x86-64	ARM, x86-64	ARM, x86 and x86-64[10]
Programmed in	C, C++, Objective-C, Swift	C, C++, Java	HTML5, CSS,JavaScript,[11] C++	7+: XNA (.NET C#),Silverlight, native C/C++ (only for vendors and partners[12]) 8+: .NET C#, VB.NET,Silverlight, native C/C++, WinRTP (XMLA), DirectX	C/ C++: Native SDK, C++/Qt: Cascades SDK, HTML5/Javascript/CSS: Webworks SDK, ActionScript: Adobe AIR, Java: Android runtime	C++	C++, QML, Python	Apps: HTML5,QML, Go,JavaScript[13] System: C, C++,QML
Public issues list	3rd party[14]	Yes[15]	Yes[16]	Yes[17]	Yes[18]	Yes[19]	Yes[20]	Yes[21]
Package manager	iTunes	APK	Firefox OS Packaged Apps[22]	WP 7.x: Zune (XAP) WP 8.0+: XAP WP 8.1+: APPX	BlackBerry Link	RPM Package Manager	RPM Package Manager	Click packages and dpkg
DRM-free[23]	No - FairPlay	No[24] since Android 4.1[25]and Android 4.3[26] and more restrictions on Android 4.4[27]	Yes	No	No[28]	Yes	Yes	Yes
Device independent system updates	Yes[29]	No,[30] 3rd party software likeCyanogenMod[31]	No	Only for developers	No	No	Yes	Yes[32]
Wireless system updates	5+[33]	Yes	Yes[34]	8+[35]	Yes[36]	No	Yes	Yes
GPU acceleratedGUI	Yes	3+[37]	?	Yes[38]	Yes, OS 7.0+	?	Yes	Yes

Advanced controls[edit]

Advanced Controls
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Per-application Internet access	No, 3rd party software on jailbroken devices[39]	No,[40] 3rd party software[41]	No	No	Yes[42]	No	No	Yes
Per-application identity access	No	No, 3rd party software likeXPrivacy	No	No	Yes	No	No	?
Per-application user data access	6+[43]	6+[44]	Yes[45]	8.1update2+[46]	Yes[42]	No	No	?
Per-application background execution	7+[47]	No,[48] 3rd party apps available[49]	Yes[45]	Yes[50]	10.2.1+[51]	No	No	Background execution not allowed
Per-application notifications	5+[52][53]	4.1+[54]	Yes[45]	8.1+[55]	10+	No	No	Yes
Per-application location access	4+[56]	6+[44]	Yes[45]	10+[57]	Yes[42]	No	No	User prompted on request
Per-application camera access	8+[58]	6+[44]	Yes[45]	8.1update2+[46]	Yes[42]	No	No	Yes
Per-application microphone access	7+[59]	6+[44]	Yes[45]	8.1update2+[46]	Yes[42]	No	No	In Progress
Per-application shared files access	No	6+[44]	Yes[45]	No	Yes[42]	No	No	Yes
Per-application network data usage auditing	Yes[60]	4+[61]	Yes[62]	8 GDR2+ Data Sense[63] or Nokia Counters in 7.5+[64]	Yes[65]	?	No[66]	?
Fine grained storage usage	5+[67]	Yes[68]	Yes	8 GDR3+[69]	10.2.1+	?	No	?
Parental controls	Yes[70]	4.3+ or 3rd party software[71]	No	8+[72]	7.1+[73]	?	No	No
Screen orientation lock	Yes[74]	Yes[75]	Yes	8 GDR3+[76]	10+[77]	?	1.0.4.1+[78]	Yes
File manager	3rd party software[79]	3rd party software[80]	3rd party software	8.1+[81]	10+[82]	3rd party software[83]	Yes[84]	Yes
File manager write access to external storage	External storage not available	6+[85] Or 3rd party software likeCyanogenMod	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multi-user	No[86]	4.2+, including phones 5+[87][88]	No	No	No	No	No	Tablet-only
Guest mode	6+[89]	5+[90]	No	8+[72]	No	No	No	Tablet-only
Do not disturb mode	6+[91]	5+[92]	No	8.1+[93]	Yes	No	No	3rd party apps[94]
Application groups	4+[95]	Yes	No	8.1 Update+	Yes[96]	?	1.0.7.16+[97]	OTA-9+[98]
Accessibilityfeatures	Yes[99][100][101]	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[102]	?	No	?

