Apple's iOS continues to hold the largest share of the smartphone operating systems market in the United States, claiming more than **** of the market in 2024. Apple's share of the U.S. market has remained stable since 2018, when it accounted for around ** percent. This is reflected in all markets, with Apple's global share remaining stable year-on-year. Apple growing at home Under CEO Tim Cook, Apple has continued to follow a stunning growth trajectory. Apple became the first U.S. company with a market capitalization exceeding two trillion dollars, just two years on from becoming the first trillion-dollar company. The iPhone, responsible for much of the company’s growth, has cemented its status as the smartphone of choice for many Americans during recent quarters. Google's Android operating system is a close competitor in the U.S. OS market, accounting for around ** percent of the market as of **********. However, Apple commands a far wider lead in the U.S. smartphone manufacturer market, with the Android user base split between various vendors such as Samsung and Motorola. Apple’s popularity across markets Apple has seen success with the iPhone in developed markets across the globe. iPhones accounted for **** of the **** most-sold handsets in the United Kingdom as of ************, and four of the leading five in Germany. Yet, the high price of Apple devices puts Apple at a disadvantage outside of wealthier markets. In Africa, iOS accounted for around ** percent of the mobile OS market in *************, while Android dominated with an ** percent share.

iOS and Android, Apple's and Google's respective operating systems, were the mobile OS market leaders in the United States in recent years, making up almost 100 percent of the market. The market share of both iOS and Android has remained relatively constant over the past 12 months at or around ** percent and ** percent, respectively.

Google's Android and Apple's iOS are the major competitors in the mobile operating system market in North America. In November 2024, Android accounted for about 56 percent of the mobile OS market, while iOS accounted for around 44 percent. Just 0.2 percent of North American users were running a system other than Android or iOS

This statistic shows the distribution of mobile operating systems installed on consumers' smartphones (by age group) in the United States in 2024. As of **********, ** percent of 18 to 29 year old respondents said that their smartphone ran on iOS (Apple). The survey was conducted among ***** respondents. Access millions of exclusive survey results with Statista Consumer Insights.

In the first quarter of 2024, smartphones running on version **** version of the Android OS accounted for ***** percent of all web traffic generated by Android OS smartphones in South America, making the version the most popular in the region. Globally, the same version ranked first in ***********, with a share of approximately ***** percent.

Android maintained its position as the leading mobile operating system worldwide in the first quarter of 2025 with a market share of about ***** percent. Android's closest rival, Apple's iOS, had a market share of approximately ***** percent during the same period. The leading mobile operating systems Both unveiled in 2007, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have evolved through incremental updates introducing new features and capabilities. The latest version of iOS, iOS 18, was released in September 2024, while the most recent Android iteration, Android 15, was made available in September 2023. A key difference between the two systems concerns hardware - iOS is only available on Apple devices, whereas Android ships with devices from a range of manufacturers such as Samsung, Google and OnePlus. In addition, Apple has had far greater success in bringing its users up to date. As of February 2024, ** percent of iOS users had iOS 17 installed, while in the same month only ** percent of Android users ran the latest version. The rise of the smartphone From around 2010, the touchscreen smartphone revolution had a major impact on sales of basic feature phones, as the sales of smartphones increased from *** million units in 2008 to **** billion units in 2023. In 2020, smartphone sales decreased to **** billion units due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Apple, Samsung, and lately also Xiaomi, were the big winners in this shift towards smartphones, with BlackBerry and Nokia among those unable to capitalize.

In 2023, the used smartphone market share (including both officially refurbished and used smartphones) in North America reached 26 percent. The used smartphone market is expected to decrease in North America and by 2026, it will amount to les than 25 percent of the global used smartphone market. The global refurbished smartphone market In recent years, the refurbished smartphone market has been growing at a global level and reached a size of roughly 50 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. In the same year, over 251 million used or refurbished smartphones were shipped globally, with Latin America and India being the market leaders in terms of growth. The U.S. refurbished smartphone market Despite the U.S. playing an active role in the global refurbished smartphone market, Americans appear to prefer to buy new phones instead of reconditioned ones, mainly because they are concerned with the quality and reliability of their smartphones. However, those who do buy such devices prefer Apple iPhones rather than Android smartphones, making the iPhone XR and the iPhone 11 the most popular reconditioned smartphones.

