Comment by celsoazevedo
4 months ago
iOS vs Android is a bit like ChromeOS vs Windows/MacOS/most Linux distros.
There are benefits to more restrictive operating systems. For example, iOS not allowing apps to run in the background essentially stops any apps with malware from doing stuff in the background, but it also stops apps like Briar, Syncthing, etc, from working well.
I assume Android isn't a problem for most Briar's users. They're likely running a deGoogled Android version (GrapheneOS, LineageOS, etc) and downloading/updating the app via F-Droid or something like that. They don't rely on Google (or Apple) to run anything.
The problem is the networking effect. Since so many people use iOS, even Android users often have to contact people on iOS devices, resulting in Briar likely remaining very niche.
Very few people in my country use iOS devices. Maybe 5%.
There are like 15 countries where iOS market share is below 5% according to https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/iphone-ma...
Granted, a few of them are very large/populous like india, bangladesh, pakistan and ethiopia, but in the grand scheme of things iOS is probably more popular than you think.