Application ecosystem[edit]

Application Ecosystem
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Official application store	App Store	Google Play	Firefox Marketplace	Windows Phone Store	BlackBerry World,Amazon Appstore[103]	Tizen Store	Jolla Store	Ubuntu Store
Non-discriminatory stores	No, Apple discriminates based on country[104] and own Apple policies[105]	No, Some applications like Ad blockers are censored on Google Play[106][107] but developers can distribute apps from their own sources	Developers can distribute apps from their own sources, supports multiple app stores	No, Discriminates by country[108] and manufacturer[109]	3rd party software	?	Openrepos.[110]Developers can distribute apps from their own sources, supports multiple app stores	Yes Full support for open stores[111]
Common APIs for smartphones, tablets, and PCs	No	Yes[112]	Yes	8.1+[113]	No	No	Yes	Yes[114]
Official SDKplatform(s)	Mac OS X usingiOS SDK	Linux, Mac OS X and Windows[115]	All where Firefox is available	Windows[116]	Windows, Mac OS X,[117] Linux (only Native SDK for 10+)[118]	GNU/Linux, Windows, OS X[119]	Windows, Mac OS X and Linux[120]	Ubuntu desktop using Ubuntu SDK
Cost to develop for the mobile OS	Free with Xcode 7[121]	Free	Free	Free[122]	Free	Free	Free	Free
Cost to publish application to official store	US$99/year	US$25 once to offer it on Google Play[123]	Free	US$19, once, for an individual; and $99 for a company account.[124]Students can get a token for an individual account (1 token for 365 days) which gives free access to Windows Store/Phone Dev Center for 12 months.[125]	Free	Free	Free[126]	Free

Basic features[edit]

Basic Features
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
cut, copy, and paste	3+[127]	Yes[128]	No	Yes[129]	Yes	Yes[130]	Partially released[131]	Yes
Multi-Deviceclipboard	10+[132]	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
undo	3+[133]	No[134]	No	No	No	No	No[135]	?
Custom home and lock screen wallpaper	4+[74]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (incl. Ambience)	Only lock screen wallpaper
Desktop sync	Yes	No,[136] but available on Samsung Kies &HTC Sense[137]	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes
Local full backup	Yes, using external computer[138]	Limited backup for 4.0+ with ADB using external computer. Possible with 3rd party apps with rooted phones or a custom recovery[139]	?	No, removed in WP8,[140] was available on WP7 in Zune only when performing update, or anytime via 3rd party software[141][142]	Yes, using external computer[143] and memory card (7+)[144]	No[145]	Yes	rsync to SD-Card
Core data missing sync		Bookmarks[146](before 4), SMSs and Settings[147]		Favorites,[148] Text Messages[149] and Settings[150]	?	?	?	?
Notification center	5+[151]	Yes	Yes	8.1+[93]	6+[152]	2+[153]	Yes	Yes
Push notifications	Yes (Apple Push Notification Service)	Yes[154]	1.1+[155]	Yes[156]	Yes	2+[157]	Yes	Server implemented, Client API in development
Screenshot	Yes[74][158]	4+ also available on earlier versions with customized roms, such as Cyanogen Mod and the default Samsung Galaxy S II rom[159]	Yes	8+[160]	10+[161]	Yes	3rd party apps with no shortcut[162]	Yes[163]
iCalendar import	Yes[164]	No,[165] but 3rd party app available[166]	No	3rd party software (only import not subscribe)[167]	Yes[168]	?	1.1.6.27+[169]	?
Text/document support (read only; creating using third party applications)	Microsoft Office,[170][171][172]iWork, PDF, Images, TXT/RTF, VCF	Microsoft Office 2003/2007, PDF, Images, TXT/RTF	PDF	Microsoft Office Mobile, PDF, TXT/RTF	Microsoft Office, PDF, OpenDocument, TXT	Read only: text files, PDF, HTML, Multiple office formats	Microsoft Office,OpenDocument, PDF	Read only: text files, PDF, HTML,OpenDocument, PDF
Printer support	Yes (AirPrint)[173]	4.4+ using Google Cloud Print[174] but not over USB[175]	?	10+[176]	Yes	No	?	?
Show remembered Wi-Ficonnections	No, 3rd party software on jailbroken devices[177]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes

Browser[edit]

Browser
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Default web browser/engine	WebKit	Blink	Gecko	Trident (EdgeHTMLafter 10)	WebKit	WebKit	Gecko[178]	Oxide[179]
Major web browser available	Safari, Chrome for iOS, Opera Mini, Firefox	Chrome for Android, Opera, Firefox	Firefox OS Browser	Internet Explorer,Opera Mini, UC Browser, Microsoft Edge	BlackBerry 10 Browser, Opera Mini, Firefox	Tizen Browser (Based on UC Browser)	Sailfish Browser (Firefox), Webcat (WebKit), Web Pirate (WebKit), others via Android (Firefox, Chrome, Opera)	Ubuntu Browser
Browser extensions	8+[180]	No[181] 3rd party software[182]	Yes (from 2.5)	No	No	No	No	No
Browser direct Internet connection (increased resilience to outages)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10+,[183] 7.1 and older route throughBlackBerry Internet Service, direct browsing supported over WiFi	Yes	?	?
Browser undo close tab	8+[184]	3rd party softwareGoogle Chrome for Android[185]	No	No	No	No	No	No
Browser keeps windows open on shutdown or crash	Yes	2.3+ Google Chrome[186] but not on main browser[187]	Yes	Yes	10+ Opens dialog for choosing which websites to restore after crash, option to restore all sites after restart	No	Yes	Yes
Browser keeps windows open when cleaning cookies	3rd party software[188]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?
Browser search engine options	Bing, Google,Yahoo! Search,DuckDuckGo	Many[189]	2.1: Google, Bing,Yahoo! 2.2: + DuckDuckGo	Bing, Googlesupport removed on some markets on 8.1 GDR1+[190]	Bing, Dictionary.com, Google, Wikipedia, Yahoo, User Defined	?	Bing, Google, Yahoo, Yandex. Baidu, DuckDuckGo, StartPage, Searx, ixquick, Swisscows, Qwant, Seznam, Hulbee via openrepos[191]	?
Browser find on page	4.2+[192]	1.5+[193]	No	8+[194]	Yes[195]	?	1.1.2.16+[196]	?
Browser/email save images	Yes[197]	Yes	Yes	Yes[198]	Yes	?	Yes	Yes
Browser/email save PDFs	Yes[74]	Yes	Yes	Yes[199]	Yes	Yes	Yes	OTA-9+
Browser save audio/video	3rd party software[200]	Yes, but only links, not embedded media	1.1+[155]	8.1+[201]	Yes (embedded media not supported)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Browser save page	6+: Offline Reading List;[202] 3rd party software[203]	No, Introduced on 4.0,[204] but removed on 4.4[205]	No	10+[206]	Yes[207]	?	?	?
Browser save any file	When an app for the filetype is installed (excluding audio/video);[208]3rd party software[209]	No,[210] 3rd party software[211]	No	8.1+[201]	10+	?	Yes	OTA-9+[212]
Browser force enable zoom	Yes[213]	No, not working anymore on Android 4.4[214]	No	Yes, via accessibility settings	Yes,via accessibility settings	?	?	?
Browser text reflow[215]	5+: Only on pages with reader mode available;[216][217]3rd party browsers on prior versions[218]	No, removed on Android 4.4[219][220]	Yes	Only on pages available on reading view on 8.1+	Yes[221] 10+ Only in reader mode	No	No	?
Browser Reader Mode	5+[216][217]	No,[222] 3rd party software[223][224]	No[225]	8.1+[226]	10+[227]	?	No[228]	?
Browser file upload	9+; 6-8: Limited	2.2+[229]	1.1+[230]	Yes	4.2+[231]	Yes	1.0.7.16+[232]	Yes
Browser form navigation	Previous, Next, AutoFill, and Done buttons[233]	Next button[234]	?	Yes	Yes[231]	?	?	?
Browser private browsing mode	5+[235]	3.0+[236] or with rooted devices and 3rd party firmware[237]	2.2+	8.1+[93]	10+[238]	?	1.1.6.27+[239]	?
Offline web apps	Yes[240][241][242]	Yes[243]	Yes	?	?	No	?	Yes[244]
HTTP Live Streaming	3+[245]	3+[246]	No[247]	10+[248]	10+[249]	No	?[250]	?
WebRTC	3rd party software[251]	Yes[252]	No[253]	No	No	No	No	No[254]