Smartphones running the Android operating system hold an ** percent share of the global market in 2019 and this is expected to increase over the forthcoming years. The mobile operating system developed by Apple (iOS) has a ** percent share of the market.

How Android became the market leader Android’s global success can in many ways be attributed to its open-source software that can be installed on all smartphone devices for free. Developed by Google, the open code provides manufacturers the freedom to choose which apps are pre-installed on their devices, and they can customize layouts to create unique experiences for users. The first commercial version of the Android software was released in 2008 and its rise to market leader was almost instant. The platform held a **** percent share of the global operating systems’ market in 2009, but this figure increased by around ** percent each year for the next three years.

The global smartphone market Annual sales of smartphones have increased to around **** billion units worldwide. They are now available to everyone and not just those with wealth. The cost of buying a smartphone has continued to fall each year, with the global average price now being around *** U.S. dollars. Fierce competition within the smartphone market could be one reason why prices are falling. Samsung (South Korea) and Apple (U.S.) have historically held large shares of global smartphone production, but Chinese brands Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo are now offering alternative devices that are proving popular worldwide.

Apple’s iOS is the leading operating system for tablets in the United States, with a market share of ***** percent as of January 2025. Its closest competitor, Google's Android, has a smaller, yet growing, market presence, with a nearly **** percent share of the market, down from around ***** percent in the same month in 2024. iOS and Android: A duet In line with the United States, Apple’s iOS operating system also dominates the tablet market in the United Kingdom with a **** percent market share in 2023, leaving Google’s Android with round around **** percent of the market. However, on a global scale, Google’s Android was the leading operating system for tablets until the third quarter of 2023, when iOS's market share globally overtook that of Google's with around **** percent share of the tablet OS market. The Apple iPad Introduced to the consumer market in 2010, the Apple iPad has become a household name in the tablet industry. The iPad has dramatically changed the tablet market not only in terms of technology but also consumer expectations. Since its initial release, Apple has progressed through ** generations of iPad hardware, shipping almost ** million units worldwide in the third quarter of 2022 alone.

The statistic shows share of smartphone shipments worldwide by operating system from 2009 to 2017. In 2017, **** percent of all smartphones sold had Android as its operating system.

Smartphone operating systems market - additional information

The operating system, also known as an OS, transmits user commands to all other programs and applications. It also controls the peripheral devices, such as printers or cameras. A mobile OS operates on hand-held devices, such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablets or smart watches. While OS themselves are usually available for free and are already installed on the device, the additional programs and apps are tailored specifically for each system.

As of 2014, the main players on the smartphone OS market are Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Other smartphone operating systems on the market include Microsoft’s Windows Phone and Blackberry’s RIM to a lesser extent. Symbian, which was used extensively on mobile phones and early generations of smartphones by leading manufacturers, such as Samsung, LG, Motorola and most notably Nokia, was a dominant player on the market in 2009 and 2010. Due to the growing popularity of Android, which most major smartphone manufacturers adopted as their OS of choice, and Nokia’s partnership with Windows Phone, which began in 2011, Symbian was effectively pushed off the market in 2014.

Google’s Android leads the global market with an ** percent market share, while Apple’s iOS is second, with ** percent. There are stark differences between regional markets; in the United States for example, the market is almost equally divided between Android and iOS.

In 2023, Android held a nearly ** percent share of the global smartphone OS market. Android's smartphone sales has been decreasing gradually since 2019, when it held a staggering ** percent of the market, due to Apple's smartphones' increasing share. Why is Google’s Android OS dominating the market? One reason for Android’s large market share is that it is an open-source platform, allowing mobile phone manufacturers to use and adapt the operating system for their own devices. Samsung, who run their own customized version of the Android operating system, currently have the largest share of global smartphone sales by vendor. In contrast, Apple’s iOS software is a closed-source platform, meaning they can control the user experience and make it available exclusively on their mobile devices, including the iPhone and iPad. This model has also proved profitable: Apple generated 69.7 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from iPhone sales alone in the first quarter of 2024. Changing trends in mobile OS market Android and iOS are the leading mobile operating systems today, but back in 2009 the market was much different with Symbian and RIM (Research In Motion) holding close to ** percent of the sales market share. Symbian operated on Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson devices, while RIM only functioned on BlackBerry smartphones. Both developers were slow to anticipate the changes within the mobile operating systems’ market and were ultimately left behind by the innovative approach of Apple and Google.

