While there are some common UI elements between Android and iOS apps, there are also many differences in how apps implement navigation, menus, and layouts on each operating system. Some key differences noted are Android apps following more modern "flat" and blocky designs, using left side menus for navigation more often, and having branding incorporated more prominently. The inconsistencies between platforms can sometimes cause confusion for users switching between Android and iOS devices.

1. Android vs. iOS
While using Android over the past couple of weeks i’ve noticed some things when comparing my top apps to iOS. Both iOS and Android, in different
cases, choose different UI elements to do different things. I wanted to catalog some of them here.
Overall I’d say that mainstream Android apps have improved over time, and in many cases (Spotify, Evernote, NPR, and Amazon) I liked the Android
versions better. Also with design trends moving to blocky designs and flat colors (like Windows 8) - Android looks more modern in a side-by-side
comparison to its iOS counterpart.
If anything this shows that there are very few standard patterns that are used 100% of the time on each OS, but there is risk of confusion from someone
expecting one thing - like they have an iPad tablet, but an Android phone - and getting different results when switching between devices.
vs.

2. NOTES
» Android app cleaner, less hidden UI
» iOS using skeuomorphic design
» Android app more branded to Evernote

3. NOTES
» Android uses the more standard “left side
menu”
» Android is using the “notch menu”

4. NOTES
» Android using notch menu
» I like the “now playing” placement on Android
» Android has more branding

5. NOTES
» Android has left slide menu
» iOS is using more standard iOS components

6. NOTES
» iOS using more standard iOS components
» I like the mixed search results from Android
» Android has more branding

7. NOTES
» Facebook tends to try to copy pixel for pixel
when they can.
» Android version has a blocky design - which is
the current design trend (think Windows 8).

8. NOTES
» Android using the “three dot” menu icon
where iOS uses the arrow
» With Android you can more easily see the
number of likes/reposts

9. NOTES
» iOS uses more standard navigation elements
» Android screen is visually nicer

10. NOTES
» iOS profile more visual - has news feed in a
different area
» Android style, again blocky
» Search more noticeable on Android
» Android using the thin underline to show
selected nav item

11. NOTES
» Twitter took the “move the iOS bar to the top”
shortcut for Android
» More branding on Android
» Seeing a lot of “pull to search” on iOS vs.
having a search UI element always visable on
Android

12. NOTES
» Android uses logo with “>” instead of iOS’s
cancel button
» iOS search is more visual

13. NOTES
» Very different layouts
» On Android Google kept the Android specific
pattern to “notch” the username
» Almost reverse - Android has a row of icons at
the bottom where the iOS does not. You could
argue that the functionality is so different from
standard iOS this bar would confuse on an
iPhone.

14. NOTES
» Cart and logo / nav flyout on Android is closer
to the Amazon website (brand patterns vs. OS
patterns)

15. NOTES
» More branding on the Android device

16. NOTES
» Android combined buttons into the “three dot”
menu

17. NOTES
» More branding on the Android
» Obviously trying to keep the apps very close
to the same design
» Using the Android “>” logo as a back button

18. NOTES
» Very branded app on both OSes
» Android using the thin underline to show
selected nav item

19. NOTES
» Android has the standard back, search area,
and notches thats seen across many modern
Android apps

20. NOTES
» Very similar app across OSes
» Android design tries to stay away from buttons
(Following the “Buttons are a Hack”
philosophy?)

21. NOTES
» A more blocky design on the Android app
» Apps very similar

22. NOTES
» Android has larger hit areas
» Facebook moved the “three dot” menu to iOS
» Apps are very similar

23. NOTES
» Similar branding, but slightly different visual
placement of elements
» This case, the iOS gets the left nav, and the
Android does not

24. NOTES
» Android using “notch” menu
» Blocky design on Android