Communication and connectivity[edit]

Communication and Connectivity
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Unified Inbox	Yes	No,[255] but 3rd party apps available[256]	No	7.5+[257]	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Email sync protocols supported	POP3, IMAP, MAPI,ActiveSync[258]	POP3, IMAP, MAPI	POP3, IMAP+SMTP, ActiveSync	POP3, IMAP, MAPI, ActiveSync	BES, BIS, Push e-mail, 10+: POP3, IMAP, ActiveSync	POP3, IMAP	POP3, IMAP, ActiveSync	IMAP+SMTP
Non-carrier-based integrated messaging	5+ (iMessage)[259]	Google Hangouts	3rd party software	Skype[260]	BBM	?	Yes, 3rd party software	Yes Telegram[261]
Visual voicemail	Yes	2.1+[262]	No	Yes[263]	Yes	?	?	?
Call log duration	Yes[264]	Yes[265]	Yes	8.1+[266]	Yes[267]	?	Yes	?
Multiple mobile phones per contact	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes
Contact groups	3rd party software[268]	4+[269] or 3rd party software[270]	No	7.5+[271]	Yes	Yes	No[272]	?
Voice over IP	FaceTime; 3rd party software[273]	Yes (SIP)[274] or 3rd party software[275]	WebRTC Firefox Hello (2.0+)	8+ Skype[276]	BBM 7+[277] or 3rd party software[278]	No[279]	Yes, 3rd party software	?
NFC payment software	8+: iPhone 6/6 Plusand later (iPhone 5and later if used with Apple Watch), via Apple Pay	Available on any device that supports the hardware. Android Pay for NFC payments available in Play Store.[280]	No	8+[281]	Yes[282]	No	No	?
Tethering	4.3+: Personal Hotspot (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB; carrier dependent)	Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot, USB, Bluetooth	Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot and USB	Internet Sharing (Wi-Fi Hotspot),[283]Bluetooth (8.1 Update+)	USB, Bluetooth, Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot	microUSB, Bluetooth 3.0, Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot	Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot, USB, Bluetooth	Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot, USB
USB On-The-Go	No	3.1+[284][285]	No[286]	10+[287]	10.2+[288]	No	Yes	Yes
Direct file transfer over Wi-Fi Direct	No, 3rd party software on jailbroken devices	4+[61] and selected devices[289][290]	No	No	10.2+	No, was available on bada 2+,[291] but removed on Tizen	No[292]	?
Direct file transfer over Bluetooth	AirDrop: 7+: Between iOS only; 8+: Between Mac/iOS only. (Note: AirDrop utilizes Wi-Fi as well)	2+[293]	Yes	8+[294]	Yes	No, was available on bada,[295] but removed on Tizen	Yes[296] but limited to images, videos and contacts	?
Direct file transfer over NFC	No	4+[61]	?	8+[297]	7.1+[298]	2+[291]	No	?

