iPhone Users vs Android Users: Are They Really Different?

Are there ways to detect a person’s character, social status, and place of residence based on their choice of phone brand? Yes indeed, Android users and iPhone users do have different profiles.

Various factors can influence the choice of OS and mobile brands. For certain users, it’s crucial that gadgets offer sophisticated software. The top spots, according to them, are taken up by available functionality, interface usability, and a wide choice of high-quality applications. Others are more concerned with hardware features such as display size, processor power, the ability to add extra memory, large battery capacity, dual SIM, and camera capabilities. However, some customers are simply emotionally bonded to the brand. The way the brand positions itself influences customers’ self-value and emotional benefit, which is more important than processor features.

Let’s dive deeper into the topic and discuss the differences between iPhone and Android users.

Market Share

There are two major dominating mobile operating systems in the world in 2024: iOS and Android.

iOS is an operating system created by Apple and exclusively for iPhones. It is well known for its closed system and easy integration between all the devices. Also, Apple tech is notorious for being expensive, as the cheapest phone model costs no less than $429. The latest figures show that iOS has a worldwide market share of about 28.39%.

The latest figures show that iOS has a worldwide market share of about 26%.

Android was developed by the Open Handset Alliance team (further, in 2005, Google bought it), and it is based on the Linux operating system. From Linux, AOSP (Android open source platform), available for developers worldwide, inherited open-source code. That’s why the developers’ community is very enthusiastic about the Android platform and they create a variety of system shells. Android apps have a big audience and more chances for businesses to reach more consumers. As for devices, there are about 1300 tech brands that have created more than 20000 devices that work with Android. Among them are large companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony, and Huawei. All of them produce a wide variety of mobile devices, from affordable ones starting at just $50 to luxury models.

Since 2013, Android has had a leading share of the worldwide operating systems pie and nowadays, it has reached 76%.

Almost 2/3 of the population uses Android, so it’s obvious that Android is definitely the leader in terms of market share.

Demographics

There are also Android vs iPhone demographic characteristics that may influence the choice. 

Android vs iPhone demographics: Users’ choice influences

As for the North American continent, the situation here differs from the situation elsewhere in the world. The share of mobile iOS systems prevailed over Android and reached over 54% in 2023.

While the iOS system is translated into 40 languages, the Android system is available in more than 100 languages, which displays the wider world distribution of the second system. 

As for other demographic characteristics, there is no fundamental difference between them. iPhone vs Android statistics show about a 3% advantage for iOS among the female audience.

As for the age bracket, the percentage of iPhone vs Android users is slightly different, iOS has an advantage only in the 18-29 year old age group. That may be caused by several factors, such as a more comprehensive interface design, a spare budget for elderly people, and the accessibility of an Authorized Apple Store nearby in case they need some support.

If your business’s target audience is developed countries, such as North America, Japan, or Europe, iOS is a better platform for achieving your business goals. It’s worthwhile to choose Android if the goal is to reach a global audience.

Purchasing Power of iPhone vs Android Users and Mobile Commerce

There is plenty of research that compares the personalities of iPhone vs Android users. Most of them boil down to the issue of socioeconomic status.

The average salary of iPhone users in the U.S. is $53,251, while Android users’ average salary is $37,040. Moreover, while Android smartphone users download twice as many applications as iPhone users, they spend half as much as iPhone users on paid apps and in-app purchases. The total Android and iOS app revenue reached $171 billion revenue in 2023, while iOS had 71% of total app revenue in Q1 2023.

Most of total app revenue belongs to entertainment, social, and gaming apps.Thus, TikTok, Google One, and Honor of Kings were the most grossed apps in 2023.

Mobile advertising is a better way to monetize an Android app as it covers a larger audience, while for iOS it is paid subscriptions and downloads. 

User’s salary is an important Android vs iPhone selection factor

Push Notification Behavior

Push notifications are a powerful tool for the brand’s engagement, retention, and monetization. There is quite a substantial difference in the reaction to push notifications between iPhone vs Android users.