Android has consistently achieved a much higher market share than iOS in Germany, with around ** percent in June 2024, compared to around **** percent for iOS. Individually, figures have fluctuated during the observed time period for both OS. Android and iOS market leaders in Europe Android and iOS are the ******* mobile OS among European users, though other systems are used as well, such as Blackberry or Windows Phone. Recent figures confirm that a third of smartphone users are very unlikely to change brands once they have found their winner. Typically, a consumer will put in some time and effort researching smartphones before buying one, and once purchased, if satisfied, they will stick with their choice, keeping tabs on the next model. There are various reasons for ********* current domination of the mobile OS market, the more obvious ones being pricing, app selection, as well as variety and accessibility. On the phone The number of smartphone users in Germany has grown explosively during the last ten years. Back in 2009, *** million users were recorded. Fast forward to 2021 and there were **** million. Currently, ** percent of German households own a smartphone, making it the most owned electronic device in the country. In fact, household smartphone ownership eclipses TVs and laptops, as well as headphones.

Since overtaking iOS in 2013 to become Europe’s most popular mobile operating system, Android has managed to increase its share of the market in each of the following years. As of 2023, Android was the operating system for about ** percent of European mobile phones. OS market share reflects diversity of android devices The Android operating system has a distinct advantage in terms of gaining market share, purely based on the number of manufacturers creating devices that run on Android. iOS, on the other hand, is only used by Apple devices. Looking at the market share held by individual devices gives a clearer impression of the state of play between the major manufacturers. In the second quarter of 2018, the combined European market share of Apple devices stood at ** percent, while the Android's market share was ** percent. Market shares in the United Kingdom   The market share iOS holds in the United Kingdom is higher than at the European level, sitting at ***** percent. Apple devices were the two most popular devices sold in the United Kingdom during April 2021, with the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max making up a combined ** percent of smartphones sold during that month.

In January 2025, Android 14 held the top spot with a market share of just around ** percent, followed by Android 13 at nearly ** percent, and Android 12 with about ** percent. The newly released Android 15 accounted for just above ***** percent. Android dominates the global market Released in 2007, Android’s adaptability and versatility quickly attracted the support of major smartphone manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, and HTC, who designed phones specifically for the Android system. This strategic alliance and competitive pricing propelled Android to become the most used smartphone operating system since 2011. By 2023, it dominated over ** percent of the entire mobile OS market worldwide, outpacing its biggest competitor, Apple. In addition to its global dominance, Android led the European mobile OS market in 2023 with a share of nearly ** percent. Android Apps and the Google Play Store The world’s largest app store, the Google Play Store, bolsters the popularity of Android devices, which boasted nearly *** million apps ready for download as of *********. During this time, the most downloaded Android apps were Meta’s Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Meanwhile, the streaming services apps Disney+ and HBO Max were the top revenue-generating Android apps, raking in over ** million and ** million U.S. dollars, respectively, in *********.

As of 2023, for the first time ever, Apple ranked as the market leader in the global smartphone market with a 20.1 percent share of all shipments. The tech giant retained the top title in 2024, with a share of nearly 19 percent of the global smartphone market. Samsung ranked second, holding 18 percent of the market share. Global smartphone market shareSamsung has seen its popularity steadily increase since it held just a 4.3 percent of the smartphone vendor market at the beginning of 2010. Samsung’s share of the overall mobile phone market, has fluctuated in recent times, dropping to under 20 percent in the most recent year. Apple became smartphone market leader based on shipments in 2023. Apple’s smartphone sales are relatively cyclical and peak in the fourth quarter each year. In the fourth quarter of 2024, 23 percent of all smartphones new smartphones sold were iPhones. The iPhone generated considerable revenue for Apple with sales of the device amounting to over 200 billion U.S. dollars in their 2024 financial year.

