Android is the most used OS in the world.
Even Windows lags behind the widespread adoption of the functional smartphone platform owned by Google. iOS is not even close.
When it comes to mobile devices, Apple has gained some ground over the last couple of years but Android still powers about 75% of all smartphones and tablets.
Crushing.
But market share doesn’t do justice to the utter dominance of Android.
Let’s be honest – it’s an Android and iOS world, we just live in it. The two cutting-edge smartphone operating systems have the leading market shares. And that’s so easy to prove. The guy next to you is probably surfing the Web on his fancy iPhone or browsing social media on the newest Android device.
But what was thought for years to be Apple’s domain might just prove to be an Android-dominated world.
Take a look at a few fascinating facts about the huge market share Android enjoys:
- The Android market share for 2022 is at 70.97%.
- In 2020, Android had the bigger part of the marketing share – 87%.
- Android sales are rising in the US, Europe, Japan, India, and China.
- As of January 2022, Samsung’s market share in the US was 26.45%.
- Android is the world’s largest operating system.
- Android’s share of all known devices was 70.97% in February 2022.
- Android managed to beat not only iOS, but Windows too.
1. As of February 2022, Android OS has a 70.97% mobile operating system market share.
(Source: Stat Counter)
According to the Android vs. iOS market share 2022, Android had 70.97%, while iOS garnered 28.27%.
In 2008, when Android launched, iOS was the leading OS globally. It wasn’t easy to imagine that a newbie like Android would take over the market in no time. Things picked up in 2012, and to date, Android has stayed ahead of Apple in the OS market.
2. The Android market share was steadily declining but has stabilized in 2022.
(Source: Stat Counter)
Android might have aced the race in 2012, but iOS is still right at its heel. From 2018 to date, Android’s market share has been on a slow and steady decline. It started out at 77.32% in 2018 and has gradually fallen to 70.97% in 2022. On the other hand, iOS grew from 19.4% to 28.27% between 2018 and 2022.
3. Android sales are steadily declining in China.
(Source: Counterpoint Research)
Europe, US, and Japan were among the biggest iOS markets. Currently, Android dominates them.
Wondering where China fits into all of this?
Well, China has restricted and/or banned most Google apps. Since these apps don’t work there, most Chinese folk now lean towards local brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, LeEco, and others.
Surprisingly though, current stats show that Android sales are beginning to pick up in China.
4. As of February 2022, Samsung’s mobile vendor market share in America was 27.92%.
(Source: Stat Counter)
Mobile vendor market share stats show that Samsung held close to 30% at the start of 2022.
However, with close to 60%, iOS still dominates the market share in America. Motorola comes in next with 4.32%, while LG and Google follow with 3.07% and 2.38%, respectively.
5. Version 11.0 of Android had a 37.6% market share in January 2022.
(Source: Stat Counter)
The latest Android OS stats show that the version with the most significant market share is 11.0. However, the most current android operating system – Version 12.0 – has a 7.46% market share.
Version 10.0 dropped from close to 50% in February 2021 to 25.5% in January 2022. The Pie 9.0 version came in third place with 12.58%, while position four went to Oreo 8.1 (6.54%).
6. In 2021, 83% of those aged 50-64 years used Android.
(Source: Statista)
According to the Android vs. iOS market share for 2021, Android is most popular among users aged 50 to 64 years. With 83% of the market share, it’s way ahead of iOS and Windows.
7. Android will cover nearly 90% of smartphone shipments in 2023.
(Source: Statista)
It’s estimated that by the end of 2022, Android shipments will hold 86.2% of the market share, while iOS will be left with 13.8%. This number is expected to reach 87.4% by 2023.
8. Android user spending in Latin America is projected to reach $2.8 billion by 2023.
(Source: Sensor Tower)
GooglePlay spending is predicted to grow to $2.8 billion in Latin America, according to Android statistics. This would be a 408% increase from 2018’s $550 million.
9. Android TV OS has over 110 million active users.
(Source: TechCrunch, 9 to 5 Google)
As of January 2022, the total number of Android TV users worldwide is over 110 million and is set to expand considerably in the next few years. With Sony and Hisense announcing new Google TV models, Android smart TV sales are estimated to hit over 10 million annually.
10. The best-selling Android smartphone in 2022 is Samsung’s Galaxy A52s 5G.
(Source: CounterPoint Research)
With Western Europe being its biggest market, the Galaxy A52s 5G has continued to lead the list of the top 10 best-selling Android 5G phones for six consecutive months.
11. Samsung is the biggest manufacturer of smartphones in the world.
(Source: Oberlo)
The South-Korean phone manufacturing brand has continued to top the list as the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Recent predictions show that Samsung will ship up to 276 million units in 2022. This is proof of consistent growth from the 263 million and 267 million units it sold in 2020 and 2021.
