Mobile OS Market Share 2026: iOS vs Android Statistics

Global Active-Device Share

Across all geographies and form factors, Android remains the volume platform and iOS the value platform. The third category — KaiOS, HarmonyOS outside China, and a residual long tail of unidentifiable Linux variants — sits under 1% globally and is shrinking as feature phones in India and Sub-Saharan Africa transition to budget Android devices.

The shipment picture differs slightly from active-device share because Apple's longer device lifespan inflates iOS install base relative to its quarterly shipment percentage. Counterpoint reports iPhone unit shipments at 18.4% of total quarterly volume, but active install base sits closer to 28% because the average iPhone stays in service 4.7 years compared to 3.1 years for Android.

Regional Mobile OS Share

Regional variation is the single most important fact in mobile OS data. The global headline of 70.6% Android to 28.7% iOS hides markets where iOS is the majority platform and markets where it is below 5%. Treating "global" as a single audience produces the wrong decision in roughly half of all real product situations.

Top National Markets by iOS Share

• Japan — 68.2% iOS, 31.5% Android — driven by carrier subsidies and a long history of iPhone-favored bundles.
• United States — 60.9% iOS, 38.9% Android — premium-tier dominance plus Apple's family-plan ecosystem effects.
• Australia — 55.8% iOS, 43.9% Android.
• Canada — 54.3% iOS, 45.4% Android.
• Denmark — 53.7% iOS, 46.0% Android.
• United Kingdom — 51.4% iOS, 48.3% Android.
• Norway — 50.1% iOS, 49.6% Android.
• Switzerland — 49.6% iOS, 50.0% Android.
• Sweden — 48.2% iOS, 51.5% Android.
• New Zealand — 47.5% iOS, 52.2% Android.

Top National Markets by Android Share

• India — 95.7% Android, 4.0% iOS — the most Android-dominant large market in the world.
• Indonesia — 89.6% Android, 10.1% iOS.
• Nigeria — 91.3% Android, 8.4% iOS — Transsion brands (Tecno, Infinix, itel) are the volume leader.
• Vietnam — 84.0% Android, 15.7% iOS.
• Brazil — 84.1% Android, 15.6% iOS — Samsung and Motorola lead the mid-tier.
• Mexico — 76.4% Android, 23.3% iOS.
• Argentina — 88.7% Android, 11.0% iOS.
• Egypt — 90.4% Android, 9.3% iOS.
• Pakistan — 93.8% Android, 5.9% iOS.
• Bangladesh — 96.1% Android, 3.7% iOS.

The iOS gain in North America over the last 24 months has been concentrated almost entirely in the under-25 demographic. Pew and Counterpoint surveys both put US teen iPhone preference above 87%, up from 78% in 2022 — a leading indicator that North American iOS share has additional room to expand into the late 2020s before saturating in the mid-60s.

iOS Version Distribution

Apple's published App Store version data and on-device telemetry both confirm the fastest iOS adoption curve since the iOS 7 cycle. iOS 18 reached 50% of active devices within 11 weeks of release in September 2025 and has continued past 84% in the months since. Practically, this means an app team can drop iOS 16 support in mid-2026 with under 3% audience loss.

On iPhones introduced in the past four years (iPhone 12 forward), iOS 18 adoption is even higher at 91.6%. The version laggards are concentrated in the iPhone 8, X, and second-generation SE populations, all of which lost iOS 18 support. Apple's hardware cutoffs continue to be the primary driver of any "stuck" iOS cohort, not user reluctance to update.

iOS Version Adoption Curve YoY

• iOS 18 (Sept 2024 launch): 50% in 11 weeks, 75% by month 5, 84.2% at month 19.
• iOS 17 (Sept 2023 launch): 50% in 9 weeks, 81% at month 12, now 11.4%.
• iOS 16 (Sept 2022 launch): 50% in 13 weeks, 78% at month 12, now 2.7%.
• iOS 15 (Sept 2021 launch): 50% in 15 weeks, 72% at month 12, now 1.0%.
• iOS 14 (Sept 2020 launch): 50% in 12 weeks, 81% at month 12, now under 0.5%.

Android Version Distribution

Android version adoption is shaped by OEM update commitments, carrier certification cycles, and the long replacement timelines of budget devices. The result is a much fatter long tail than iOS. The good news for app teams in 2026: Android 14 plus Android 15 together cross 69.9% of devices for the first time, the healthiest combined "current plus prior" reading in years.

