Android users have higher brand loyalty than iOS users, a new study done by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) has said.
According to Tech Crunch, the research firm found that Android brand loyalty has been steadily increasing since early 2016 and has now reached to its highest-ever level.
Google’s operating system has a 91% loyalty rate, compared with 86% of Apple’s.
CIRP computed the loyalty rate by looking at the percentage of United States’ customers who stayed with their OS when they upgraded their mobile devices from January 2017 to December 2017.
“With only two mobile operating systems at this point, it appears users now pick one, learn it, invest in apps and storage, and stick with it,” Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of CIRP, told Tech Crunch.
“Now, Apple and Google need to figure out how to sell products and services to these loyal customer bases.”
It is worth mentioning that Android hasn’t always retained the upper-hand over iOS in brand loyalty.
Google’s operating system has a 91% loyalty rate, compared with 86% of Apple’s.
In 2013, iOS users were found to be more loyal than Android’s but that shifted in the following years.
From January 2016-December 2017, the Android users who remained loyal to that OS ranged from 89 to 91%, while iOS loyalty was slightly lower, ranging from 85 to 88%.
“iOS and Android compete more aggressively as the number of first-time smartphone buyers shrinks,” Levin added. “With fewer users of the legacy smartphone operating systems, basic phone owners, and first-time mobile phone buyers, Android and iOS now mostly gain and lose users to the other operating system.”
However, the firm found that the rate of switching is different from the total number of users switching.
Since Android has a larger customer base than iOS, the number of people switching from Android to iOS are less than or equal to those switching from iOS to Android.
”Looking at absolute number of users in this way tends to support claims that iOS gains more former Android users, than Android does former iOS users,” said Levin.
Josh Lowitz, another partner and co-founder of CIRP, said Android’s brand loyalty has increased because it enables the users to switch to a wider variety of phones from different manufacturers, without leaving the operating system.
“Over time, Android loyalty gradually increased, as it achieved parity in availability of apps, music and video, and as the user experience on the two platforms became more similar,” he added.
