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Comment by ajross | Hacker News Reader

I noticed that too. Lots of the new apps have a distinctly "Android" feel to them, even to the point of Fancy having what looks clearly like an Android menu button (though not in the standard Android location).

A fun flame war to start (i.e. let's please not) would be to argue whether this is due to app designers feeling an increasing need to target Android or whether it's because the truth is that iOS's "new look" seems distinctly Jellybean-like to an app designer.

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The simple truth probably is the company that made the app designed their Android version first and didn't bother to come up with a complete new app design for iOS, so they just kinda ported it. You can also find a lot of Android apps that seem to be directly ported from its iOS incarnations, instead of using native UI conventions.

That's probably true in some cases.

I think another thing that is true is that mobile visual vocabulary is stabilizing, much as the desktop visual vocobulary of menu bars, window title bars, etc. did. That makes for a more boring app world, perhaps, but one users can potentially find more predictable and useful.

I find this deliciously delightful after suffering the wrath of these stupid app developers historically on Android. I don't agree with it, certainly, but I feel some warped sense of justice.

That's always been a pet peeve of mine on Android, though now it seems both ecosystems will have a slightly more consistent user experience if one uses devices on both OSs a lot.

which is idiotic.

had everyone put effort in browser integration like webos was doing, the end user would be much better served.

but lack of lock-in doesnt sell in the corporate world...

Amusingly, I've talked to many companies that are making more money on iPhone, started on iPhone, but they do all their prototyping and new development on Android simply because you can release or back out a release immediately there. Heck, it even has staged roll outs now. So there may be some design priority for Android as well if that is a common decision, since it is the better place to implement new functionality. The iPhone functionality is then often just a port.

The "three lines to represent a menu" metaphor has existed for years now. It just hasn't been as widely used until probably in the last year or so. I wouldn't use it to assume that iOS apps are being designed from Android apps or vice versa. You're just making baseless extrapolations.

I can't say it is baseless extrapolations. If you are hesitant to associate hamburger menu's to Android, the whole idea of iPhone revolutionizing mobile industry would be baseless extrapolations. Everything is built up on shoulders of its predecessors. Hamburger menu and side drawer have become an Android design standard at this point of time and there is no harm in saying that most iPhone apps will look like redesign of Android apps.

aka the "hamburger" button.

I know that it what it gets called... But it is seriously the worst name for it :/

I think it's simply a case of a lot of the current flat design examples out there being targeted at Android. Prior to iOS 7 most iOS apps went for the heavily bevelled and textured look. As a result most of the good examples of flat design were on Android and it's likely these designs served as primary inspiration for a lot of iOS designers.

Actually, Fancy's design is basically the same as before. They just have a slightly translucent header and the system icons have a dark grey background instead of the standard flat black.

Apple realized it is better to copy Android in each and every respect. Apps, NFC.. Even copying colourful phones of Nokia doesn't hurt. Congrats Apple!

Except there isn't NFC.

And Nokia's coloured phones run Windows.

5 points, must troll harder.

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