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.

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.

Android was the leading mobile operating system (OS) in the United Kingdom in 2024 with a market share of around ** percent. Apple's iOS was a close second at around **** percent, having been the market leader in 2023. As with many other markets across the globe, no other mobile operating system has come close to challenging either iOS or Android in recent years.

Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, led in the ranking of mobile operating systems in Sweden by market share. Apple accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total market share, whereas Android followed with around 40 percent. All other mobile operating systems each had a share of less than one percent. Sweden’s leading operating system in general, however, is Windows with a minimal lead with its 34.55 percent market share over iOS which is ranked second, with 28.17 percent. What operating systems Swedes use?     Swedish mobile users of different ages were asked what operating system their main phone had in 2017. The younger representatives, aged between 18 and 34, tended to be more keen on iOS. In contrast, people in all age groups over 35, preferred Android that year. Operational systems in Europe The market shares of mobile operating systems varied significantly between 2010 and 2020. iOS led in the ranking in 2010, followed by Blackberry, while Android and Windows Phone had less than ten percent each that year. However, Android’s market share increased drastically between 2010 and 2014, and has been having the highest market share among the mobile operating systems in Europe from 2013 onwards.

As of June 2024, iOS had around **** percent of the market share of mobile operating systems in the United Kingdom (UK), while Android led with roughly ** percent of the market.The penetration rate of smartphones and the number of smartphone users has been growing for quite some time, and Apple and Android have been dominating the smartphone market since the beginning. However, the smartphone penetration growth rate has been in decline the past few years.It seems most consumer purchase a new smartphone because their old device is out of date. In this case, it would depend on how often the smartphone manufacturers bring out with a new model to figure out how often consumer may purchase a new smartphone.

Android has consistently achieved a much higher market share than iOS in Germany, with around 66 percent in June 2024, compared to around 33.5 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 leading 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 Android’s 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, 6.3 million users were recorded. Fast forward to 2021 and there were 62.6 million. Currently, 97 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.

Android tops the list of the most popular smartphone operating systems in France. After being purchased by Google, Android was originally conceived for smartphones and tablets before broadening its activities to connected objects (TV sets, smartwatches) and computers. From 2016 to June 2024 Android held over 70 percent of the total market share, except during a brief drop between November 2023 and January 2024. Apple’s iOS market share peaked in December 2023 with 34.3 percent of the total share. Apple, beyond the second place While Android generally holds around 80 percent market share, Apple’s iOS generally arrives at second place. Apple managed to carve out a significant place for itself by offering high-end and high-prices products with a strong and unique design. As of 2024, two iterations of the iPhone 15 model were among the best-selling smartphone models in France. A market that holds the line The number of French smartphone users has gone through the roof in a short amount of time, so much so that the 50 million users mark should be reached by 2024. In a decade, smartphone penetration boomed from 17 percent to 87 percent, which makes them the most-used type of mobile phone, way ahead of regular mobile phones.

In May 2025, the Android smartphone operating system had a market share of over ** percent in China. In contrast, its biggest rival, the Apple iOS had a market share of around ** percent. The Chinese smartphone market is dominated by domestic brands which operate on the Android operating system. The domestic smartphone industry Domestic brands dominate the Chinese smartphone market, making it difficult for foreign manufacturers. While Samsung and Apple are the global industry leaders, only the iPhone can assert its market position as an overseas product in China. The remainder of the market is occupied by Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, Viva, and Oppo. A truly domestic operating system in the making Despite a large Chinese smartphone industry, domestic manufacturers have not developed a stand-alone mobile operating system — yet. Although all leading brands have developed their proprietary OS, they are still based on the Android system. However, Huawei with its HarmonyOS is the only company that is the closest to a truly independent software. Despite being originally developed on Android, Huawei plans to remove all android code from the microkernel in its Q4 2024 software release.

In the second quarter of 2024, Apple iOS was one of the main mobile operating systems in Italy. In that quarter, iOS 17.4 was the most popular version of the operating system, occupying over 42 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 32 and 30 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 70 percent, leaving iOS far behind.

In 2022, android phones occupied over ** percent of the smartphone market share in India whereas Apple phones held *** percent. The market share of Apple phones in India has increased in the span of the last four years, however, it remains behind Android phones.

In 2023, the two smartphone operating systems with the largest market share in Australia were Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. As of January 2024, iOS held a 60 percent share of the mobile operating system market in Australia. Smart phone hardware and users It’s hardly surprising then, that Apple also had a share of over half of the device market in April 2019. By comparison Samsung, the leading Android device manufacturer, had a share of just over 20 percent. By comparison, other companies all had market shares of around one percent. In 2018, 90 percent of Australians aged 12 and over owned a smartphone, with 96 percent aged between 25 and 54 owning a device. Market penetration of smartphones in Australia Most mobile phone users in Australia use smartphones; the penetration of smartphone devices in Australia in 2016 was around 66 percent of the population, and this was estimated to increase to around 75 percent by 2022. Additionally, estimates suggest that in 2019, 85 percent of Australian mobile phone users would use smartphones.