It’s notable that only 58 of 100 iOS users opt-in to receive notifications, while 85 of 100 Android users choose to engage with notifications. Why is there such a huge behavior difference between Android vs iPhone users? iOS and Android push notifications do not disappear when the user unlocks the phone. That makes the chance for engagement with the notification much higher. Nevertheless, Android notifications take seven times longer to open, because of the larger number of such notifications.

If you require your mobile application to interact frequently with your customers via notifications, you can undoubtedly consider mobile app development for Google Play store.

Loyalty to the Platform

The loyalty of Android customers to a particular phone manufacturer brand is about 89-91% while iPhone’s loyalty rate ranges from 85-88%. Notice that Android users in this survey are usually attached to a particular brand, such as Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi, and others, instead of Android. It may be just an emotional attachment to the brand without taking into account its functions and capabilities.

As for Apple, the loyalty to the brand is due to the ecosystem it builds across all its devices. The iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook are all united by an Apple ID account and are integrated with iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, and other in-house services. This allows data to be transferred easily from one device to another, saving users plenty of time. As for Android devices, the only way to keep all files in one account is to use a Google Account, though automatically synchronized Apple devices are much more impressive—including features such as Handoff, Universal Clipboard, Continuity Camera, and Apple Pay. Such synchronization is missing when using different Android, Windows, or Linux devices.

Onwards and upwards, the more effort and money users put into Apple, the less likely they will switch to another brand. For example, the new version of the iPhone involves the use of magnet accessories that are compatible only with the latest models.

iOS vs Android Users: Who Is More Engaged?

iOS rich-media push notifications are opened at a rate of 1.07%, while Android rich-media notifications are opened at a rate of 4.06%. The message is that iOS marketers who work to craft enticing visual notifications see higher open rates than they do with regular push notifications. Why? Rich media may be appealing to extroverted and status-driven personalities because they break up the more uniform experience of iOS and offer flashy visuals.

In-app messages on iOS have an average open rate of 9.93%, compared to Android’s 7.26%. Despite this, iOS and Android in-app message engagement hover within 1-2 sessions of each other: Users spend 45.2 sessions on average within seven days following in-app receipt on iOS and 43.5 sessions on Android. Strategists for iOS should focus on the Apple experience—users prefer to communicate within the app rather than be interrupted outside it.

In terms of app engagement, iPhone vs Android users comparison demonstrates that the in-app experience on iOS is arguably superior. Only time will tell how the market evolves in the future, but Android appears to be regaining momentum.

Differences Influenced by Apple and Google’s Policies

It’s worth noting that Google and Apple have different privacy policies for user data.

Specifically, as of 2024, Apple is considered one of the most proactive digital giants in protecting privacy, as reflected in such policies as (please not that we listed only the main ones):

• App Tracking Transparency (ATT), which requires permission from users before accessing the Identifier of Advertisers (IDFA) on their devices (this is necessary to display personalized ads and measure campaign effectiveness)
• App Store Privacy Information, a section on product pages in the App Store that describes the types of user data that a particular app collects during use
• Hide My Email, a feature that allows users to hide their real email address when registering a user account in the application (they can use a randomly generated address instead)

As for Google, apps uploaded on Google Play currently have a comprehensive privacy policy called Restriction of Permissions to Access Sensitive Data, aimed at limiting app access to personal user data such as call and text message history, background location, advertising identifier (AAID), and unique device identifier (IMEI) (by the way, its analog was also introduced for Apple much more earlier). It consists of informing users about the types of data collected, notifying them when accessing confidential data, using only the latest versions of Google Play and Android services libraries and APIs to ensure enhanced security, implementing advanced encryption algorithms, authentication, and two-factor verification, and, of course, compliance with GDPR policies (consisting in providing users with the right to access, correction, deletion or portability of their data, as well as the opportunity to object or withdraw consent to data processing).

In terms of advertising, as of January 16, 2024, Google Play is required to work with the Consent Management Platform (CMP) when displaying ads to users in the EEA (European Economic Area) and the UK.

Android vs iOS: Which One Is Better for Mobile Apps Development?

