Even though Android continues to be the most popular and dominant mobile operating system (OS) in the world, Apple's iOS has been quietly eating into its market share in recent years, said a study. Both Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS dominate the OS space.

At present, 7 of 10 phones used by consumers run on the Android OS, while two are most likely to be powered by the iOS. One of them will occasionally use other less known operating systems, a report published by StockApps showed.

Despite this, the Android OS is losing market share, while the iOS is gaining, the report said.

In July 2018, Android commanded a market share of 77.32 percent, its highest ever, among mobile operating systems across the globe. The market share dropped to 69.74 percent in January 2022, StockApps data revealed. This means that in the last four years, the Android OS ceded 7.58 percent of its market share.

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Meanwhile, market share of iOS grew from 19.4 percent in 2018 to 25.49 percent in 2022, registering a 6 percent growth during the same period.

According to StockApps finance expert Edith Reads, Android is losing its market share due to increased competition within the space.

On the other hand, Apple is expanding its product line-up with offerings like the iPhone SE and the entry-level iPad in a bid to reach more consumers, 9to5Mac reported.

Android continues to hold the edge over others including iOS due to its open-source nature and affordability, Reads said in the report.

“Google has built an unassailable gap and that it’ll take something extraordinary for Apple and the rest to overturn it,” she said.

Among regions, Africa and South America are dominated by Android OS, while the iOS takes the lead in North America and Oceania. In Asia, Android commands an 81 percent market share, while the iOS has 18 percent, the study said.

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First Published:Apr 23, 2022 4:50 PM IST