Apple’s iOS gains market share in Q1 2020 but stays behind Google’s Android: Report

The iPhone maker saw the highest iOS adoption for new activations ever since 2016 in the quarter ending March.

The iPhone maker saw the highest iOS adoption for new activations ever since 2016 in the quarter ending March. (Picjumbo)

The latest report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), via 9to5 Mac, is out and as has some good news for Apple. The iPhone maker saw the highest iOS adoption for new activations ever since 2016 in the quarter ending March. In Q1 2020, iOS managed to get around 44% market share in the US while Android stayed ahead at 56%.

In the same quarter last year iOS saw more activations in the US while in Q1 2018 Android had even more market share of around 70% with iOS staying around 30%. The latest figures indeed suggest that Apple is definitely going in the right direction as it has manged to capture 12% more market share in two years.

Android and iOS phone activations by the end of Q1 of 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. (CIRP (via 9to5Mac))

Android and iOS phone activations by the end of Q1 of 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. (CIRP (via 9to5Mac))

However, the customers loyalty for both iOS and Android were high at 90%, indicating that there is still some 10% of the market that is willing to switch from iOS to Android or vice versa. As per the chart shared by CIRP, the OS loyalty was over 90% for both Android and iOS in Q1 2019.

"Operating system loyalty is stable at very high levels," said Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. "For the past four or so years, around 90% of new mobile phone activations stayed with the buyer's previous operating system. Despite Apple's efforts to attract Android users to iOS, and Android handset manufacturers' similar efforts to attract iPhone customers, operating system usage is among the stickiest of all consumer affinities."

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