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

More Italian smartphones use Android as an operating system than any other operating system, well ahead of iOS. As of Mar 2023, almost 78 percent of Italian smartphones run on Android, ahead of the 22 percent running on iOS.

Manufacturer shares in Europe

Statistics covering the market shares by operating system tend to show Android in a commanding position, simply due to the sheer number of manufacturers creating android devices. At the European level, the market share held by Apple, and the largest two manufacturers of Android-based devices, are more even. During the first quarter of 2021, 37 percent of devices shipped in Europe were Samsung devices, 24 percent were Apple devices, and 19 percent were Xiaomi devices. Shipments of Huawei devices have been significantly reduced following restrictions on the relationship between themselves and Google.

Google Play Store activity in Italy   

Figures covering downloads from the Google Play Store, the app marketplace for Android devices, provide insight into how Android devices are used in Italy. As of April 2021, the second-hand fashion app Vinted was the app Italians downloaded the most, registering almost 653 thousand downloads. Other popular apps included Crash Bandicoot and Telegram as well as other gaming and shopping apps. Coin Master generated more revenue than any other app during April 2021, bringing in close to 7.3 million U.S. dollars . In fact, all the highest-grossing apps in Italy that month were gaming apps.

As of March 2024, Android operating systems for smartphones held a market share of 53.4 percent in Australia. Android has consistently been the leading mobile phone operating system in the country, however, iOS has been increasing its market share over the past decade. Smartphone OS market share in Australia Smartphones become increasingly more advanced in their technological capabilities and have connectivity. This has allowed users to stream media, make digital payments, and surf the internet almost anywhere in the world. The mobile phone internet user penetration will reach almost three quarters of the population of Australia in 2021. The vast majority of people in Australia already have a mobile phone, with the number looking likely to continue increasing. The smartphone industry is also on the increase globally with over 78 percent of the world’s population due to own a smartphone by 2020. The dominance of the Android operating system on the global smartphone market can be seen in the Australian market. It's biggest competition has been Apple's iOS. The fierce competition between the two smartphone operating systems has intensified over the years, with iOS accounting for a significantly larger market share recently.

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 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.

Android had a market share of 63.3 percent among smartphone operating systems in Japan in September 2024, while iOS held a market share of 36.4 percent. Based on factors such as purchases, bills, and usage, Android was the leading operating system in Japan throughout all of the prior months in 2024.Smartphone market in JapanA breakdown of smartphone shipments by vendor shows that Apple is the undisputed leader in the Japanese market, although Google managed to significantly increase its market share with the release of new Google Pixel models since 2023. Several major Japanese companies, such as Sharp, Kyocera, and Sony, continue to play a role in their home market, but have difficulties defending their market shares against their international competitors. This situation is also reflected by a ranking of the best-selling device models, which is usually dominated by iPhone models. Smartphone usageSmartphones have become an indispensable device for many Japanese consumers. A look at the household penetration rate reveals that about nine out of ten households now own smartphones. Smartphones have surpassed computers as the leading device used to access the internet. This change is also reflected by the average time people spend on using the internet via mobile devices per weekday, which has increased significantly in recent years.

Smartphones running the Android operating system hold an 87 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 13 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 four percent share of the global operating systems’ market in 2009, but this figure increased by around 20 percent each year for the next three years.

The global smartphone market Annual sales of smartphones have increased to around 1.56 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 215 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.

In July 2024, the total market share of Apple's iOS mobile operating system in the United Kingdom (UK) reached roughly ** percent, a slight decrease compared to the same month in the previous year. Apple's kingdom With ** Apple stores In the United Kingdom, Apple remains undisputed in the smartphone and tablet computer markets. Indeed, in 2023, Apple’s iOS accounted for nearly **** of both the mobile and tablet operating system market share. Only in the PC market, it is second to its competitor Windows, which recorded a market share of over ** percent. In addition to iPhones, iPads, and Macs, other electronics consumer goods are part of Apple’s kingdom, such as Apple headphones, smartwatch (Apple Watch), and smart speakers (Apple HomePod). The same can be said about Apple’s AppStore, which offered over 1.64 million apps as of the third quarter of 2022. Smartphones in the UK The penetration rate of smartphones and the number of smartphone users has been growing for quite some time, and Apple and Android have been dominating the smartphone market since the beginning. By 2025, over ** million UK citizens are forecast to use smartphones. Most consumers seemed to be satisfied with their smartphones brand, and only a small percentage were very likely to purchase a new phone on the next possible occasion. Of course, smartphone manufacturers also come out with new models quite frequently.

Google's Android dominates the mobile operating system market in Asia. As of November 2024, its market share reached around 83 percent. Apple's iOS accounted for approximately 17 percent in the same month, with the rest of the operating system vendors sharing less than one percent of the market.