iPhone owners hit 87% loyalty rate this year, Android-to-iPhone switching drops to 12%

[Daniel Sims]

Connecting the dots: Apple and Google have long urged smartphone users to defect from their rival's platform, going so far as to publish apps on each other's storefronts to smooth the process. Yet a recent survey suggests there is little movement between users of the two mobile operating systems.

According to the latest survey by analysts at Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), the share of iPhone owners who upgraded from another iPhone, as opposed to those switching over from Android, rose this year. The figures suggest Apple users are at least satisfied enough to stick with iOS, while a fair number of Android users are still crossing over to iPhones.

CIRP periodically surveys customers who buy new phones, asking what kind of phone they owned previously. In the quarter ending March 2026, 12% of respondents who bought a new iPhone said they had switched from an Android device, compared to 14% a year earlier and 13% in 2024.

Only 1% upgraded from a feature phone or a smartphone running another operating system this year, down from 2% in each of the previous two years. That leaves the share of iPhone buyers who upgraded from another iPhone at 87%, up from 84% last year and 85% the year before. The figures suggest that most smartphone users have already settled on a preferred platform.

While CIRP does not track how many iPhone users are moving to Android, a similar survey published earlier this year by SellCell found an even higher loyalty rate for Apple in the US. Among more than 5,000 smartphone users, the share planning to stick with the iPhone climbed from 90.5% in 2019 to 96.4% in 2026. Android loyalty, by contrast, sat at 86.4% this year, and Android users were about four times as likely to switch to iOS.

The reasons behind Apple's edge are unclear. The company's recent move to support RCS messaging, which lets Android and iPhone users exchange texts with end-to-end encryption and other advanced features, appears to have had little effect on brand loyalty.

Android's comparatively open platform, which lets users sideload apps, remains one of its most significant advantages over iOS. But Google is preparing to restrict that functionality, a shift that could dull its value proposition for some customers.

Generative AI is another area where the competing smartphone platforms diverge somewhat.

Google has been quicker to weave its Gemini assistant into Android, with features such as auto-scheduling, form auto-completion, dictation, and automatic web browsing. Apple is set to bring comparable capabilities, including visual descriptions, AI web searches, and document drafting, to Siri in iOS 27 this fall.

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iPhone owners hit 87% loyalty rate this year, Android-to-iPhone switching drops to 12%

 

[Vixiy]

Apple has a better reputation for privacy and security and people will accept a walled garden on that premise.

Android is forgetting its entire edge was the open platform. Even if you don't trust Google, you could at least de-google it and run user respecting foss apps from f-droid.

By closing the platform, Android becomes the negatives of both without any of the positives.

 

[Tom Yum]

Apple has a better reputation for privacy and security and people will accept a walled garden on that premise.

Android is forgetting its entire edge was the open platform. Even if you don't trust Google, you could at least de-google it and run user respecting foss apps from f-droid.

By closing the platform, Android becomes the negatives of both without any of the positives.

For a niche few maybe, but for the vast majority of people it is a simple case of people sticking to an interface and workflow that they know and are comfortable with. Personally, I find using an iPhone infuriating, iOS is clunky and restrictive, but that is because I have used Android since the HTC Diamond. For others it is the opposite. I do find it amusing that people buy Apple 'for the privacy', while they surf FB and X all day. Privacy on the internet is an absolute myth, or in Apple's case, purely marketing, not reality.

 

[Vixiy]

For a niche few maybe, but for the vast majority of people it is a simple case of people sticking to an interface and workflow that they know and are comfortable with. Personally, I find using an iPhone infuriating, iOS is clunky and restrictive, but that is because I have used Android since the HTC Diamond. For others it is the opposite. I do find it amusing that people buy Apple 'for the privacy', while they surf FB and X all day. Privacy on the internet is an absolute myth, or in Apple's case, purely marketing, not reality.

I believe Apple lets you block some of the Facebook data collection.