Language and inputs[edit]

Language and Inputs
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Non-English languages support	Yes[299][300][301]	Partial[302]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited (Search is not diacritical mark-insensitive)	Yes	Yes
Underlining spell checker	Yes[303]	2.3+[304][305]	Yes	Yes[306]	Yes	No	?	?
Built-in system-wide dictionary	5+[307]	Built into keyboard application. Available on every device.[308]	Yes	Yes[309]	Yes	No	Yes	?
Autoexpanding text replacements	5+[310]	Yes	No	Yes[309]	Yes[311]	?	?	?
Keyboard next word prediction	8+[312]	No,[313] 3rd party software[314]	No	Yes[315]	Yes	No	Yes	?
Optical character recognition input method	8+: Only for inputting credit card details[316]	No[317]	No	No	No	No	No	No
Third party input methods	8+	Yes[318]	1.2+[319]	No	No, only for Android apps through sideload of Android keyboard[320]	?	?	?
Gesture text input	8+: 3rd party software like Swype	4+[321]	No	8.1+[322]	Yes	?	No[323]	No
Emoji support	Yes[324]	4.4+[325]	No	Yes[326]	10.2+[327]	?	Yes, 3rd party software	Yes

Maps and navigation[edit]

Maps and Navigation
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Safe driving mode	3rd party software	3rd party software	No	8 GDR3+[328]	No	?	?	?
Turn-by-turn navigation	6+[329]	2+[330]	?	8+[331]	10+[332]	?	Yes	3rd party software[333][334][335]
Offline maps	3rd party software[336]	3rd party softwareGoogle Maps,[337]Here Maps	?	8+[338]	3rd party software	?	3rd party software	3rd party software[339]
Alternative routes in maps	5+[340][341]	Yes[342]	?	10+[343]	?	?	3rd party software	?

Media playback and controls[edit]

Media Playback and Controls
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Audio playback	AAC, protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV[344]	AAC LC/LTP 3GPP, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced AAC+) AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MP3, MIDI (Type 0 and 1, DLS versions 1 and 2), Ogg Vorbis, PCM/WAVE, FLAC, WAVE, Opus[345]	AAC, MP3, WAV, Opus, Vorbis[346]	MP3, WMA Std 9.2, WMA Pro, FLAC, AMR-NB, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+[347]	MP3, FLAC, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WAV, WMA pro, AMR-NB, MIDI, AWB, M4A, MKA, OGG[348]	AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MP3, Vorbis, WAV[349]	MP3, FLAC, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, ALAC, AC3, DTS, Opus, Vorbis	?
Video playback	H.264 (up to High Profile), MPEG-4, M-JPEG[344]	H.263, H.264 (up to Baseline Profile), H.265 HEVC, MPEG-4 SP, DivX, XviD, VP8, VP9[345]	H.264, Theora, VP8[350]	H.263, H.264, WMV, MPEG4, MPEG4 @ HD 720p 30fps, DivX, XviD[351]	MP4, WMV, H.263, H.264, DivX, WMV, XviD, 3GGP, 3GP2, ASF, AVI, F4V, M4V, MKV, MOV, MPEG4, MPEG-2[348]	H.263, H.264, MPEG-4 Part 2[349]	MPEG-4, H264, H263,[352] although audio in recorded videos is out of sync[353]	?
Wired video out	Up to 1080p via HDMI[354] or VGA,[355]576p/480p via component[356] or composite;[357]	4K on 6+[358]	?	8.1+ USB[359]	10+ 1080p via microHDMI,[360]SlimPort (BlackBerry Passport)[361]	No	No[362]	?
Wired digital audio output	7+: USB Audio[363]	5+ USB Audio[364]	No	10+: USB Audio on USB-C devices[365]	USB Audio	No	No	No
Wireless video/audio streaming to set top boxes/TVs/speakers	AirPlay[366]	4.2+ Miracast,[367]but DLNA[368] only available on selected devices	?	8.1+ Miracast on some devices[369]	10+ DLNA,[370]10.2+ Miracast[371]on some devices[372]	DLNA[373]	?	OTA-11+[374]
Media player on-device playlist creation	Yes[74]	Yes[375]	?	Yes[376]	Yes	?	Yes	Yes
Media player video scrubbing	Yes	Yes	?	7.10.7720.0+[377]	?	?	?	Yes
Media player audio scrubbing	Yes	Yes	?	8.1+[378]	?	?	?	Yes
Media player fine scrubbing	Yes[379]	No,[380] 3rd party software like VLC media player, basic fine scrubbing removed on 4+[381]	?	No	?	?	?	?
Media player double speed playing	Only Podcasts[382]	No,[383] 3rd party software[384]	Yes[385]	8.1+ OnlyPodcasts[386]	?	?	?	?

