25% Android users considering switching to iPhone, largely thanks to iOS 16: survey
Update: An earlier version of this article implied that 49 percent of Android users want to switch to iOS. The article has been updated for clarity.
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The Android space has a new player, Google, and it has been well received by North America, while Samsung is claiming that its new foldable phones are making people ditch other companies (Could it be hinting at Apple?). Late last year J.P.Morgan had said that the budget iPhone SE could help attract more than a billion Android users. So, what's the current sentiment? Security company Beyond Identity surveyed 1,003 Americans to find out.
Per an April report, iOS has steadily been gaining marker share over the last four years, though Android still has the lion's share with 69.74 percent of the pie. More interestingly, the report noted that different markets have different preferences, and in some regions like Africa, the high prices of iPhones might be one reason why people go for Android instead. According to that report, iOS has 54 percent of the OS market in North America and Oceania.
Beyond Identity has added another angle to the debate and notes that security is one of the major deciding factors when it comes to operating system wars.
Apparently, 25 percent of US-based Android users are considering defecting to iOS and the reason behind the potential switch for 49 percent of them is that the iPhone is perceived to be more secure.
Anecdotally speaking, we come across more reports about Android security loopholes, though Apple products are not immune to intruders either. Today's report says that even though more than 40 percent of both groups had gone through malware attacks or scams, more Apple users reported "never experiencing a security breach of any kind." When it did happen, iOS users were 20 percentage points more likely to recover their data fully.
When owners of the most high-end Apple and Samsung smartphones available today were asked about their perception of security, iPhone 13 Pro Max users were more than twice likely to say that it was the most secure handset they had ever used. An average iOS user only felt a little safer than an Android user though (76 percent vs 74 percent).
Regardless, as mentioned before, nearly a quarter of the survey respondents mays switch to Apple. The Cupertino giant's latest operating system version, iOS 16, is what is tempting a large number of Android users to get an iPhone as it includes many security features to protect people from spyware.
The study also reveals that Apple users are more diligent about safety and take measures such as going for a six-digit pin instead of a four-digit one to unlock devices and are also more likely to use facial recognition and monitor location tracking. The flip side is that iOS users often get too comfortable and end up losing phones more frequently than Android users.
At the end of the day, the sample size is too small to draw a conclusion and both Apple and Android vendors make great smartphones, but what is interesting is that the report says that iOS 16 could be the driving force behind the possible mass switch.
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