Android users quicker than iPhone users in upgrading to new OS versions - report
Motorola Droid users have a higher adoption rate of Android 2.2 than that of iPhone 3GS users and iOS 4.0, according to a new report.
Mobile app analytics firm Localytics took a look at data from its analytics reports to compare the upgrade rates of two major smartphone upgrades from the summer: Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) on the Motorola Droid and iOS 4.0 on the iPhone 3GS. Android 2.2 for Motorola Droid was released on Aug. 12 and iOS 4.0 was released on June 21.
Based on the data, Localytics concluded that over-the-air upgrades result in a significantly higher upgrade rate. After two weeks, 96 percent of Droid users had upgraded to the new Android OS, while only 56 percent of iPhone 3GS users had upgraded. Even two months after the release of iOS 4.0, just 80 percent of iPhone 3GS users had upgraded.
iPhone users are quicker to upgrade in the first few days, though. Within the first couple days of the iOS 4.0 release, over 30 percent of iPhone 3GS users upgraded. In contrast, it took Android users, who had to wait for OTA Android upgrades to gradually roll out to them, four days to reach a 30 percent upgrade rate.
To Localytics, the lower iPhone 3GS upgrade rate reflects a general shift away from smartphone reliance on PCs/Macs. "Smarter phones and cloud-based services make connecting phones to computers virtually unnecessary," wrote Localytics.
For a comparison of iOS to Android release versus availability, see AppleInsider's coverage of Mobile OS - SDK releases vs User Availability:
Mobile app analytics firm Localytics took a look at data from its analytics reports to compare the upgrade rates of two major smartphone upgrades from the summer: Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) on the Motorola Droid and iOS 4.0 on the iPhone 3GS. Android 2.2 for Motorola Droid was released on Aug. 12 and iOS 4.0 was released on June 21.
Based on the data, Localytics concluded that over-the-air upgrades result in a significantly higher upgrade rate. After two weeks, 96 percent of Droid users had upgraded to the new Android OS, while only 56 percent of iPhone 3GS users had upgraded. Even two months after the release of iOS 4.0, just 80 percent of iPhone 3GS users had upgraded.
iPhone users are quicker to upgrade in the first few days, though. Within the first couple days of the iOS 4.0 release, over 30 percent of iPhone 3GS users upgraded. In contrast, it took Android users, who had to wait for OTA Android upgrades to gradually roll out to them, four days to reach a 30 percent upgrade rate.
To Localytics, the lower iPhone 3GS upgrade rate reflects a general shift away from smartphone reliance on PCs/Macs. "Smarter phones and cloud-based services make connecting phones to computers virtually unnecessary," wrote Localytics.
For a comparison of iOS to Android release versus availability, see AppleInsider's coverage of Mobile OS - SDK releases vs User Availability:
Comments
iTunes performs checks that the file downloaded is sound then backs up then performs the upgrade. No backups for OTA. Apple also controls the upgrade so it's entirely up to the user to upgrade. Many hold off until the reports of issues roll in to see if the upgrade is worth it. Also others choose not to upgrade in order to keep their jailbroken phones jailbroken until an update is released.
Sorry but these sorts of data releases mean nothing.
Android updates tend to be far more extensive/feature-laden than the average iOS update, and they seldom cause more problems than they solve, which isn't always the case with iOS updates of late.
Yeah but OTA updates also have a higher chance of failing. And therefore bricking the phone. They are also reliant on carriers pushing out the upgrades.
iTunes performs checks that the file downloaded is sound then backs up then performs the upgrade. No backups for OTA. Apple also controls the upgrade so it's entirely up to the user to upgrade. Many hold off until the reports of issues roll in to see if the upgrade is worth it. Also others choose not to upgrade in order to keep their jailbroken phones jailbroken until an update is released.
Sorry but these sorts of data releases mean nothing.
I agree that Apple?s method is done for safety reasons, and it does make a lot of sense, especially since iDevices are designed to be plugged into a PC running iTunes so they can sync.
That said, i think it would benefit the user if these x.x.1 updates that are really just security updates be pushed OTA so users can get them more quickly. Like Security updates for Mac OS X, they would only have to update specific files.
Of course, Apple would have to build in such a mechanism and allow for for fail-safe during the install like on Mac OS X, but I think it could be and should be done as the less and less technically savvy person I know with an iDevice is also one that doesn?t listen to music often and therefore doesn?t sync their phone unless I remind them to do it.
1. Android 2.2 brings a very huge improvement over 2.1, pre 2.2 versions suck.
2. iPhone 3G / 3GS with iOS 3.1.3 run very fast.
3. Android users have to wait for a very long time for *announced* software update to 2.2, and many of them simply cannot upgrade to this version, thus increasing the desire for current eligible users to upgrade.
4. Geeky users tend to upgrade at once. There are no doubt more tech geeks in the Android platform than that of iOS.
Maybe it was because Android 2.1 sucked, so users can't wait to get something better?