Apple is the second-largest manufacturer, with a prediction of 243 million unit sales in 2022. Xiaomi is also expected to ship 220 million devices by the end of 2022, while Oppo and Vivo’s sales are estimated at 208 million and 149 million units, respectively.
12. There are 3 billion Android users in the world.
(Source: Earth Web)
Android has been gaining momentum since its very beginning. And now has 3 billion active users in over 190 countries.
13. There are over 133 million Android users in America.
(Source: Statista)
Have you ever wondered how many Android users are there in the US?
Android usage statistics show that this number continues to rise each year – from 87 million in 2014 to 133.4 million in 2022.
14. The majority of Android users are male.
(Source: Earth Web)
Recent data about Android use shows that 57% of Android users are male, while 43% are female.
15. 95% of Android users are between the ages of 18 and 49.
(Source: Earth Web)
The largest number of Android users fall within the age groups of 18 to 29 and 20 to 49. 83% of users are between ages 50 and 64, while 61% are over 65. These numbers show increasing usage within the younger generations.
16. Android users are more likely to look for discounts than iOS users.
(Source: Earth Web)
A recent survey on consumer behavior has shown that Android users are the more frugal group, as they are more likely to look for discounts and deals. In fact, Android users spend an average of $40 on beauty and makeup products, while iPhone owners would set aside up to $83 for the same products.
17. There are 3.48 million apps on Google Play Store.
(Source: App Inventiv)
2022 Android usage statistics show that Google Play Store currently houses up to 3.48 million apps. Around 3,739 apps are added to the store each day.
18. There were 111.3 billion Android app downloads in 2021.
(Source: Business of Apps)
At the end of 2021, Google Play Store recorded over 111 billion app downloads. On the other hand, iOS had only 32.3 billion. A total of 143.6 billion apps were downloaded worldwide. 55 billion of those were games.
19. Users aged 18-24 spend up to 112.6 hours monthly on apps.
(Source: Business of Apps)
Teens and young adults tend to spend more time on apps. Recent Android usage statistics show that those aged between 18 and 24 spend up to 112.6 hours on apps each month. Next up is the 25 to 34 age group, with 102.4 hours. Unsurprisingly, people above the age of 65 spend the least time on apps – 51.4 hours monthly.
20. Android devices are more vulnerable to cyber attacks than iPhones.
(Source: Kaspersky)
Although all smartphones can be affected by malware, Android phones are considered more vulnerable. That’s because Android is an open-source OS, meaning anyone can modify it freely. If there are errors, hackers can easily find and exploit them to attack users’ devices.
Fun Facts About Android
The Android story is not as straightforward as you may think. Some curiosities and surprises surround the OS.
1. Android was not originally made by Google.
Android was bought by Google from a company called Android Inc (bet ya didn’t expect that one). The company was founded in 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Chris White and Nick Sears.
2. It is based on the Linux operating system.
It wasn’t intended as a smartphone operating system. In fact, it was originally designed as a digital camera platform. Guess back than no one expected Android will have such a huge market share just a few years later.
3. Except for the first two, all of Android’s other operating systems are named after sweets and desserts.
And they are also alphabetical. We have Cupcake, Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean, KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow, Noughat, Oreo and Pie.
4. If you go to Settings and continuously press the version number in the ‘About’ section, you will uncover a secret Easter Egg.
Here’s something you can’t find on iPhones or Windows phones.
But frankly, I think Oreo’s special surprise is a bit creepy.
5. Android means “male robot”.
While we can use “android” to reference robots with human features in general, a robot that resembles a female can also be referred to as a “gynoid”.”
6. China banned Google Maps, Gmail, and even restricted some of Google’s search functions, which made it the only market not ruled by Android.
We already dipped our toes into this topic and mentioned that China and Google are waging their own private Cold War, with China blocking or restricting most of Google’s apps.
There’s more:
China also blocked Google+, Google Hangouts, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, and many more. The Chinese government doesn’t want foreign tech companies spying on them and collecting data from their citizens. There are currently Chinese alternatives for all the famous sites, apps and productive tools, such as Baidu, Youku, Blogcn, WeChat, Weibo, etc.
The impressive Android stats fall short of worldwide domination.
7. Android was actually a nickname given to Andy Rubin.
His former colleagues at Apple called him “Android” because of his love of robots. Turns out, he doesn’t only like working with them, he likes building them. There’s the story of a giant robotic arm he build in his spare time in Building 44, Android’s dwelling place at Google’s campus. The purpose of this arm? Making Andy coffee.
Good luck getting on that level.
8. Android’s logo was inspired by a bathroom sign.
The green robot logo was designed by Irina Block. Where do you think her inspiration came from? Bathroom door signs. Bet you can’t unsee it now.
We hope we provided you with some valuable insights about Android’s marketing share and that you found our fun facts as entertaining as we did. See you soon!
