Apple's iOS Regains a Strong Lead in North America, Leaving Android 5% Behind

March 30, 8:14 am

While Android powers the largest chunk of mobile web traffic, three times more than iOS, Apple has always been the largest player in North America, home to the largest number of iPhone and iPad users. However, the recent competition between iOS and Android in this region has been closer than ever, resulting in their smallest market share difference of only 1.1% in December. But things have changed in the past three months.

According to data presented by Altindex.com, Apple's iOS has regained a strong lead in North America, leading Android by 5% as of March.

Android vs iOS Market Share Difference Halved in Five Years

Android and iOS have battled for market dominance for over a decade, with both operating systems introducing innovations with each update. While iOS has been more successful in keeping its users up to date, Android's open-source model has fueled massive growth, with a diverse range of devices increasing global web traffic.

But North America was a different story, that is, until six months ago. The region long dominated by Apple, saw a surge in Android adoption, helping Google's operating system to get closer to iOS than ever. High-quality and affordable Samsung and Google devices, offering premium features at much lower prices than iPhone, were one reason behind Android's impressive growth in North America. The surging popularity of foldable phones and longer software support came as a plus. This resulted in the lowest iOS vs Android market share difference in five years.

According to Statcounter data, after holding between 55% and 58% of the market for most of 2024, iOS market share dropped sharply to 50.08% in December, reaching the lowest level since November 2019. Meanwhile, Android climbed by nearly 8%, hitting 49.6% in the same month.

But only a month after nearly reaching the leading position in the North American market, Android market share started falling and hit 47.1% in February. This made room for iOS to reclaim a strong lead, with its market share rising to 52.6% the same month. Despite this shift, the gap between iOS and Android in North America is still twice as small as it was just five years ago.

iOS Now Fuels 27.7% of Global Mobile Web Traffic

While still far behind Android, iOS has also managed to grow its market share on a global market. Statistics show that IOS devices accounted for 27.7% of global mobile web traffic in February, or 1.6% more than in December.

On the other hand, Android's market share dropped from 73.5% to 71.7% in the same period but remained slightly ahead of where it stood in February 2024.

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