Gamblers are risk takers, whether it is a long shot on the football, a tip a friend has given you on the horses, playing online slots, or poker at an online casino there is always risk involved, that’s why we enjoy gambling. But the one thing nobody enjoys gambling with is security, especially when it could mean losing control of your online gambling account. Many people have taken to using their mobile devices such as cell phones, tablets, or laptops. These devices allow us to connect to the internet almost anywhere, giving us access to our gambling accounts on the move.
But there has been much debate over which device is best suited and most secure for online gaming and the best casino online have their own built-in security. Whilst most non-gamblers are concerned with the screen size and battery life, gamblers for the most part are only really concerned with the operating system, and how good the security is. Playing online games for hours every day can leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks, and consumers would like to know which operating system is best for an avid gambler, let’s take a look at the two main operating systems, iOS and Android, which is more secure.
Popularity Does Not Mean You Have The Best Security
Apple mobile products have enjoyed great success, especially in the last 10 years or so. It seems every time they launch a product it is the must have device to be seen with, yet despite impressive sales, they are far from Android operating system sales. Apple currently enjoys sales of 2 out 10 of every mobile device sold, Android operating system mobile devices dominate the market with almost 3 quarters of total sales. In 2020 mobile phone sales were hurt slightly due to the global Covid-19 pandemic which saw growth stagnate, Huawei was also hit by the ban on sales within the United States. The top 5 manufactures and their percentage of market share were:
- Samsung: 18.8% (Android)
- Apple: 14.8% (iOS)
- Huawei: 13.5% (Android)
- Xiaomi: 10.8% (Android)
- Oppo: 8.3% (Android)
It is worth noting that Apple has a market share in North America of 50%, the figures above are global. Whilst many users do prefer Android, most do not take security into consideration when purchasing a mobile device. Aesthetics, price, fashion, and memory all come before security, so the sales do not reflect or answer the question of which is more secure. But with the numbers in Android’s favor, it does give hackers more of an opportunity to practice their crimes.
What Login Protection do Android and iOS Offer?
We are warned all the time about keeping passwords safe from prying eyes and potential hacking. This advice should not be taken lightly, email accounts are the most hacked followed by mobile devices. In 2017 according to the software security firm Norton over $170 billion USD was stolen through cybertheft, much of this is due to the lack of securing devices. We are advised to continually change our passwords not just for our email accounts but for social media also. Thankfully both Apple iOS devices and Android take this very seriously.
Apple was the first to start using facial recognition software to lock and unlock mobile devices, Android seeing the potential was not far behind in using this technology. Although older model devices do not have this feature as standard it is possible with Android to download 3rd party apps that will use the selfie camera and unlock features on your device. Along with the standard security features such as passcodes, and fingerprint technology, there has never been a time that we have been protected as much.
A Closer Look at The Operating Systems
This does not directly relate to online gambling but to the overall security of the systems used. How safe are iOS and Android operating systems, and how easy is it for hackers and scammers to break into them? Apple probably has the advantage here due to the very secretive nature of the development of the source code they use. That is not to suggest Android has an unsafe operating system, there are many advanced security features embedded in Android. It is just the nature of Android and its open source approach to the platform, which allows developers to design and make apps for launching on Android devices and is especially useful for casino online.
Both have strong anti hacking measures within the software, but there is one thing we can do ourselves and which many of us neglect to do, yet is so important. Whenever we get a message informing us that a software update is available many of us choose to ignore it, thinking it is not really very important. All updates have further additional security code to help protect us against cybercrime, the next time you receive a notification remember it is very important to download it, even if you can use your device for a few minutes.
Should You Use Mobile Browsers or Apps for Online Gambling?
Both Android and iOS are very app friendly and given the choice of using a browser, apps win every time, they are much more secure and any good online casino or bookmaker will have an app. Either download it from the Apple Store for free or the Android Play Store, browsers are generally safe enough but apps offer another level of protection and are more user friendly. That is not to suggest apps are 100% secure but are way more challenging to hack than conventional web browsers.
Often online bookmakers develop and release on iOS operating software first and some don’t even release Android compatible versions of their app. Most will follow up the iOS app and release an Android app soon after. Android suffers again from not having one singular store and the apps can be downloaded from many different sites, this does not help with security.
Summary
It is hard to say which is better for online gamblers, both operating systems have pros and cons. But both Android and Apple take the matter of security very seriously, after all their reputation is on the line, and not just with online gamblers.
