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Android’s share of global mobile usage may soon top iOS for the first time ever

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:49PM EST
Android Market Share
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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In terms of monthly shipments, Android devices surpassed Apple’s iOS  lineup long ago. Apple executives and Apple bloggers repeatedly point to a different stat, however, that paints an interesting picture: Despite Android’s huge lead in terms of shipments, iOS remains the global leader in usage as measured by companies that monitor web traffic.

Unless the current trend is reversed in the next month or two, however, there will soon be a changing of the guard.

Net Applications is among the better respected firms that monitors global web traffic, and the company’s June data tells quite a story. For the second month running, iOS’s usage share has seen big declines as Android has continued to gain share at an impressive pace.

According to Net Applications, Android’s share of global combined smartphone and tablet usage rose to 43.75% in June from 41.58% in May and 37.75% in April. Meanwhile, iOS’s global share dipped below 50% for the first time in years in May when it fell from 51.11% to 48.34%. Then last month in June, iOS’s share dropped again to 45.61%.

At the current pace, Android will overtake iOS for the first time ever, though the lead may soon vanish as Apple prepares to launch two new iPhone 6 models and refreshed iPad tablets this fall.

As a depressing aside, BlackBerry is now officially part of the “other” category after having shown marginal gains in recent months.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.