Android OEM Update Commitments (Flagship)

• Google Pixel 9 / 9 Pro: 7 years OS + security updates, through October 2031.
• Samsung Galaxy S24 / S25: 7 years OS + security updates.
• OnePlus 12 / 13: 4 years OS, 5 years security.
• Xiaomi 14 / 15: 4 years OS, 5 years security on flagship line.
• Motorola Edge 50: 3 years OS, 4 years security.
• Transsion Tecno Camon: 1–2 years OS, 2 years security.
• Average Android device: reaches end-of-OS-support 3.4 years from launch (IDC).

Version fragmentation is materially easing. Five years ago, the top four Android versions held just 51% of devices combined. Today the top three (Android 13, 14, 15) hold 88.3%. The Pixel and Samsung 7-year update commitments will extend Android 15 and Android 16 cohorts well into the early 2030s, narrowing the historical gap with iOS adoption speed even if it never closes it entirely.

Device Pricing Tiers and Brands

The smartphone market is best modeled as four pricing tiers, each with a distinct OS distribution, OEM concentration, and performance ceiling. App teams that target features at the premium tier and let degraded experiences leak into mid-range and entry-level tiers consistently underperform on retention in emerging markets.

Brand Share of Total Smartphone Shipments (2025)

• Samsung: 19.2% of global shipments — the volume leader for the 14th consecutive year.
• Apple: 18.4% — the revenue leader by a wide margin despite second place by units.
• Xiaomi: 13.6% — strongest in India, China, and Western Europe budget tiers.
• OPPO (incl. OnePlus): 8.9% — strong in Southeast Asia, India, and parts of MEA.
• Vivo: 8.4% — concentrated in China, India, and Southeast Asia.
• Honor: 6.1% — independent of Huawei since 2020, strong in China and Eastern Europe.
• Transsion (Tecno, Infinix, itel): 9.7% — Africa volume leader, top brand in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
• Realme: 4.3% — emerging-market mid-range and entry-level.
• Motorola (Lenovo): 3.8% — strong in Latin America and the United States prepaid channel.
• Google Pixel: 1.9% — concentrated almost entirely in the US, UK, Japan, and Western Europe.

App-Store Revenue and Engagement Split

The clearest single statistic in mobile is also the most often cited: iOS captures 64.2% of consumer app spending on 28.7% of global devices. Sensor Tower puts global App Store consumer spending at $94 billion in 2025 to Google Play's $55 billion, with iOS dominance widening in subscription-heavy categories such as video, music, productivity, and dating.

Downloads vs Revenue by Store

• Google Play accounted for 70% of global app downloads in 2025 (~99 billion).
• App Store accounted for 28% of downloads (~40 billion), plus ~3 billion via third-party iOS marketplaces in the EU under the DMA.
• Despite 2.5x more downloads, Google Play generated 41% less revenue than the App Store.
• Average iOS user spent $63 on apps in 2025; average Android user $13.
• iOS gaming revenue: $58.6B in 2025; Android gaming revenue: $44.2B — gaming is the most balanced category by store.
• Non-gaming subscription revenue split: iOS 71%, Android 29% — the most iOS-skewed category overall.

For app teams, the practical implication is that Android-first launches make sense for utility, ad-supported, and emerging-market categories where the lower ARPU is offset by 4x or 5x the install volume. For premium subscription products in mature markets, iOS is still where the money is — and where the average user has already proven willingness to pay for apps and services.

Browser-on-OS Share and 5G Adoption

Mobile web traffic is shaped by two intertwined forces: the pre-installed default browser on each OS and the network generation underneath. The first has shifted measurably in 2024 and 2025 due to the Digital Markets Act in the EU. The second continues to favor iOS in mature markets and trail in emerging ones.

Browser Share Inside Each OS

• Chrome on Android — global: 86.9% of Android web sessions.
• Samsung Internet on Android: 5.4%.
• Opera Mini / Opera on Android: 2.1% — concentrated in Africa and South Asia.
• UC Browser on Android — China and India: 2.7% globally.
• Other Android browsers (Firefox, Brave, Edge): 2.9% combined.
• Safari on iOS — global: 99.1% before EU Browser-Choice screens were enforced.
• Safari on iOS — EU only (Apr 2026): 78.4%.
• Chrome on iOS — EU: 13.1% (up from 3.2% in March 2024).
• Firefox on iOS — EU: 4.0%.
• DuckDuckGo / Edge on iOS — EU: 2.2% combined.

