Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS dominate the global mobile operating system (OS) space. Today, 7 out of 10 phones run on the Android OS, while two of the remaining three are most likely to be iOS-powered.
Occasionally, one out of those three will be using one of the other lesser-known operating systems. However, Android’s dominance is coming under increasing pressure from the other players, going by market data.
Data from StockApps.com shows that Android’s global mobile OS market dominance has been ebbing gradually. In January 2022, Android’s worldwide market share stood at 69.74%. In contrast, the OS commanded a market share of 77.32%, its highest ever, in July 2018, ceding 7.58% of its holding in the last five years.
Why is Android’s Global Mobile OS Market Share Declining?
What’s behind this even erosion of Android’s command of the OS market? Edith Reads, a Finance Expert from StockApps, attributes Android losing its ground to increased competition within the space.
“Android’s loss of market share boils down to heightened competition within the OS space. A look at the data shows that iOS gained 6% between July 2018 and January 2022. From 19.4% then, Apple has grown its OS market share to 25.49%. Other small scale OS developers account for the remaining 1.58% that Google shed.”
Despite iOS’s growth, Android’s command is not under threat yet as the mobile OS giant’s open-source nature and affordability have endeared it to the masses across the globe.
What’s more, Google has built an unassailable gap and it will take something extraordinary for Apple and the rest to overturn it.
OS Dominance and Geography
Available data shows that the OS dominance is geographic. For instance, 84% of all smartphones in Africa are Android-based. iOS accounts for roughly 14% of the continent’s devices, while Samsung, Nokia, and KaiOS share the remaining 2% or so.
A similar situation obtains in Europe, where Android OS has a market share of 69.32%. iOS registers better prospects here than it does in Africa, as it runs 30% of all the phones in the region. Again, Samsung, Nokia, and other developers have to contend with a miserly 1% of the market.
The Asian and South American continents have Android dominating at 81% and 90%, respectively. iOS share here is 18% in Asia and 10% in South America. Other OS developers share less than 1% of the mobile phone market on both continents.
It’s a close-fought battle between iOS and Android in North America and Oceania, though the former edges it. iOS commands 54% of the market in both regions, while Android takes nearly 45%. Again, the other developers share the remaining 1%.
