Android Tops 50%, iOS Hits 30% in U.S. Smartphone Installed User Base

Research firm comScore today released the results of its latest survey of mobile phone users in the United States, finding that Google's Android and Apple's iOS continue to dominate the smartphone landscape.

The highlight of comScore's report is Android passing 50% of installed smartphone user base for the first time, grabbing 50.1% of the market during the three-month period of December through February. That marks a gain of 3.2 percentage points since the previous three-month period and a gain of 17 percentage points over the past year. But Apple's iPhone has also seen strong performance, gaining 1.5 percentage points over the previous period and 5 percentage point year-over-year to hit 30.2% of the market.

comscore smartphones feb12
Notably, Apple has also moved passed Motorola in overall mobile phone user base in the United States, with Apple's share growing by 2.3 percentage points over the previous three-month period while Motorola's share shrank by 0.9 percentage points. Apple now holds the third highest share of mobile phone user base in the United States, placing behind Samsung and LG.

comscore mobile phones feb12
comScore's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, making it more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies. The difference between those two types of studies was highlighted in a Nielsen report from last week which showed very similar number to comScore's data among "all smartphone owners" in the United States. But with the strength of the iPhone 4S launch, Nielsen's numbers showed that Android's 16-point lead over the iPhone was narrowed to 5 points when looking only at those who purchased their devices within the past three months.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Two More U.S. States Commit to Offering iPhone Driver's Licenses in Apple Wallet App

Thursday November 20, 2025 8:21 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed...

Top Rated Comments

Taz Mangus Avatar
178 months ago
Android phones are given away for free like it's going out of style, have 10,000 different phones on the market and are on every carrier known to mankind. Who gives a crap if they have 50% market share. Their ecosystem still sucks, is ridden with spyware apps, get's the crappiest support from developers and gets zero love from Google in regards to actually updating the OS. They could have 99.9% market share for all I care and it wouldn't make any difference to how I feel about those kind of phones. I'm 150,000% satisfied with my iPhone 4, will buy the iPhone 5 and continue to buy each iteration of the iPhone after that. Nobody can compete with Apple :)

The funny thing is Google actually makes more money from iOS then it does from Android. Aw, the irony of it all.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
powers74 Avatar
178 months ago
I'm glad someone's keeping track of these numbers, 'cause I sure don't have time to.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Taz Mangus Avatar
178 months ago
Grabbing my popcorn...
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NAG Avatar
178 months ago
It's a 3 year old phone. Just sayin.

And this is different from the companies that sell "new" smart phones running Android 2.2 how? At least the 3GS is still upgradeable.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swinnie Avatar
178 months ago
I have two android phones buried in a drawer... I suppose those count too.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dmunjal Avatar
178 months ago
Android phones are given away for free like it's going out of style, have 10,000 different phones on the market and are on every carrier known to mankind. Who gives a crap if they have 50% market share. Their ecosystem still sucks, is ridden with spyware apps, get's the crappiest support from developers and gets zero love from Google in regards to actually updating the OS. They could have 99.9% market share for all I care and it wouldn't make any difference to how I feel about those kind of phones. I'm 150,000% satisfied with my iPhone 4, will buy the iPhone 5 and continue to buy each iteration of the iPhone after that. Nobody can compete with Apple :)
That's what most Mac users said about the PC and Windows in the early 90s.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)