Peripheral support[edit]

Peripheral Support
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Bluetoothkeyboard	Yes[387]	2.3+;[388] previous versions via 3rd party software[389]	?	8.1u2+[390]	Yes[391]	No	Yes[392][393]	Yes[394]
USB keyboard	With Camera Connection Kit[395]	3.1+[388]	?	10+ some devices[396]	Yes[391]	No	?	?
Interchangeable external memory cards	Only for photo/video import with an optional accessory	Yes[397]	Yes	8+[398]	Yes[399]	Yes[400]	Yes	Yes[401]

Photo and video[edit]

Photo and Video
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Camera focus at specified point	Yes[74]	2.3+[402]	2.0+[403]	Yes[404]	10+	?	1.0.4.20+[405]	Yes
Camera exposure metering from specified point	Yes[406]	No,[407] available on some phones.[408][409]	No	8.1+[410]	No	No	?	?
On device picture info (includingExif data)	Only date and location[411]	Only date and location; more with 3rd party software[412]	No	3rd party apps[413]	Date and location[414]	No	?	?
On device picture categorization	5+[415]	No[416] 3rd party software likeTouchWiz[417]	Yes	Yes[418]	Yes, photos can be renamed and searched	No	?	Yes, Albums
On device picture description and search	7+: Only date and location[419]	No[420]	No	Yes	Yes	No	?	?
Turn off shutter sound	In silent mode[421]	In silent mode[422]	In silent mode	7.5+[423]	10.2+ - In silent mode[424]	In silent mode	In silent mode[425]	?
Picture crop	5+[426]	Yes	Yes	8+[427]	10+[428]	No	Yes	Yes
Photo rotation	5+[426]	Yes	Yes	8+[427]	10+[428]	No	Yes	Yes
Photo red-eye reduction	5+[426]	2.3+[429]	Yes	Yes 8.1+[430]	10+[428]	No	No[431]	?
HDR photos option	Yes[432]	4.2+, some manufacturers earlier[433]	Yes	8.1+	10.1+[434]	No	No[435]	Yes
Photo/video import from memory cards	With Camera Connection Kit[395]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Video trim	Yes	2.3+	No	8+[436]	10+[437]	No	?	?

Productivity[edit]

