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The Android vs. iPhone debate — or rather, the Android vs. iOS debate — has raged for as long as both operating systems have been out in the wild, but new data suggests that in 2023 one camp will be happier with both.
according to a new report (opens in new tab) From Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), the past 12 months to Apple have seen more users move away from Android than at any other point in the past five years. The research institute found that from March 2022 to March 2023, 15% of people who bought an iPhone indicated they had switched from an Android phone.
In other words: iPhones are winning the war. But why? In this article, we take a look at five possible reasons — some objective, some subjective — why Android phones are losing so much ground to Apple’s pocket-sized wonders.
1. iPhones offer longer software support
The iPhone’s strongest hold over Android phones is their superior longevity. Apple typically supports new iPhones with iOS updates for five or six years after release, and those updates roll out to all devices in one fell swoop. Sure, Older Devices Don’t Always Support Everyone new feature of any given iOS update, but their security and basic functionality are maintained to a high standard for an impressively long time (there’s a reason you still see so many banging iPhone 8s getting knocked around).
Android phones, on the other hand, are nowhere near as supported as iPhones. For example, Samsung offers four years of software updates and five years of security updates for the best Samsung phones, while Google offers three years of software updates (and the same security commitment) to Pixel users. You do the math: You’ve been able to use iPhones for longer.
As TechRadar’s US mobiles editor, Philip Byrne — a staunch Android fan — recently wrote an article imploring Google to give Android its day in the sun at Google I/O 2023: “The things we Respect those who are reliable. We value products that last and prove their worth. We revere devices that exceed our expectations and don’t let us down.
“If I buy the iPhone 14 today, I know Apple will support it for five or six years to come, maybe more. (…) It’s so long that you end up scrambling, which is game-changing when a phone costs so much. I can use my iPhone 14 Pro for 3 years, then give it to my kid to keep for a few more years. I know I’ll have the same parental locks and protections I have today because Apple will keep updating.
“If I buy a Samsung or Google phone today, the best I can hope for is four years of updates, and that’s only if I buy the best phone. If I buy anything less, that’s an age for support.” It gets reduced a lot.
2. iPhones offer better resale value
As a by-product of their superior longevity, iPhones offer better resale value than Android phones. They’re a better investment for people who regularly ditch and replace their devices, being the most expensive phones to buy second-hand.
Take the iPhone 13 series, for example. At launch, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro were priced at $799 / £779 / AU$1,349 and $999 / £949 / AU$1,699 respectively. Two years later, and you’re still able to get back around 75% of that cost, depending on your chosen market.
| Service | iphone 13 pro | iphone 13 |
| apple trade-in | Up to $500 / £485 / AU$830 | Up to $400 / £390 / AU$655 |
| Gadgetgon (US) | up to $704 | $531 |
| Carphone Warehouse (UK) | up to £530 | up to £430 |
| JB Hi-Fi (Australia) | up to AU$700 | up to AU$550 |
| eBay (Typical Price) | up to $849 / £700 | up to $599 / £525 |
For comparison, Samsung’s 2021 flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, cost $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,849 at launch and sells for some 60% less on the second-hand market in 2021 (and it did on eBay). Being – where iPhones were used) the most).
3. iPhones offer iMessage
iPhones offer iMessage while Android phones do not. Why does this matter to people? It’s hard to say for sure, but we suspect the reasons go beyond a simple preference for blue-colored messaging bubbles.
Rather than being just a fancy version of SMS (Short Message Service), iMessage behaves in a similar way to Facebook Messenger. Messages, photos and videos sent between iPhone users use Wi-Fi and data instead of eating into users’ text messaging plans, and this separation with cellular networks allows for iMessage-specific features. You can respond to and reply to iMessages, translate them, and even send money in the Messages app using Apple Cash.
None of this is possible through basic SMS messaging, and although a new communication standard – RCS (Rich Communication Service) – may eventually improve the messaging experience between Android and iOS devices, Apple has so far leveled the game. has shown an (understandable) reluctance to do so. Field.
4. iPhone is more popular among youth
We’ll take the Band-Aid off: iPhones are still seen as cooler than Android phones in 2023. Why? It’s hard to say, but his popularity among youth is undeniable.
As Phil said in his aforementioned article: “The Wall Street Journal (opens in new tab) says Gen Z leads the charge toward Apple dominance. I can personally confirm this, as my son is 14 and has an iPhone 11. This isn’t his first iPhone 11, it’s his third, as he’s broken a couple over the years.
“Every time he breaks his iPhone I ask if he wants to trade it in for something else. ‘A better iPhone?’ he asks. Well, no, I’ll explain. A Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus. See, Samsung will pay you good money for your iPhone, even if it’s broken, and all you have to do is switch…
“He shook me with a wave of his hand. This conversation ended before it even started. He won’t switch from his iPhone. No chances, I don’t need to recommend it. He can’t even tell the reason. All his friends have iPhones. Does it bother him when a friend appears in the chat with a green bubble? He doesn’t know, because it hasn’t happened yet. Ouch.
5. iPhones boast a better app selection
This is a bit subjective, but iPhones offer a better app selection than Android phones. To be clear: We’re not talking about numbers here — in fact, some reports (opens in new tab) Is it that the Google Play Store has about two million more apps than Apple’s App Store. But the unproven truth is that App Store apps tend to be of a higher quality than their Google Play counterparts.
Why? Two reasons in our book. The first is that app developers typically make more money through iOS, so they tend to prefer the App Store when it comes to the speed and polish of their products. Another is that Apple’s App Store offers a great selection of pro-level creativity and productivity apps—which are optimized for the iPhone and iPad’s respective screen sizes, whereas Android tablet apps aren’t always optimized.
takeaway
It’s no secret that Google faces an uphill battle if it hopes to close the gap between Apple and its iOS-powered iPhones, not least because popularity breeds more popularity. . The more people who use iPhones, the more popular iPhones become — and it doesn’t look great when those users continue to defect from Android in increasing numbers.
So, what can Android developers do to stop the exodus? They should start by taking a leaf out of Apple’s book and streamlining the entire operating system. The first time you boot up an Android phone, you’re met with a lot of garbage – games, in-house apps, third-party apps – that hold no interest for most people. Who needs two photo gallery apps anyway?
To its credit, Android is certainly a more versatile platform than iOS, but great customization shouldn’t come at the expense of usability, and there’s no denying that Apple has made iOS’s ‘anyone can use it’ Has’ reduced beauty. Your grandmother or teenage daughter won’t have much difficulty setting up a new iPhone straight out of the box, but Android phones are still seen as over-complicated devices filled with options and shortcuts that baffle and deter the unfamiliar user. .
Finally, the “Which Android are you using?” Question. Because Android is available from a variety of handset manufacturers, there’s no telling which version of Android you’ll get. With the iPhone, if you buy a new one, it will have the latest version of iOS. Even if you get a used one, you can immediately – assuming it supports it – upgrade to the latest version. Android may never catch up to Apple if it can’t get every partner (and often the carriers who control the updates) on the same page.