My point is that of the few people switching, 4x as many are leaving android than the other way around, which is probably because people prefer iOS when they're not using open platform features.

While Apple's privacy is marketing, it's marketing that works. Plus google is always the one in hot water over privacy problems while Apple had refused to unlock phones for the FBI and backed down on a proposed feature that raised privacy concerns.

 

[dangh]

I never got into ios, and happily moved back to android. This gives my better options where it counts for me: better camera, better gaming, good retro consoles and pc emulation, easier to run my own program or just git based apps, better control on 3rd party apps and existence of alternate stores. Apple is way too closed for my liking, and way too focused on proprietary solutions like lightning port and similar, creating friction for years for users.

 

[Tantor]

Apple has a better reputation for privacy and security and people will accept a walled garden on that premise.

Android is forgetting its entire edge was the open platform. Even if you don't trust Google, you could at least de-google it and run user respecting foss apps from f-droid.

By closing the platform, Android becomes the negatives of both without any of the positives.

I'm not sure that Apple has a better reputation for privacy. Didn't they announce a tool back in 2024 to scan phones for sex-abuse material?

https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-su...-detect-child-sexual-abuse-material-in-icloud

Google is not cutting ADB (USB cable) access, so universal-android-debloater (UAD) should still work to de-google Android. It should be possible to sideload apps via ADB. Google also has a more cumbersome process that allows you to side-load apps, if you officially take responsibility.

Not that I'm an Android fan...

 

[Nobodysfool]

"Don't ask questions. Just consume (Apple) products. And then get excited for the next Apple product."

 

[The Talking Tech]

Apple has a better reputation for privacy and security and people will accept a walled garden on that premise.

Android is forgetting its entire edge was the open platform. Even if you don't trust Google, you could at least de-google it and run user respecting foss apps from f-droid.

By closing the platform, Android becomes the negatives of both without any of the positives.

Better privacy?
What privacy?... do you really think we have privacy in 2026, think of anything on your iphone the government doesn't know.

Better security?
I guess if you are grandma, because if you have a fully working brain you should know better than opening a fraudulent email.

Besides for the price of 1 iPhone you can buy 2 great midrange Android phones to have one as a replacement when you eventually get to smash its screen.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

At this point, both ecosystems are heavily engrained in society. Whichever one you have bought into heavily is the one you are likely to stick with.

Better privacy?
What privacy?... do you really think we have privacy in 2026, think of anything on your iphone the government doesn't know.

Better security?
I guess if you are grandma, because if you have a fully working brain you should know better than opening a fraudulent email.

Besides for the price of 1 iPhone you can buy 2 great midrange Android phones to have one as a replacement when you eventually get to smash its screen.

If you buy a mid range iphone, you dont NEED to smash its screen, since it just works.

Especially int he US, the iphone 16e demolished the remaining reasons to buy android, considering the awful opposition at that price range.

I'm not sure that Apple has a better reputation for privacy. Didn't they announce a tool back in 2024 to scan phones for sex-abuse material?

https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-su...-detect-child-sexual-abuse-material-in-icloud

Google is not cutting ADB (USB cable) access, so universal-android-debloater (UAD) should still work to de-google Android. It should be possible to sideload apps via ADB. Google also has a more cumbersome process that allows you to side-load apps, if you officially take responsibility.

Not that I'm an Android fan...

Keep in mind, sideloading on android without google's permission and doxing yourself to Google is on borrowed time. They are still moving forward with the developer ID program, and anything they dont like will become Verboten on the OS, regardless of source.

 

[trparky]

Keep in mind, sideloading on android without google's permission and doxing yourself to Google is on borrowed time. They are still moving forward with the developer ID program, and anything they dont like will become Verboten on the OS, regardless of source.

Exactly. Once this goes into effect, Android will be just as locked down as iOS is but as @Vixiy stated above, with none of the positives.

