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 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.

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.

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.

In 2023, Android held a share of ***** percent of the mobile operating system market in India. This was followed by Apple's iOS, a distant second, with **** percent market share. Android went from just above ** percent in 2012 to more than ** percent within four years. Mobile operating systems in India Android gained its dominant position in the mobile operating system market in India since 2015 when it first reached more than ** percent of the market share. The Indian OS market has seen a rapid transformation since the beginning of 2012 when Symbian held over ** percent of the market. In the following few years, the operating system, which was used in most Nokia smartphones, has seen its market share fall to nothing. Android’s dominance in the Indian smartphone industry is echoed in the global market where the operating system held over ** percent of the smartphone market at the end of 2023. In the United States, however, more than half of the smartphone users had an iPhone as of March 2024. Android’s closest rival in the global operating system market is Apple’s iOS, which held over ** percent of the market share of smartphone shipments as of the fourth quarter of 2023. However, as yet, Apple has not broken into the Indian market, although its market share has grown steadily since the start of 2012, it still remained just below *****percent.

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.

This statistic shows the global market share held by Apple with respect to sales of mobile phones to end users from the first quarter of 2009 to the latest quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple had a global market share of *** percent of the mobile phone market. This peak coincided with the release of the iPhone 5. During the same period, the iPhone was also Apple's most successful product, with a 46 percent share of total revenues.

In 2023, Android was the leading mobile operating system in New Zealand, with a market share of almost ** percent. Android's most significant competitor was Apple's iOS, whose market share has consistently been just under ** percent over the past few years.

The statistic shows the market share of the Android operating system of smartphone sales worldwide from 2011 to 2018. In the fourth quarter of 2018, Android's market share was **** percent.

Android OS - additional information

In 2003, when the smartphone market was still in its early development stages, Android. Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, with the initial intention of creating an operating system for digital cameras. Two years later, the company was acquired by Google, confirming rumors of the tech giant’s plans to enter the mobile phone market. The first Android operating system was introduced in 2007, with the goal to compete with the then-leading smartphone operating system Symbian. Android accomplished this goal by 2011, when it became the leader of the global smartphone OS market, with about ** percent of the share, while Symbian fell to third place and was pushed out of the market by 2013.

As Symbian faded out of the market, Apple became Android’s main competitor on the mobile operating system market. However, Android has been the main player in the market since 2012, and is forecast to maintain this leadership in the coming years. In the first quarter of 2016, about ** percent of smartphones sold to end users used Android as its operating system. Android is expected to maintain its smartphone market share of about ** percent up to 2020, while Apple’s iOS is projected to account for ** percent. One of the main reasons for Android’s popularity is its strong collaboration with smartphone manufacturers, such as Sony, Samsung and HTC, while the iOS is limited to operating on Apple devices.

Upon its success in the smartphone market, Android has expanded its operating system to tablets. Android had a slow start in this market, mainly due to the lack of quality applications for Android tablets. However, Android managed to overcome this issue and establish itself as the leading tablet operating system in 2012. Android is now the most used operating system for tablets worldwide, with a ** percent share of the global market in 2015.

Between February 2016 and October 2024, the market share of Apple’s mobile operating system iOS has fluctuated. This is part of a larger trend: iOS’ market share has been in decline since 2012, when it peaked at 45 percent before Android took over. Apple’s main competitor In terms of the number of devices, Android was the undisputed market leader: its market share grew steadily in Italy, reaching almost 75 percent in 2019. However, Apple ruled in terms of app sales: its revenues from global app sales were almost twice as large as those of Android. On the Apple App Store, around 58.6 thousand apps cost less than a U.S. dollar. Android’s predominance Android’s predominance in the country was closely tied to the prevalence of Samsung and Huawei smartphones in Italy. Since Google decided to terminate Huawei’s Android license in May 2019, Huawei announced the launch of its operating system, Harmony. The open-source version of Android, however, will still be available for Huawei smartphone users. Being unlikely that the new operating system will take off outside of China, Android seems well-positioned to continue to lead the Italian market.

Apple lead the mobile device market in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2024, holding around **** percent of the market share. Samsung came in second with just below ** percent of the UK market share. Both top vendors were well beyond the rest of mobile device vendors in the UK such as Google, which came in third place holding under **** percent of the market share, an increase from previous years. Samsung leads the global and European market While Apple is the clear leader in the UK, Samsung holds the edge globally based on devices shipped. Samsung was responsible for ** percent of global shipments, ahead of the ** percent accounted for by Apple in 2018. Nearly ** percent of all mobile phones shipped in Europe in 2019 were Samsung devices, with Apple devices accounting for under *** percent of devices shipped and therefore landing in third place behind Huawei, which shipped over ** percent of all devices. iPhone 13 on top in the UK The iPhone 13 was the top phone for Apple in the United Kingdom as of January 2022, making up ** percent of all smartphones sold in the UK. The Samsung Galaxy A12 showed up in fourth place behind Apple products, making up ***** percent of all smartphones sold in the UK in January 2022.