Productivity
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Multitasking	7+;[438] 4-6: Limited[439]	Yes	Yes	8+,[440] 7.5: Limited	Yes	2+[157]	Yes	Yes
Document-centric multitasking	No	5+[441]	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Split-screen app usage	9+: only on iPadwith 2 GB RAM or more[442]	6+[443] on rooteddevices[444] Or 3rd party software[445]	No	No	No, 3rd party software[446]	Yes[447]	No [448]	Tablet-only[449]
Record video with voice while calling[450]	No	Yes (Not available on some devices)	?	Yes	?	?	?	?
Desktop interactive widgets	No, 3rd party software on jailbroken devices[451]	Yes	?	No (Live Tiles are not interactive)[452]	No	No	Yes	?
Lock screen widgets	Media player, voicemail, camera;[453] 5+: Notifications; 7+: Control Center 8+: Interactive Notifications[454]	Notifications and settings. Full Widgets on Android 4.2 and 4.4 only.[455][456]	?	Media Player; 8+: Live Apps and notifications[457]	Yes, interactive notifications, camera, alarm	Media player; Notifications (sms, call)	Yes	?
Notification view widgets	8+	4.1+: Google Now and possible with 3rd party apps	?	No	Yes, BB 10.2	No	Yes	?
Quick settings toggles	7+[458]	2+[459]	Yes	8.1+[93]	10+, customizable in 10.2.1+[460]	No	Via 3rd party application Patchmanager[461]	Yes
Search multiple internal applications at once	Yes	Yes	Yes	8.1+[462]	Yes	Yes	No[463]	?
Settings search	9+[464]	5+ or 3rd party software likeCyanogenMod[465]	No	8.1update2+[46]	Yes	No	No	No
Search all fields of internal objects	6+[466]	Only search Contacts name field but not any other field[467]	?	Contacts are searched by name, nick and company,[468] but not other fields like address or notes[469]	Yes[470]	Only searches contacts by name	First name, last name, nickname, also the multiple field called "Details"[471]	?
Core applications missing search	Bookmarks[472]	Calendar[473](available since 3+ and HTC Sense)	?	Video[474]	?	?	?	?
Phone number links to dialer	Yes	Available in stock Android, but not all devices enable it.[475]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, but not in browser	Yes	?
Addresses links to maps	Yes[476]	In Contacts, but not in Calendar[477] nor in Gmail[478]	No	Yes[479]	Yes[480]	?	Yes	?
Dates links to calendar	Yes[481]	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?

Ringtones and alerts[edit]

Ringtones and Alerts
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Custom ringtones	Yes[482]	Yes	1.2+	7.10.7720.0+[483]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Custom SMS/MMS tones	5+[484]	Yes[485]	No	8 GDR3+[76]	Yes[486]	?	Yes	?
Custom vibrate alert patterns	5+[487][488]	No,[489] possible on some Samsung devices such as Galaxy S III, but limited[490]	No	No	Yes[486]	?	API available for 3rd party applications	?

Security and privacy[edit]

Security and Privacy
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Proxy server	Yes	3.1+[491] but only global, not per connection[492] and only works for the browser[493] 3rd party apps available[494]	No[495]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes[496]	?
On-device encryption	Yes[497] (3rd party software may attempt brute-force attacks on password[498])	3+[499] but insecure on Qualcommdevices[500]	No[501]	8+[502]	Yes[503] (3rd party software may attempt brute-force attacks on password[498])	No	No[504]	?
External storage encryption	External storage not available	6+[85]	?	8.1+ Apps and data only[505]	Yes[506]	No	?	?
Zero knowledge encryption[507]	No, data stored oniCloud is accessible by Apple[508] and shared with the American PRISM surveillance program.[509]	No, data is accessible by Google[510] and shared with the American PRISM surveillance program.[509]	?	No, data is accessible by Microsoft[511] and shared with the American PRISM surveillance program.[509]	?	?	?	?
Privacy of synchronization[512]	When synchronizing locally and not using iCloud	3rd party software like ownCloud[513]	?	Partial, Contacts, Calendar and Mail can be kept private when using your own Exchange server or Office 365 own cloud instead of synchronizing with public cloud servers (that keeps data unencrypted)[514]for Photos and Office docs can be kept private when using your own Office 365 cloud or SharePoint,[515] or synchronization of Phones can be disabled (by default).[516]	When using your own BES instead of BlackBerry cloud BES (that keeps data unencrypted)[517]	?	?	?
Sync to cloud communication encryption	Yes[518]	2.3.4+[519]	?	7.10.7720.0+[520]	Yes[521]	?	?	?
Wireless anti-tracking[522]	8+[523]	3rd party software[524]	No	No	No	No	?	?
Remote device location tracking	Yes[525]	Yes[526]	No	Yes[527]	Yes	?	?	?
Remote device locking and/or data wipe	Yes[525]	2.2+[528]	No	Yes[527]	Yes	?	?	?
End-to-end encryptedpush notifications	Possible since iOS 7, where the application can handle the notification and decrypt it[529]	Possible, notifications are handled by the application that can decrypt it[154]	?	Possible, raw notifications are handled by the application that can decrypt it[530]	?	?	?	?
SSH Client	Yes[531][532]	Yes	?	Yes[533]	Yes	?	Yes	Yes
VPN	Yes[534]	Yes[535]	No[536]	8.1+[93]	10+[537]	?	?	?
OpenVPN	Yes[538]	No, but possible with 3rd party firmware[539]	No	No	No	?	Yes	?
WPA PEAP	Yes[540]	Yes[541]	Yes[542]	Yes[543]	?	?	In developer mode[544]	?