How does that phrase go? You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Well, Android's become the villain alright.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

I know a few people that absolutely hate their iphones. I never asked specifically why, but they always tell me they like Andriod more after using their significant others or a friend's phone for something. They want to move to andriod, but the one thing that's stopping them is that they have so much tied/linked to Apple they're scared if they switch they'll lose access to stuff they use on Apple because they've been using ipads/macs/iphones for so long.

They're essentially prisoners, walled off due to Apple's walled garden.

 

[Anton Longshot]

My first smartie was a Samsung Galaxy 3 (ironically Trump had one of these and loved it IIRC) and I hated every second I had to use it. besides that it was **** in a general sense all developers hated each other and refused to communicate with the result that every single feature and app had their options and settings hidden in totally different places.
I still have that little monster but these days it can only place calls and SMS, nothing else worrks.
In any case the main result is that I will give up the smartphone thing before going back to Android.
IPhones though....I've had several and loved them all and love my current late SE even more. I will soon replace it with a 17 to prevent obsolescence as that would kill my Internet banking app (my bank's responsible for this dismal feature...)
I have met and know many people who love their Android phones and more than a few of these don't understand why I prefer Apple's ecosystem.
So....which is best? THERE IS NO BEST, it's all about personal preference.
[/edit] Occasionally I run into people who want me to stop using Apple stuff. Looneys just like the peeps who lie awake at night worrying about the OS I use or don't use.Hahaha..

 

[TechSavy101]

Its hard to convert apple sheeps & old grandparents who think iPhone is the only cellphone they can get. Once you see the range of customizable options on an Android, you can never go back to Apple. It took them 15 years to add the option of themes.

 

[Endymio]

Its hard to convert apple sheeps & old grandparents who think iPhone is the only cellphone they can get.

It's even more difficult to convince the sex-starved members of Gen X/Y that Android isn't uber-l33t simply because you can easily place images of big-breasted anime girls on every UI element.

BTW, nice avatar you have.

Myself, I'm one of the minority that regularly uses both iOS and Android. The difference between them is similar to that between Windows and Linux: for the user who invests more time learning the OS and what its capable of, Android tends to win. For more straightforward, out-of-the-box satisfaction, iOS does.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I know a few people that absolutely hate their iphones. I never asked specifically why, but they always tell me they like Andriod more after using their significant others or a friend's phone for something. They want to move to andriod, but the one thing that's stopping them is that they have so much tied/linked to Apple they're scared if they switch they'll lose access to stuff they use on Apple because they've been using ipads/macs/iphones for so long.

They're essentially prisoners, walled off due to Apple's walled garden.

For me it was apples lack of emulation support, and lack of browsers other then safari. Delta4ios has somewhat addressed this issue, but it's still not feature complete and the browser thing is still an issue. On the other hand, android has no real answer to apple arcade and ftl was never ported.

 

[Endymio]

For me it was apples lack of emulation support, and lack of browsers other then safari. ... the browser thing is still an issue.

Chrome has been available on iOS for more than a decade now.

 

[Beerfloat]

Chrome has been available on iOS for more than a decade now.

That's not really Chrome.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Chrome has been available on iOS for more than a decade now.

The problem is outside of the EU (supposedly, I'm not in the EU), iOS Chrome is a skin over the same Webkit that powers Safari. While it's nice to get an alternative UI and some features, the broken things in Webkit also show up in Chrome.

As an example, our org's SSO is mostly broken on Webkit (on Macs and iDevices) requiring multiple login attempts before it starts working. Lots of finger pointing from Apple and our org about that but nobody's stepped up to fix it. Works fine on real Firefox and Chrome on PC/Mac but not on those browsers in iOS.

 

[trparky]

Its hard to convert apple sheeps & old grandparents who think iPhone is the only cellphone they can get. Once you see the range of customizable options on an Android, you can never go back to Apple. It took them 15 years to add the option of themes.

