Why iOS Is Preferred in The US and Android in India: A Regional Comparison
Written by: Shiva Kumaran
Quick Summary
Android is the major operating system in India with a 94% market share.
iOS dominates the US market but with Android claiming a substantial second position.
Multiple factors determine users’ choice of the operating system, including tech preferences, income streams, and ease of use.
Business success for each operating system depends on how well they cater to unique user needs and OS nuances across platforms and devices.
Introduction
In today’s digital age when smartphones form the lifelines of all people, operating systems form the mediums through which businesses reach their customers, establish their digital presence, and expand their reach. However, the success of their digital presence and its ROI needs a prerequisite- choosing the right OS according to the user demography and needs. Whether you should hire iOS developers or Android developers depends on where users are located, their income groups, their specific requirements, and why they choose Android over iOS, or vice versa, in their day-to-day usage. In this context, the US with 347.6 million smartphone users, and India, the second largest smartphone market after China, with 1.2 billion users, show different preferences for operating systems.
Read this blog to find out why Android is more popular in India and iOS dominates the US market.
**Marketshare of iOS vs Android**
Android and iOS are the two most popular operating systems in the world. However, iOS is specifically designed for Apple devices only, while Android caters to a vast range of devices, and subsequently, a diverse user base that has a wide array of device options to choose from. As of 2025, there are over 3 billion active Android devices and over 1 billion active iPhones worldwide. Further, Android accounts for a major 71.42% market share dominance in the smartphone market, while iOS accounts for a 27.93% market share. Let’s understand the market share of each OS in depth-
Android Market Share
Android is the most dominant mobile operating system in India as of March 2025, with 94.81% market share. Android’s dominance in the smartphone market, and specifically in India, stems from its extensive device ecosystem, affordability, and tailored features to cater to the needs of users with varying tech affinity. The Android market share is majorly influenced by budget and ease of mobile phone use, as a report found that millennials and GenZ are most likely to be iPhone users, meaning Android is catering increasingly to older users who are not so familiar with technology or are not digital natives. This indicates ample scope for businesses to focus on value creation for the older age group as India witnesses an increasing number of independent ageing or senior citizens, expected to hit approximately 300 million by 2050.
iOS Marketshare
The iOS market share India 2025 is approximately 4.88%. According to Statcounter’s Global Stats for March 2025, iOS dominates the US market with a 57.36% market share, while Android accounts for 42.38% of the US market share. The number of iPhone users in India 2025 is estimated to be around 13-14 million, with a double-digit growth rate to strengthen Apple’s position in the large smartphone market. This can be attributed to the increase in purchasing power of working individuals (millennials and Gen Z), demand for top-notch, intuitive, and exclusive digital experiences, and aspiration for top-quality Apple devices.
However, there is a clear Android dominance in India, while iOS leads the US market with Android not very far behind. For both countries, the second most preferred mobile OS differs significantly, ensuring that businesses that hire Android developers can reach a significant smartphone population worldwide. It is worth mentioning that Android users have a wide range of devices and screen sizes to choose from, while iOS users are limited to Apple iPhones only. The comparison of Android vs iOS users in India tilts majorly on Android, but shows a steady growth (though limited in terms of number of users) for iOS.
Android vs iPhone Users Worldwide
Understanding Android and iPhone users worldwide will help you identify how user preferences are shaped and which key traits or pain points need to be addressed in your value proposition and go-to-market strategy, enabling you to closely understand who your user is because no product exists in isolation:
1. Income: iOS users earn more than Android users
Slickdeals, a US-based e-commerce platform, reported that iOS users had an average annual income of $53,251 as of 2024, while Android users earned $37,040 in the same period. As such, higher income levels enable them to pay for expensive Apple devices and iPhones, all of which run on iOS. Additionally, their spending habits also stem from their income, leading to more purchases for clothes, beauty, and technology products, going beyond just buying the essentials.
As such, iPhone fits the requirements of users in developed countries, while Android is widely preferred in developing countries.
