Record Number of Android Users Switching to iPhone: CIRP Report

There is a continued debate over Android vs. iPhone, with both platforms having their own set of pros and cons. But these won't matter that much to an average user.…

By Hardik Dhamija

July 26, 2024

3 min read

Comments

There is a continued debate over Android vs. iPhone, with both platforms having their own set of pros and cons. But these won’t matter that much to an average user. According to a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple is the dominant player when it comes to shipments. Here are the details.

Android Users Moving to iPhone

According to the companion report, 17% of all iPhone purchasers in Q2 were former Android users. That’s the highest percentage CIRP has observed in a second quarter for those five years. This portion is the smallest percentage we have seen in a while as only 10 percent of iPhone buyers during Q2 2023 came from an Android smartphone. This is a big jump and one Apple can be proud of.

The fact Apple does not release new iPhones in the second quarter makes this trend all the more significant. That time period would be at least a half year because these models are about six months old and people were switching from Android to Apple during that entire span. Why it has moved away is uncertain and wider trends about Android are very hard to parse, but we see a clear trend away from Android. This is despite Android models often leading the way in new features, including faster charging speeds a 120Hz display, and a telephoto sensor on standard models.

Even in markets as price-sensitive as India, consumers would still pick an iPhone over Android flagships most times – especially during sales where iPhones that have been on sale for more than a year get show-stopping discounts. Sales had reached around $8 billion in the year ending March 31, up from a little more than $6 billion last year. This represents a growing willingness to use iPhones in the U.S.

Whatever the basis of this trend, it is essential for Google to resolve these problems if it want their Android operating system to retain its dominancy worldwide. Fortunately, Android loyalists may still have some fight left in their camps a previous report from CIRP showed that fewer defectors moved to iOS in 2023 than did the year before.