Android’s global market share relative to iOS has been declining over the last few years
While Android and iOS together own almost 100% of the market, at the bottom of the chart that accompanies this story, you can see some of the operating systems that exist, though you probably won’t find anyone you know or even walk the streets. a phone running these operating systems. In this group lives KaiOS, which is a Linux-based platform that gives feature phones some smartphone-like features, including the ability to install apps.
Android’s global lead over iOS never shrinks so little
Other operating systems that run along the bottom of the graph include Windows Phone, Tizen, and the Nokia S40. While iOS is the leading mobile OS in the United States, Android has a big lead in regions marked with “development.” For example, Android in Asia has a market share of 81%, rising to 90% in South America.
But there is no denying that the economy of a particular region plays a major role in determining which OS is preferred in certain markets. Android’s share in Africa is 84%, and 14% own an iOS-powered phone (an iPhone). Although not as dominant in Europe, Android on the continent is still found on 69.32% of smartphones compared to iOS ‘share of 30%.
In North America, iOS is at the top
In North America, iOS has a lead of 54% to 45% over Android. Interestingly, it was not until May 2012 that Android took the lead globally with market share for mobile operating systems at 23.81%. Symbian, which had been at the top for years, dropped to third place with a 20.25% share of the global global mobile OS cake, and the 22.95% share owned by iOS placed it in second place after Android.
At an individual level, consumers have their preferred phone brand and operating system, and certain features may cause one person to purchase one device over another. But looking at the big picture, none of the operating systems have a particular must-have feature that would change things, which means pricing really is the key.