According to reports, the decision to switch from Android to iPhone was taken after the US Army Special Operations Command found its ‘Android Tactical Assault Kit’ slow.
‘Android Tactical Assault Kit’ allows smartphones to connect to a networked Harris radio that is essentially designed to run custom – made military apps. They found that Android is slower in comparison to iOS when it comes to running an army – made app with a love video feed from a drone on one side and its route on the other. Moreover, the army has found that the phones don’t refresh quickly enough and have to be restarted again on a regular basis. Other apps used on military phones include Live Map – to know where the members of the troop are at the moment and BulletFlight – to help soldiers work out an accurate shot.
The US army has been making use of Apple products for quite some time. For instance, in 2010, the US army gave soldiers iPod touches in Afghanistan and Iraq that had language – learning apps installed on them to help with Iraqi, Arabic, Kurdish, Dari and Pashto. The US Department of Defence even stated in 2013 that the iOS 6 devices were secure enough to connect to Pentagon networks and to be used for low – level security clearance work.
While, it’s not clear exactly what type of Android phone the Special Command Forces unit was using but sources say they have been known to use phones such as Samsung Note.