5G Adoption by OS and Region

• iPhones connected to 5G — global: 73.4% of active devices.
• Android phones connected to 5G — global: 51.8%.
• 5G iPhone share in North America: 89.1%.
• 5G Android share in North America: 71.4%.
• 5G iPhone share in Western Europe: 81.5%.
• 5G Android share in Western Europe: 62.9%.
• 5G handset share in India: 38.4% Android, 71.2% iPhone (iPhone install base in India is small but heavily premium).
• 5G handset share in Sub-Saharan Africa: 11.7% Android, 49.8% iPhone (small iPhone base).
• Median Android RAM in 2025 entry-level shipments: 4 GB.
• Median Android RAM in 2025 mid-range shipments: 8 GB.
• Median iPhone RAM in 2025 shipments: 8 GB (Pro models 12 GB).

Strategic Implications for App Teams

The data above is only useful in service of decisions. The following is how the most disciplined product teams are reading the 2026 numbers when scoping a new app, replatforming an existing one, or budgeting user acquisition.

EU DMA: Sideloading and Alt-Stores

• The Digital Markets Act has been in force in the EU since March 2024, enabling sideloading and third-party iOS app marketplaces.
• Approximately 4.8% of EU iOS users have installed at least one app from a non-Apple distribution channel.
• Major alt-marketplaces in the EU as of April 2026: Setapp Mobile, AltStore PAL, Epic Games Store iOS, and Mobivention.
• Apple's Core Technology Fee applies to apps with more than 1 million annual installs distributed outside the App Store, at €0.50 per install above the threshold.
• For mid-size publishers, the DMA matters most as leverage in App Store fee negotiations rather than as a primary distribution channel.
• Browser-Choice screens reduced Safari share inside iOS in the EU from 95.1% to 78.4% over 25 months.
• No equivalent regulation has yet been enacted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, or Australia.

China: Play Absent, Alt-Stores Dominant

• Google Play is unavailable in mainland China; Android distribution runs through OEM-operated stores.
• Top Android stores in China by install share: Tencent MyApp, Huawei AppGallery, Xiaomi GetApps, OPPO Software Store, Vivo App Store, Honor Market.
• iOS App Store remains operational in China but is subject to local content review; an estimated 8.4% of iOS apps available in other markets are unavailable inside China.
• WeChat mini-programs serve as a shadow app platform in China, with over 4 million mini-programs and 1.1 billion monthly active users.

Outlook to 2027 and Methodology

Three trends are most likely to compound over the next 18 months and define the 2027 reading of this same dataset. First, North American iOS share looks set to push past 60% on the strength of sub-25 demographic preference and family-plan stickiness — we project NA at iOS 61.5% / Android 38.2% by Q1 2027. Second, the Android version-fragmentation gap should narrow further as 7-year Pixel and Samsung update commitments mature and as the long tail of Android 11 and earlier finally drops below 3% combined. Third, EU sideloading and Browser-Choice effects will plateau; Safari's EU share inside iOS appears to be stabilizing in the high 70s rather than continuing to bleed.

We do not expect a meaningful global share shift between iOS and Android by 2027 — the headline 70 / 28 split will tighten by no more than 1 to 2 points. The interesting movement is sub-regional: iOS share in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia is rising from a small base, while Android share in Eastern Europe is slowly recovering some of the ground it lost to iPhone over the past four years. Premium-tier brand share is the slowest-moving cell in the table — Apple plus Samsung have held a combined 88-92% of the $800-plus tier since 2020, and we see no catalyst that disrupts that duopoly inside the projection horizon.

Methodology and Sources

• Active-device share — StatCounter GlobalStats, March 2026 monthly snapshot, weighted across all device classes.
• Shipment share — IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker (Q4 2025) and Counterpoint Research Global Smartphone Shipments (Q4 2025).
• iOS version distribution — Apple App Store telemetry as published in Apple Developer documentation, 12 months post-iOS 18 launch.
• Android version distribution — Google Play Console aggregated active-device telemetry, March 2026.
• App revenue and downloads — Sensor Tower full-year 2025 report and data.ai (formerly App Annie) State of Mobile 2026.
• Premium tier and pricing — Counterpoint Research Premium Smartphone Tracker, 2025 annual.
• 5G adoption — GSMA Intelligence and operator-reported figures aggregated to Q1 2026.
• EU DMA effects — European Commission compliance reports plus StatCounter EU-only browser data.

Where two sources publish different figures for the same metric, we have used the methodology with the broader sample: StatCounter for active-device share (web telemetry covers ~10 billion monthly page views), Counterpoint for shipment share (panel covers 100+ countries), and Sensor Tower for revenue (direct data partnerships with both stores). The figures should be treated as accurate to within roughly ±0.5 percentage points at the global level and ±1.5 points at the country level.

Frequently Asked Questions