That's you. Most people, including myself, don't care about customization. I'd rather have a fully working device that I can 1000% depend upon if the sh*t hits the fan. And for me, that's the iPhone.

And if we are to go by your name, @TechSavy101, you're used to being able to hack, tweak, and otherwise customize stuff. Great. But understand that most people don't do that kind of stuff.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Meanwhile, Apple has to lean on Google for search and AI.

iOS UI is absolute garbage. Are they even trying? Are in-app settings a thing yet? Period and comma on the keyboard? I swear keeping them hidden is why so many people don't even use punctuation anymore.

I'll stick with Android.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Chrome has been available on iOS for more than a decade now.

C'mon buddy, did you do any research before you posted that?

Chrome, firefox, and other browsers are not the browsers they claim to be, they are all skins of safari, running webkit with their own additions or changes.

This is why brave supports individual site settings on windows, mac, Linux, and android.....bit not iOS. Because safari somehow still doesn't have this feature.

You could also have asked your favorite AI tools.....

"Yes, historically all web browsers on iOS have been Safari with a different interface because Apple required developers to use the WebKit rendering engine. This restriction meant that browsers like Chrome and Firefox on iOS were essentially skins of Safari, lacking features available on their desktop counterparts and preventing performance differentiation.

However, this changed with the release of iOS 17.4 in March 2024, which allows alternative browser engines for users in the European Union due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). While EU users can now use browsers with their own underlying engines (like Blink or Gecko), users outside the EU remain restricted to WebKit-based browsers. "

ALSO, just because they allow browsers in the EU to use their own engines, that doesn't mean they do. Google AI states that chrome on iOS in the EU is still webkit based.

Where are the iPhone’s WebKit-less browsers?

The OWA says Apple has too many barriers in place.

www.theverge.com

 

[BadThad]

It's even more difficult to convince the sex-starved members of Gen X/Y that Android isn't uber-l33t simply because you can easily place images of big-breasted anime girls on every UI element.

BTW, nice avatar you have.

Myself, I'm one of the minority that regularly uses both iOS and Android. The difference between them is similar to that between Windows and Linux: for the user who invests more time learning the OS and what its capable of, Android tends to win. For more straightforward, out-of-the-box satisfaction, iOS does.

I get stuck using iOS trying to fix other family members problems on their Apple phones and tablets. I'm the lone Android user in the family and I find iOS frustrating as all hell. It's NOT made for power users.

Why does all my family use iOS? Because it's easy and everything moves over to a new phone fairly seamlessly. They break their devices regularly, buy new ones and they have little disruption in use/service. They all want to back in business yesterday. It's really that simple.

 

[Nobina]

As a long time Android users I recently got an iPhone 17, and only did so for the sake of change, and my old phones battery is weak. After many Androids, I want to try something else. So far I have mixed feelings. There have been scrolling stuttering issues reported by many, seems only updating to beta iOS 27 fixes it. Some UI things are weird and don't make sense, but I guess it's just something I will get used to.

 

[Watzupken]

I feel most people are not bothered about the limitations of iOS. Ultimately, most mobile phone users are either gaming, doom scrolling, using it for entertainment, etc, and iOS works very well out of the box. Ironically, because of the walled garden, any developer will need to post their app in the Apple store where there is some level of validation for security. As compared to Android where some developers may skip the Android store review by requesting users to sideload. DJI used to offer their official Android app via sideloading, which is super shady... And while switching between iOS and Android devices, my general experience is that Apple devices tend to last longer, I.e. lower failure rates, and more stable, as compared to devices running Android (even flagship models). Honestly, there are pros and cons with either Apple or Android devices, so it really depends on individual preferences.

 

[Honest Abe]

I feel like most people stick to what their used to. But Apple products still has this 'high roller'/rich people status type of feel to them. Apple snobs tend to look down on Android users like they're poor folk lol. That's the take where I live anyways.