Both Apple and Google are due to launch major upgrades to their mobile operating systems in the coming months. “Even the basic loyalty rate, the measure of how each operating system retains its own users, is not widely known”.
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Lowitz continues: “Conventional wisdom says the Apple “ecosystem” promotes loyalty, while Android readily gives up users to iOS”. “This disruption similarly affects operating system loyalty, with more benefit to Android than to iOS”.
As for where new users came from, nearly all movement was between iOS and Android.
Though the loyalty rates are strong across both Apple and Android, the CIRP researchers found no clear evidence as to just why those rates should be so high. The company with the highest loyalty, however, was Samsung – Apple’s chief competitor in the smartphone business. In contrast only 16% of android, owners switched their allegiance to iOS powered devices potentially boosting the platform’s market share in the sector. But that switch generally happens in one direction, and it’s not in Apple’s favor.
On the other hand, during the most recent earnings call in July, CEO Tim Cook painted a different picture.
Despite not pinpointing exactly why users switch, CIRP analyzed whether switching carriers made a difference.
About 80 percent of Android and iOS users stuck with their respective platforms when upgrading to a new phone, research from CIRP published today found. And that rate has held steady for the past two years, with Android gaining slightly on Apple’s mobile OS.
Once smartphone users have decided on an operating system, it’s very hard to get them to move away from it.
There is one time when consumers are more likely to switch operating systems than others: When they switch carriers. “Our analysis suggests that switching mobile carriers correlates with iOS users switching to Android, but not Android users to switching to iOS”.
“Switching carriers seems to present an opportunity”, Levin says.
The battle between iOS and Android inspires bewilderingly fierce loyalty, but who has the most stalwart fanbase?
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Apple declined to comment on the report.