Each of these two mobile operating systems is popular enough that choosing either of them can be justified from a financial point of view. However, there are a number of factors that may ultimately influence your residual decision.

Why You Should Choose iOS

1. Apple Ecosystems

When users possess several Apple products, from desktops and laptops to watches and wireless earbuds, they can enjoy the whole user-friendliness of the iOS ecosystem and excellent connections between all their devices. So, for instance, users can unlock their MacBook at a distance using their Apple Watch, or take photos on an iPhone and simultaneously display them on an iMac. Besides, iMessage, Handoff, Airdrop, and Family Sharing are just a few examples of the unique features available for iOS users only.

2. Security

Customers’ data security is top-notch on Apple’s devices and platforms. The company provides several security layers: from the hardware layer with a Secure Enclave, a special processor used to store biometric data such as Face ID and Touch ID, Apple Pay data, and Keychain data to the Apple Sandbox directory for protecting user’s data from unauthorized apps.

3. Easy to Monetize

As was stated above the collective Google Play and Apple app store revenue had amounted to $171 billion in 2023. At the same time, iPhone users spend twice as much money on apps as Android users with the average iOS user spending $1.08 per month per app, while Android users spend $0.43. Thus, owners of iOS apps can count more on paid apps and in-app purchases monetization types.

Why You Should Choose Android

1. Google Voice Assistant

Google Assistant is a wonderful tool. It can handle multiple queries at once, provide personalized results by recognizing a voice profile, and it’s powered by Google search, making it extremely accurate.

2. Mobile Ads

Mobile advertising is one of the main ways app developers make money from their apps. For free apps without in-app purchases, this is especially true. Taking advantage of a large number of owners of Android phones worldwide, it is beneficial for app owners to implement cost-per-mile, cost-per-click, cost-per-view, or other ad campaigns to get revenue from freebies lovers.

3. Wide Range of Devices

More than 2.8 billion active users choose Android as their OS, encompassing almost all the countries in the world (190 out of 197 countries). There are numerous Android phone manufacturers, among them tech giants like Samsung with 24.25% of the global market share, and Xiaomi and Huawei both with about 11% of the market share. All of them have a wide product line of mobile devices for every taste and budget. It’s also worth noting that Android smartphones offer a higher level of customization compared to iOS devices. By allowing users to personalize their home screens and choose individual system visualization settings, they can make any Android app more tailored to their unique preferences and needs (in fact, for the same reasons, Android-based apps are easier to adapt to WCAG 2.0 user accessibility guidelines).

iOS and Android Comparison Chart

We also invite you to consider a small comparative table that, based on the statistics described above, will help you make a more informed decision about choosing a specific mobile platform to implement your business idea.

	iOS	Android
Market share	28.39%	70.87%
Popularity of age groups	More popular in the 18-29 year old age group only	More popular in all other age groups
Subscription revenues	76%	20+%
Most profitable app segment	Games	Games
Platform’s loyalty	85-88%	89-91%
Rich push notification open rates	1.07%	4.06%
Average user spending per month per app	$1.08	$0.43

Summary

The iPhone has captured the hearts and minds of users in the United States, Japan, Oceania, and Europe, and it’s only going to get more popular. Most Asian countries prefer Android as it’s cheap and is used by multiple manufacturers, making it an “Apple Inc. against the other manufacturers” type situation.

Despite the fact that Android and Apple apps share many functionalities, the Android vs iOS usage experiences are vastly different. As a result, consumer behavior on both platforms is different. The iPhone vs Android users comparison is meant to shed light on certain OS for assisting business domains with mobile app development.

At the same time, the ideal case scenario is to build a cross-platform app both for iPhone and Android users to capture the majority of the market—taking into account the greater variety of modern tools for cross-platform development, your project team will be able to implement a universal solution in terms of platform compatibility that is unlikely to be inferior in performance and visualization to its native alternatives.

Still, all aforementioned factors can help you decide which base to choose first. The NIX team knows how to provide you with the best mobile development solutions for both Android and iOS users. Contact us to learn more about iOS and Android users, the required resources for app development, and which platform to develop first for your particular business needs.