The percentage of U.S. adults who own a smartphone has more than doubled since 2011. Only ** percent of all U.S. adults owned a smartphone in 2011, compared to ** percent of adults who owned a smartphone, as of May 2023. The share of U.S. adults owning a smartphone increased by ** percentage points the highlighted period.  Higher smartphone usage with males and higher-income groups     As smartphone penetration overall has increased over time in the United States, this trend can be observed in the split by gender as well. The penetration rate is not equally high though for both male and female users, as the usage amongst males is around five percent higher than amongst females in the United States. The smartphone penetration rate in the United States correlates appears closely related to with household income in the United States. In households with an annual income of more than ** thousand U.S. dollars the smartphone penetration rate is ** percent or higher, while on the other hand smartphone ownership in households with an annual income below this threshold is below ** percent. Apple leader in U.S. smartphone market     Apple is the leading vendor in the United States smartphone market with almost ** percent of U.S. mobile phone subscribers using an Apple device. Although Apple is the leading vendor in the United States, the Apple iOS operating system has a lower market share than its main competitor Google Android. As the Android operating system is used by the vast majority of smartphone vendors other than Apple, it combines the share of popular brands such as Samsung, LG, and Lenovo/Motorola.

Apple held the largest slice of the global smartphone market by shipments during the fourth quarter of 2024, followed by Samsung. Xiaomi has taken a tight grip on the third position, accounting for a market share of ** percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. Samsung and Apple smartphone sales Smartphone vendors have been suffering from the events of the past couple of years, including the pandemic and the economic downturn. However, they all appear to be recovering, as shown by the recent increase in shipments. For instance, mostly based on the main line of Galaxy Series, Samsung's smartphone shipments totaled nearly ***** million units globally in 2024. Next to Samsung, Apple is a major manufacturer of smartphones worldwide, with the company shipping more than *** million iPhones worldwide in 2024. Apple’s sales tend to be very cyclical, peaking in the fourth quarter each year, much like in the fourth quarter of 2023, when they took the first spot in terms of units shipped globally with around **** units. Xiaomi in the lead While Apple and Samsung are typically the two major companies challenging for the top spot, Huawei had provided a strong challenge in recent years. Particularly, the Chinese company managed to climb the smartphone market ladder between 2011 and 2024, recording shipments of over ** million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, strong performances from rivals like Xiaomi and the effects of the U.S. trade ban have since seen Huawei fall outside the list of top five vendors by smartphone shipments.

In November 2023, Android *** operating system version had a share of more than ** percent amongst all Android tablet devices in the United States, while the Android ** version came at second place and accounted around **** percent of the Android tablet market in the United States. Android *** has been the dominant OS for Android tablets in the U.S. since 2021.

In the second quarter of 2024, Apple iOS was one of the main mobile operating systems in Italy. In that quarter, iOS **** was the most popular version of the operating system, occupying over ** percent of the mobile OS market in the country.  Apple and Samsung at the top of the Italian smartphone market As one of the main segments of the consumer electronics industry in Italy, the smartphone market was forecast to generate a revenue of just under ten billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Apple and Samsung are the leaders of the Italian smartphone market, controlling almost ** and ** percent of the market in 2023, respectively. Meanwhile, other vendors have been acquiring larger shares of the industry, including Huawei and Oppo, catering to the needs of an ever-growing number of smartphone users.

Android is the leading mobile OS What makes our smartphones so fast, advanced, and powerful? Their operating systems, namely, the software on which the devices rely that allow users to perform all sorts of actions, including navigating the web and listening to music. Over the decades, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have established themselves as the leading mobile operating systems worldwide. Android being an open-source platform, many smartphone vendors have adopted it as their operating system, whereas iOS only works on Apple iPhones. As a result, Android holds a much larger share of the global mobile OS market, over ** percent, leaving iOS far behind.

In October 2024, Android concentrated over ** percent of the mobile operating system market in Brazil. Apple's iOS held a share of nearly ** percent and was the only other system with a share larger than *** percent at that point in time. In 2019, Brazil was among the largest economies worldwide with an iOS adoption rate below ** percent, alongside India and Spain. A land of Androids In a country where more than three out of five consumers say they could not live without their smartphones, the mobile industry finds both a source of solid demand and a still expanding market. The preference for Android also helps to explain why the increasing penetration rate of cellphones manufactured in China. Beijing-based Xiaomi, for instance, accounted for less than two percent of the smartphone market in Brazil in February 2019. Exactly two years later, its share in that South American nation surpassed **** percent. A costly Apple Pricing is one of the reasons behind iOS’s limited popularity in Brazil. The average price of a newly released iPhone model in that country nearly doubled between 2016 and 2019, with iPhone XS’s surpassing ***** U.S. dollars in 2019. Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2020, devices priced below ***** Brazilian reals accounted for almost two-thirds of the smartphone sales in Brazil. At March 31, 2020 exchange rates, that was equivalent to about *** dollars.