Microsoft’s Windows is the most widely used computer operating system in the world, accounting for 69 percent share of the desktop, tablet, and console OS market in March 2025. Apple’s macOS ranks as the next most widely used operating system, while its iOS mobile operating system, the standard installation on all iPad devices, ranks fourth. Linux OS versions serve as the primary option for users who prefer open-source software and intend to avoid the influence of major OS developers. Operating Systems Operating systems serve as the underlying platforms which connect computer hardware and software. They provide users with the graphical interface through which they issue commands and perform tasks on electronic devices. Billions of people make use of these devices and their operating systems on a regular basis, meaning that the companies that develop these widely used technologies have a great deal of influence on the daily lives of internet users around the world. Although Microsoft Windows is the clear leader in terms of desktop operating systems, the company’s mobile device operating system failed to make a successful transition into the smartphone market, where Android and iOS are essentially the only two options.

In Italy, iOS and Android were the leading tablet operating systems between 2012 and 2023. Particularly, in 2023, Apple occupied almost ** percent of the tablet OS market, up from around ** percent recorded in the previous year.

The statistic shows the market share of Apple in regards to new mobile phone sales worldwide from 2012 to 2014. In 2013, Apple's market share was at *** percent.

Since 2012, Google's Android has been the leading mobile operating system in Russia. In 2024, this mobile OS held a 72-percent share of the market in Russia, followed by iOS with a share of approximately 27.9 percent. Symbian was a dominant player on the smartphone OS market until 2012. Smartphone ownership in Russia Russia is one of the most populous countries in the world, with more than 144 million inhabitants as of 2024. Almost 97 percent of Russians owned a smartphone in the third quarter of 2023, as compared to a nearly 26-percent ownership rate of tablets. Many Russians had more than one mobile phone. Android popularity worldwide Android was one of the most popular smartphone operating systems, not only in Russia but around the world. It occupied a market share of 39 percent in the United States, ranking second after Apple iOS, in February 2024 and almost 60 percent in Germany in 2023.

In June 2024, the iPhone had a market share of **** percent in Germany, a noticeable increase compared to the same month a year before. Figures fluctuated during the specified time period. Apple or Android? One of the most asked questions among smartphone users or those wanting to buy a smartphone is whether to purchase Android or Apple as an OS. Usually it is a choice between the two, even if other OS are also available on the market. Android and Apple, however, seem to remain the best-known among consumers. When comparing the market share of both in smartphone sales in Germany, Android far outperformed Apple. Another comparison shows that Windows and Blackberry OS are hardly ever chosen by German consumers. Full speed ahead Daily life is practically unimaginable without a smartphone. The number of private household owning at least one smartphone has only been growing in recent years, from **** percent in 2005 to **** percent in 2022. Sales revenue fluctuated in the last decade, but generally increased, amounting to **** billion euros in 2023.

Between 2012 and 2024, Android held 80 percent or more of the market share in Spain during each year during the reporting period, except for 2023. iOS saw significant growth, seemingly at the expense of the Windows mobile operating system and other smaller operating systems.

Apple claimed a **** percent share of the market in the second quarter of 2024, an increase from the previous quarter. Apple's long time competitor, Samsung, ranked first with a market share of **** percent. Apple and Samsung continue to dominate the smartphone market Apple has been among the top-five smartphone vendors in the world since 2009. With the decline of former market leaders Nokia and RIM, Apple and Samsung were able to grow their presence in the market. As a result of political pressure, tariffs and restrictions imposed by the U.S, Chinese manufacturer Huawei has recently dropped off of the top five list in the smartphone market, while Xiaomi, Oppo, and Transsion have gained ground. Coronavirus (COVD-19) pandemic impact on iPhone sales While the long-term impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on sale is difficult to determine, the immediate impact was quickly visible. While large quarterly fluctuations are normal for Apple’s revenue cycle, one must look back to 2017 to find two consecutive quarters in which Apple generated less than ** billion U.S. dollars in revenue from the iPhone. A less strong performance in the first quarter of 2024, lead by the iPhone 16, gave Apple the ****** spot in terms of quarterly global unit shipments after Samsung, although strong sales in the fourth quarter of every year is a common occurrence with Apple products.

In June 2024, Google's Android had a **** percent sales volume market share in Germany. For comparison, iOS had a market share of **** percent. This statistic shows the market share of the three leading smartphone operating systems Android, iOS and Windows in Germany from January 2012 to June 2024.

Between 2010 and 2023, Samsung and Apple established themselves as the leading tablet vendors. Over the years, Apple's market share decreased, going from over 85 percent in 2010 to just under 50 percent in 2022.