When to use CheckBox and when Switch
I actually find this to be quite an interesting question, particularly considering that one can easily emulate the functionality of a switch using a checkbox in Android.
According to the Android developers guide, a checkbox is simply a type of switch. Check the quotes below or read the full description here.
Checkboxes: Checkboxes allow the user to select multiple options from a set. Avoid using a single checkbox to turn an option off or on. Instead, use an on/off switch.
On/off Switches: On/off switches toggle the state of a single settings option.
Disclaimer I'm not UX expert.
Besides what @KentHawkings has already cited from Google's design guidelines (checkboxes for list of non-exclusive options and switch for a single option), there is a good (IMHO) use case for checkbox for a single option - when the checkbox clearly means yes/no.
Good idea for checkbox: "Show notifications" option.
Bad idea for checkbox: "Wi-Fi" option (as in Android Settings).
You could use checkbox here if this option was titled "Wi-Fi is enabled", but quite obviously "Wi-Fi" with "On/Off" switch is more concise.
Note that Play Market doesn't follow Google's own guidline - it uses checkboxes in its Settings all over the place.
After following the Settings option in android device, my opinion for difference between checkbox and switch is that:
- CheckBox are usually used to mark/unmark the particular setting in the service.
- Switches are used to turnOn/turnOff the particular services.
Possibly, that is why checkbox are treated as subset/type of switch as they allow to mark/unmark an option within the service itself( not the entire service).