2. Preferences: Budget is not the only determinant
While many Android users aspire to own an iPhone, not all of them would switch to an Apple device if they had the means. This can be testified by the fact that a significant percentage of iOS users are willing to switch to Android, citing the lack of customization, absence of fingerprint scanning (in iPhone 13), or absence of physical navigation buttons as their reasons.
3. User Engagement and Retention: Android and iOS at par
With platform-specific and tailored engagement strategies, businesses can achieve iOS and Android user loyalty alike. If you hire iOS developers, ensure they can enhance your app with features for which users will willingly make premium in-app purchases and sign up for exclusive subscriptions, matching the iOS user trait of spending more on in-app purchases and contributing to greater revenue ($13.5 billion App Store revenue in 2021 compared $4.8 billion Google Play app revenue). Consequently, if you hire Android developers, ensure they can tailor push notifications to maximize conversion rates and revenue through ads, as Android users tend to respond more promptly to push notifications (4.6% vs 3.4% for iOS users).
iPhone vs Android Features
Discussed below are the differences between iPhone and Android to help you understand platform-specific features and user needs:
1.Devices: The Android OS works on several devices, while iOS is limited to Apple devices only.
2.Navigation: Android devices come with physical navigation buttons, while iPhones have completely touch-based navigation.
3.Customization: Android phones allow users to customize their widgets on home screens while iPhones offer a minimal grid layout.
4.App Publishing: Android apps are easy to publish because of the Play Store’s simple and quick review process, while the App Store has stringent requirements.
5.Security: iOS has a closed ecosystem and ensures only credible apps are approved for the App Store, while Android is an open-source system with a large hardware market that make sit prone to more vulnerabilities.
6.Categories: iOS users prefer games, social media, and productivity apps, while Android users prefer games, education, and online food delivery apps.
Mobile Phone Preferences in India
The Android market share India outnumbers iOS by a sheer majority. As of February 2025, the Indian smartphone market registered a YoY growth of 4% to amount for 151 million units.
Apple was in the sixth position in the top ten smartphone brands in India as of 2023-2024, the first five being Vivo, Samsung, OPPO, Xiaomi, and realme. However, Apple shipments witnessed a notable increase of 27% YoY as of the last quarter of 2024.
Regional smartphone preferences analyzed from India indicate the following key insights for mobile app developers and businesses:
1. 5G and AI adoption is on the rise with the penetration and accessibility of mobile data across every part of the country, aligning with users’ needs for multimedia and seamless on-demand video screening.
2. Users are tilting towards premium features if the app can solve their problems, help them achieve their goals, and create value by eliminating a former inefficiency. For example, online food delivery apps like Zomato eliminate the former inefficiency of ordering food and enable users to get their favourite meals at their fingertips from curated restaurant recommendations.
3. Consumers mostly desire high-performing devices within their price range of INR 10,000 to INR 13,000, indicating a growing tendency towards economically viable and accessible digital-first lifestyles.
4. Premium offerings continue to be on the rise, attributed to several factors like an increase in purchasing power, willingness to pay for value, ubiquitousness of technology, and demand for cutting-edge digital products.
5. Value-for-money consumers or the segment that desires smartphones within the price range of INR 25,000 registered a YoY growth of 66%.
Smartphone Trends In The US
According to a Statista report, the US smartphone market will reach a valuation of USD 61.4 billion. Discussed below are major smartphone usage trends in the US as of 2025:
1. American adults spend approximately 4 hours 2 minutes per day on their smartphones, growing from 3 hours 38 minutes in 2021.
2. Young Americans prefer to use iPhones, while older generations prefer Android phones, indicating the importance of understanding unique user needs and prioritizing their comfort.
3. 91% of US adults own a smartphone, meaning almost the entire US population is acclimatized to a digital-first lifestyle.
4. There is an increase in demand for enhanced security, AI-powered features and functionality, sleek design, and advanced technology integration to provide lifelike digital experiences through LLMs, voice assistants, and more.
