Reported by TechCrunch, it appears that a new study done by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) says that Android users have a higher brand loyalty than iOS users. The study says that not only has Android loyalty continuously rising since early 2016, but that it’s currently experiencing the highest it’s ever been.
In order to measure the current loyalty on iOS and Android, the study looked at the percentage of US customers have stayed with their current operating system after previously updating their phones in 2017. The study says that 96 percent stayed with Android, while 86 percent stayed with iOS.
Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of CIRP, told TechCrunch that “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.”
Both iOS and Android have long been in a heated battle for brand loyalty and have both experienced many sifts. For example, in 2013, iOS users were more loyal, but from January 2016 through December 2017, Android had the lead, ranging from 89 to 91 percent while iOS loyalty ranged from 85 to 88 percent.
CIRP does note that the rate of those switching is different from the number of people switching. Overall speaking, Android has a larger customer base than iOS, so the number of people switching to iOS from Android is equal to or more than the number of people switching from Android to iOS. “Looking at absolute number of users in this way,” Levin says, “tends to support claims that iOS gains more former Android users, than Android does former iOS users.”