I believe the survey is of just one Android phone model that was capable of getting v2.2. I think the total percentage of Android phones with v2.2 ?Froyo? is still at around 4.5%, with 35% still using version 1.x, which is pretty sad.
This does bring up a logistical issue with OTA updates for iOS devices. Is it really feasible for Apple to issue worldwide iOS updates for (say) 200,000,000 iOS-based devices come next summer when they move from iOS 4.x to iOS 5.0? Apple has a history of issuing this updates together, and for a full three years, which is a completely different model than the carriers in each country combined with the vendor for each model that have a say and keep their updates few and far between despite the number of new Android activations per day.
Possible Reason:
Android updates tend to be far more extensive/feature-laden than the average iOS update, and they seldom cause more problems than they solve, which isn't always the case with iOS updates of late.
Agreed. iOS4 made my phone practically unusable
They just might have held out for v4.1...
What a bizarre comparison - why wasn't adoption of the latest phone compared, so uptake of iOS4 on the iPhone 4? Seems very odd to compare using legacy hardware.
The iPhone 4 does come with iOS 4.0, but you have a point in what phones they were comparing. Obviously a method sucks your bandwidth in the background compared to one you have to actively choose to update whilst connecting to another device is going to slower. I think that after 2 months the 3GS was up to 80% is impressive. I would have thought it to be considerably lower.
Maybe, just maybe, OS 4 adoption by iPhone 3GS users MIGHT have been lower because early adopters found that the OS was significantly slower than v3.x was, and that there were some BlueTooth problems.
They just might have held out for v4.1...
I don?t recall any evidence of that on the 3GS, just the 3G.
Possible Reason:
Android updates tend to be far more extensive/feature-laden than the average iOS update, and they seldom cause more problems than they solve, which isn't always the case with iOS updates of late.
What a giant pile of BS.
That means that within a short period of time I can expect to have a very large number of users downloading some very large files from the same servers at the same time, directly over the wireless network-- instead of the Apple model, where it is downloaded to a PC, presumably from a wired network, then applied to the mobile device.
Aside from that it's not at all clear how they draw their conclusion: that OTA updates cause higher adoption rates.
Isn't it merely possible that a higher percentage of 3GS users are satisfied enough with their device the way it is that they don't need to update? Sure, its' possible that they just sync with a PC or Mac less often, and therefore don't see an upgrade prompt, but that's only one possibility.
It's almost as if the author of the graph had something invested in the idea that all interactions with mobile devices should take place over the air and in real time... hmm...
Yeah but OTA updates also have a higher chance of failing. And therefore bricking the phone. They are also reliant on carriers pushing out the upgrades.
iTunes performs checks that the file downloaded is sound then backs up then performs the upgrade. No backups for OTA. Apple also controls the upgrade so it's entirely up to the user to upgrade. Many hold off until the reports of issues roll in to see if the upgrade is worth it. Also others choose not to upgrade in order to keep their jailbroken phones jailbroken until an update is released.
Sorry but these sorts of data releases mean nothing.
I'm pretty sure that Android doesn't actually start applying a firmware update until it is downloaded and verified as well. Most of the OTA update brick reports I've seen are about a version of the firmware which bricks some phones and gets pulled because of that-- not because of the OTA nature of the update. If OTA update failures were that common and ocurred during the update phase, rather than just during download, it's a fair bet the adoption rate would not be as displayed-- it'd be a lot lower.
Yeah but OTA updates also have a higher chance of failing. And therefore bricking the phone. They are also reliant on carriers pushing out the upgrades.
iTunes performs checks that the file downloaded is sound then backs up then performs the upgrade. No backups for OTA. Apple also controls the upgrade so it's entirely up to the user to upgrade. Many hold off until the reports of issues roll in to see if the upgrade is worth it. Also others choose not to upgrade in order to keep their jailbroken phones jailbroken until an update is released.
Sorry but these sorts of data releases mean nothing.
well said.
Maybe it was because Android 2.1 sucked, so users can't wait to get something better?
Possible reasons:
1. Android 2.2 brings a very huge improvement over 2.1, pre 2.2 versions suck.
2. iPhone 3G / 3GS with iOS 3.1.3 run very fast.
3. Android users have to wait for a very long time for *announced* software update to 2.2, and many of them simply cannot upgrade to this version, thus increasing the desire for current eligible users to upgrade.
4. Geeky users tend to upgrade at once. There are no doubt more tech geeks in the Android platform than that of iOS.
Actually, it made my iphone 3GS faster in my opinion.
(Let the whole bunch of proletariat move on that platform. Us the Apple enthusiasts have enough already of those ``phone owners' '. Yeah... )
Why specifically target a specific vendor/phone running Android?
Let's see how the totality of Android users updates compared to iOS users...
Especially since a ton of Android devices are carrier locked/crippled and cannot even update to 2.0, much less 2.2