Why Android Is More Popular in India
Described below are reasons why Android outranks iOS in India with a clear majority:
1. Affordability
Android devices cost comparatively lesser than iOS devices and fit the income groups of the vast user base in India. As of 2025, every Indian, irrespective of which income stream they fall into, has a smartphone tailored to their budget preferences. Be it the cost-conscious segment desiring smartphones within INR 7000 to INR 10,000, or the value-for-money segment willing to spend up to INR 25,000, and the premium segment capable of purchasing premium devices, each user segment can find a device that fits their budget, and majority of them are Android devices.
2. Extensive Device Range
More and more businesses are looking to hire dedicated developers to build apps that work seamlessly on an extensive range of Android devices and screen sizes. With users’ increasing demand for enhanced loading speed, better camera, and consistent experience across devices, Android app development presents a vast opportunity for businesses looking to tap into the broad Indian segment of smartphone users.
3. Open-Source Nature
The Android dominance in India also stems from Android’s open-source nature, which minimizes development costs and enables businesses to innovate at an unprecedented pace with regular developer contributions and enhancements. Enhancing an app to cater to diverse user needs, simplifying user journeys, and offering users latest features tailored to their journeys is made possible with Android’s open-source nature and extensive capabilities.
4. Navigation Ease
Smartphone OS preferences by region also indicate how important navigation ease is for determining user stickiness. With the older generation in India acclimatizing itself to digital-first lifestyles, Android offers an easy-to-use interface with physical buttons for navigation that tend to simplify user journeys and guide them seamlessly.
5. Customization
iOS and Android app development have transformed significantly and revolutionized how users interact with digital products. With Android, users can customize widgets on their home screen based on their needs and preferences and get a tailored experience with the right information hierarchy, minimizing the overall cognitive load of seeing everything together. IOS does not offer this widget customization.
6. Massive App Ecosystem
The Google Play Store offers users a massive variety of apps in each category- fitness, payment, health, productivity, communication, education, food delivery, e-commerce, ride sharing, banking, gaming, and more. Living in India is considered to be easy because of the vast ecosystem of apps tailored to the needs of the Indian audience. Android claims a clear majority in serving Indian users and through these apps, has become an important part of users’ day-to-day lives.
Reasons iOS Dominates The US Smartphone Market
Described below are reasons for iOS popularity in the US:
1. Purchasing Power
The US forms the biggest market for Apple’s iPhones. Being a developed country, its smartphone population can afford the high price range of Apple devices and continues to be its most loyal user segment.
2. Apple Ecosystem
Businesses targeting the US user segment choose to hire dedicated iOS developers to leverage the credibility of the Apple ecosystem and maintain consistent experiences across popular devices like iPhones, Apple watches, iPads, and more. The credibility and long-established trust for Apple devices make the US a preferred market for delivering interconnected digital experiences.
3. User Loyalty
iOS users value its intuitiveness, ease of use, hardware and software compatibility, and top-notch performance across devices. This fosters strong user loyalty for the brand and indicates the willingness to stick to a product that meets their needs and performance benchmarks.
4. Security
The App Store has a stringent app review process, ensuring only credible apps are published on its platform. As such, only apps that meet its security criteria and prioritize user data privacy make it to the App Store and users can rest assured of the enhanced data security their iOS apps offer.
Conclusion
Android and iOS are the two most popular operating systems globally, with Android claiming a clear majority in India and iOS claiming a long-established dominance in the US. A regional comparison between both shows that while one proliferates a country fully, users’ unique needs and preferences dictate the presence of the other. As smartphone ownership increases and technology transforms every aspect of our lives, both operating systems will expand their reach in their respective markets and beyond by catering to unique user needs, aligning with users’ purchasing preferences and budgets.
As an iOS app development company and Android app development company, we have helped several industry leaders expand their digital presence by guiding them on platform and operating system-specific nuances, ensuring their apps meet the unique needs for each user base and maximize their revenue potential and meet their growth goals. Get in touch with us to build flawless iOS and Android apps tailored to the needs of your users irrespective of the operating system they use.
