Android, however, has not been ahead in brand loyalty in the past. In 2013, iOS users were more loyal compared to Android. The shift towards Android started in mid-2014
Android users are more loyal to their brand than iOS users, a new study by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) has found. The report further says that the brand loyalty has been rising steadily since 2016.
The research firm measured the percentage of people in the US who stayed with the operating system they were on despite upgrading their phones in 2017 to arrive at the conclusion. Around 91 percent of the people chose to stay with the Android operating system while 86 percent stayed with iOS.
Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of CIRP told Tech Crunch that the users have now finally settled on their preferred OS. “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. Now, Apple and Google need to figure out how to sell products and services to these loyal customer bases,” he said.
Taking a cue, both have focussed on their services and have been reaping fat rewards in terms of revenue. Especially Apple has shown promising growth. In its 2017Q4 financial results, the company said that its revenue from services like Apple Music, AppleCare, Apple Pay, etc., reached an all-time high of USD 8,501 million in that quarter, registering 34 percent Y-o-Y growth.
Android, however, was lagging behind in brand loyalty in the past. In 2013, iOS users were more loyal compared to Android. The shift towards Android started in mid-2014, as per the CIRP report.
Notably, before that point, there were other options available as well—Windows, Symbian, BlackBerry, etc. As the operating systems market consolidated and fewer players survived the market, the loyalty had less inclination to sway.