Sound and voice[edit]

Sound and Voice
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Separate volume for ringtone and media	Yes	Yes	Yes	8.1+[93]	Yes	?	Yes	?
Voice commands	5+ (Siri)	Yes[545]	No	8.1+ Microsoft Cortana[546]	Yes[547]	?	Yes,[548] via 3rd party software such Saera	?
Offline voice commands	Yes[549]	No[550]	No	Limited, Playback control not available[551]	No[547]	?	No	?
Voice recognition	5+ (Siri)	Yes	3rd party software	8.1+ Microsoft Cortana[546]	Yes	?	No	?
Offline voice recognition	Limited, only calling and music playback[552]	4.1+[553]	No	Limited, only calling and launching apps	No	No	No	?
Non-English voice recognition	Yes[301]	Yes	No	Yes[326]	Yes	?	No	?
Sound recorder	3+: Limited (Not voice controlled)[554][555]	Very limited (Doesn't work in background[556]and not voice controlled)	No	10+: Quite limited (doesn't work in background),[557]for older versions: 3rd party software, also similarly limited	10+ Embedded into Remember[558]app, works in background but not voice controlled. 7.1 and older: Very limited (Doesn't work in background and not voice controlled)	Partial	3rd party software[559]	?
Call recorder	Prevented by OS restrictions, but possible with 3rd party software on jailbroken devices[560]	Prevented by OS restrictions,[561] but possible with 3rd party firmware[562]	No	10+ some devices[563]	With third-party software[564]	?	3rd party software on 1.1+[565]	?
Sound trim	Yes[566]	No,[567] but 3rd party software available[568]	No	3rd party software[569]	?	?	?	?

Other features[edit]

Other Features
Feature	iOS	Android	Firefox OS	Windows Phone	BlackBerry 10	Tizen	Sailfish OS	Ubuntu Touch
Non-intrusive incoming calls	No, 3rd party software on jailbroken devices[570]	5+[571] or 3rd party software[572]	No	No	No	No	No[573]	No
Non-intrusive notifications	5+[151]	Yes[574]	Yes	Yes,[575] except Calendar Reminders[576]	6+[577]	?	?	?
Move apps to external storage	External storage not available	2.2+[578]	?	8.1+[93]	No	No	?	?
Remote Frame Buffer (RFB) protocol	3rd party software[579]	Yes[580]	?	?	?	?	?	?
Screencast on device	No, 3rd party software on jailbroken devices[581]	No,[582] 3rd party software likeCyanogenModScreenCast,[583]AOKP orOmniROM[584]	No	No	No	No	No	No
Screencast over USB	8+: on OS X[585]	4.4+ over USB,[174]for prior versions root required for 3rd party app[586]	No	8.1+[587]	No	No	?	?
Screen share	No	No[588]	No	Yes	10+[589]	No	No	No

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