For more than 16 years, iOS and Android have been vying for supremacy in the segment of operating systems dedicated to mobile devices, with both Apple and Google regularly making improvements to the two OSes in an attempt to make them as functional as possible, but and competitive. While iOS remains the operating system favored by iPhone smartphone fans, being exclusively available for these devices, Android is the solution of choice for all other smartphone manufacturers.
Thus, it is easy to understand why Android, at least at the moment, remains the market leader in this segment. Moreover, Android’s market share has continued to grow over the past 12 months. Specifically, according to data presented by AltIndex.com, Android’s popularity has steadily increased for no less than five consecutive quarters, with its market share reaching 71.3% in the third quarter of 2024.
The rise in popularity of Chinese brands has lifted Android
While Apple continues to keep iOS, now at version 18.1, only on iPhones, Google’s open-source strategy has allowed any smartphone manufacturer to implement its own version of Android on its devices.
The increasing popularity of products offered by Chinese companies such as Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo or Realme, which have opted for Android, has led to a noticeable increase in the market share of the operating system produced by Google, a good part of these devices being available at competitive and attractive prices. These more affordable models helped Android reach a wider audience, especially in poorer regions of the globe, such as countries in Africa or India, cementing the supremacy of this OS globally.
According to data provided by StatCounter, Android is installed on 71.7% of active smartphones in the third quarter of this year, with iOS content with only 27.6% of this market. While Android’s share was below 69% in Q2 2023, the adoption rate of Google’s OS has since risen steadily for five consecutive quarters. In the same period, according to StatCounter, iOS fell from 30.2% market share in Q2 2023 to 27.6% in Q3 2024.
iOS still dominates the North American market, while Europeans prefer Android
Even in the US market, where iPhone smartphones dominate sales, Android’s market share has grown over the past year. Specifically, although iOS remains the market leader in North America, its market share has declined from 56.8% in Q2 2023 to 55.2% in Q3 2024. In the same period, the North American market share Android’s US share grew by 1.7 percent to 44.4 percent.
In contrast, the European market is still “dominated” by Android-based devices. Statistics show Android’s market share in Europe growing from 63.1% in Q2 2023 to 67.7% in Q3 2024. In the same period, iOS lost 4.4% of its European market share, reaching 31.8%.
Source: AltIndex.com
Source: www.go4it.ro
