iPhone loyalty just hit a new high with only 3.6% of iOS users thinking of switching but here's why I'm never ditching Android

Date:
Sat, 25 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Description:
iPhone owners are more committed than ever to the Apple ecosystem, but I'm sticking with Google.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Fresh survey data from phone trade-in service SellCell (via MacRumors ) suggests that iOS loyalty has hit a new high: 96.4% of iPhone owners are likely to stick with Apple handsets when they next upgrade, based on
responses from over 5,000 people in the US.

That's up from 91.9% in 2021, and means that out of every 100 iPhone users, only 3 or 4 are considering what life might be like with an Android device.
It seems iOS is much loved by its users or at least they don't want the hassle of trying to extract themselves and their messages from iMessage. The Android figure is higher than ever too, by the way, though it's lower than Apple: 86.4% of Android users say they're likely to go with Android again
when it's time to upgrade. By brand, it's 90.1% for Samsung and 86.8% for Google . Article continues below You may like I like some of Samsung's innovations on the Galaxy S26 Ultra but here's why I'm sticking with my iPhone iOS 26.3 update just made it a lot easier to switch to Android here's how Apple iOS age checks are tempting users to switch to Android

Despite the lure of the best iPhones , and the increasing loyalty to the
brand of iPhone users, I'm not thinking of moving away from Android and I'll explain why below.

For context, I do own an iPhone too it's part of the tech journalist job, having to write about both mobile platforms but a Google Pixel is the phone
I use day-to-day as my main device, while the Apple phone sits in a drawer until I specifically need it. Google apps work better Per-label notifications in Gmail for Android (Image credit: Future) For me, apps like Gmail, Google Maps , Google Docs, and Gemini are a long way ahead of their Apple Mail,
Apple Maps, Apple Pages, and Siri counterparts so it makes sense to choose a phone where these apps are most useful and most at home.

Yes, just about every Google app is available for iOS, but Apple doesn't give them the same freedom as they have on Android. You can't set Gemini as your default AI assistant on an iPhone, for example, or get notifications per
label in Gmail like you can on Android. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Google apps are where I spend most of my mobile time, and so I want the best and most seamless Google app experience possible which means an Android phone. Android is more versatile Android lets third-party apps do more (Image credit: Future) It's fair to say Android and iOS are now closer than ever in many respects, and Apple has certainly made its mobile operating system more customizable in recent years. The gap in terms of tweaking the interface and setting default apps isn't as big as it used to be.

However, Android remains the more versatile OS, and gives its apps significantly more freedom than Apple does: something like Tasker simply cannot exist on iOS. Android apps can plug into notifications, accessibility options, the system clipboard and other fundamental parts of the software in
a much deeper way than iPhone apps can. What to read next Google claims Android is up to 47% faster than iOS in this key metric Have your say: How long do you keep your phone for before upgrading? Sorry Apple, the iPhone 17e is slick but the OnePlus 15R is a bigger bargain

For example, Android lets third-party apps take over and manage SMS/RCS as your default messaging app something you can't do on iOS. Then there are the third-party Android launchers, which completely transform the look of the software, and which Apple is unlikely to ever allow.

If you want to be able to do more with third-party apps and customize your phone to a greater extent (which I do), then Android is the best option by a significant margin. iPhones are walled in Apple TV is one of the few Apple apps on Android (Image credit: Future) You've most probably heard of Apple's walled garden, and while a few bricks have been removed in recent years
Apple TV for Android! it's still pretty well closed off. The iPhone and its default apps remain a bit picky when it comes to the other devices and platforms they'll work with, and that's a problem for me.

Let's take photos and videos, which are a major part of the smartphone experience. Google Photos works effortlessly across Android devices, iPhones, Macs, Windows computers, and many other gadgets with screens. As someone who spends a lot of time swapping between platforms, I need to be able to take
all my digital stuff with me.

Apple Photos, meanwhile, is a non-starter on Android and clunky on Windows.
It uses a proprietary file system that's a pain for third-party services like Dropbox. Like many native iOS apps, it doesn't really play well with
non-Apple devices.

For these reasons and others, I'm one of the 86.4% likely to stick with my Android phone when it's time to upgrade again. I do quite like iOS, when I
use it, and it definitely has some advantages over Android too but in terms of what I prioritize, it's Android all the way. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone-loyalty-just-hit-a-new-high-with-only- 3-6-percent-of-ios-users-thinking-of-switching-but-heres-why-im-never-ditching -android


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