iPhone owners use Wi-Fi more than Android owners in U.S. and U.K.

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014


A study released on Monday found that iPhone users in the U.S. and the U.K. are significantly more likely to utilize Wi-Fi for their data needs than Android users who operate heavily on wireless networks.



According to research firm ComScore's February Device Essentials study, 71 percent of iPhone users in the U.S. leverage both cellular and Wi-Fi networks compared to 32 percent of Android users. The numbers are skewed even more toward Wi-Fi in the U.K. where the share of iOS and Android users utilizing both types of connections comes in at 87 percent and 57 percent, respectively.



Offering some explanation as to why the data varies between the two nations, ComScore's President of Operator and Mobile Solutions Serge Matta said that, "in the U.K., the scarcity of unlimited data plans and higher incidence of smartphone pre-paid contracts with a pay-as-you-go data model likely contributes to data offloading among users wanting to economize their mobile usage."



He goes on to say that the lack of high speed 4G networks like those in the U.S. might be forcing U.K. users to move to Wi-Fi connections. Matta notes, however, that U.S. users may see a shift toward Wi-Fi as so-called "unlimited" plans fall to the wayside. AT&T recently announced that it would be throttling the speed of grandfathered-in "unlimited data" plans when a user crosses a 3GB threshold.









Chart: Mobile and Wi-Fi Internet Connection Activity Across iOS and Android Smartphone Platforms in the U.S. and U.K. (Feb-2012)Description: A U.S. analysis of Wi-Fi and mobile Internet usage across unique smartphones on the iOS and Android platforms reveals that 71 percent of all unique iPhones used both mobile and Wi-Fi networks to connect to the Internet, while only 32 percent of unique Android mobile phones used both types of connections. A further analysis of this pattern of behavior in the U.K. shows consistent results, as 87 percent of unique iPhones used both mobile and Wi-Fi networks for web access compared to a lower 57 percent of Android phones. Source: comScore Device Essentials, February 2012Tags: 3G, Wi-FiAuthor: comScorecharts powered by iCharts









Breaking down the findings by carrier, iPhone owners on AT&T's network used Wi-Fi more than any other U.S. carrier because the telecom has both a larger share of Apple's handset as well as the nation's largest hotspot network. In the U.K., In the U.K., handsets on Vodafone, Telefonica and Orange networks were found to use Wi-Fi more than those on other U.K. operators' networks.





[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 49
    oberpongooberpongo Posts: 182member
    Two simple reasons:

    1. Its much easier to connect with an iPhone to Wifi than with android

    2. Having wifi run in the background on an iPhone does not drain the battery as much as on android.



    Thus iPhone users just keep wifi on and auto connect.
  • Reply 2 of 49
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by oberpongo View Post


    Two simple reasons:

    1. Its much easier to connect with an iPhone to Wifi than with android

    2. Having wifi run in the background on an iPhone does not drain the battery as much as on android.



    Thus iPhone users just keep wifi on and auto connect.



    Could you elaborate on the first point? I know it's easy to connect to WiFi in iOS and just assumed that Android was just as easy.
  • Reply 3 of 49
    jfanningjfanning Posts: 3,398member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by oberpongo View Post


    Two simple reasons:

    1. Its much easier to connect with an iPhone to Wifi than with android

    2. Having wifi run in the background on an iPhone does not drain the battery as much as on android.



    Thus iPhone users just keep wifi on and auto connect.



    Can you please explain the first point some more? I have connect both iOS devices and Android devices to WiFi and both are really as easy a each other.



    And also point 2, are you aware that Android is an OS? So you can't compare Android vs iPhone, you should really list what model Android based phone you are referring to.
  • Reply 4 of 49
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Could you elaborate on the first point? I know it's easy to connect to WiFi in iOS and just assumed that Android was just as easy.



    I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder but connecting to a wifi in Android is very easy. Settings -> Wi-Fi -> select wireless router, enter in the WPA password and hit enter. I dont think you can make it any easier. Actually, count for your self, there is actually one finger touch more in iOS to connect to a wireless router.
  • Reply 5 of 49
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by oberpongo View Post


    Two simple reasons:

    1. Its much easier to connect with an iPhone to Wifi than with android

    2. Having wifi run in the background on an iPhone does not drain the battery as much as on android.



    Thus iPhone users just keep wifi on and auto connect.





  • Reply 6 of 49
    bartfatbartfat Posts: 434member
    No duh. For one, most iPhone users have a lower data cap than Android users. And second, they tend to use the phone more. I met a guy who was so befuddled by his phone that he barely was able to get an email out. We had to help him use his own phone.
  • Reply 7 of 49
    jensonbjensonb Posts: 532member
    "Telefonica"...Yeah, I think you mean Telefonica's O2.



    Anyway, I'm not surprised that 3 users spend less time on Wi-Fi than those on the bigger networks. 3UK's 3G connection is blazingly fast.
  • Reply 8 of 49
    steven n.steven n. Posts: 1,229member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Relic View Post


    I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder but connecting to a wifi in Android is very easy. Settings -> Wi-Fi -> select wireless router, enter in the WPA password and hit enter. I dont think you can make it any easier. Actually, count for your self, there is actually one finger touch more in iOS to connect to a wireless router.



    .????



    On iOS, it is walk into room. Dialog pops up, you select network. Type in PW. No finding the settings page.



    The key is iOS manages wifi networks from a user a power standpoint better. All my Android friends have widgets on their various home screens to turn on and off various radios like GPS, Bluetooth, wifi, 3G and such just get their phone to make it through the day. Understandable most forget to even turn on wifi when it is available.
  • Reply 9 of 49
    ikkiikki Posts: 3member
    Why would I use Wi-Fi when I have unlimited 4g everywhere I go? Most open Wi-Fi networks are throttled anyways.



    It is just as easy to connect to Wi-Fi as iOS. Network notification pops up, tap it, enter password, connected.
  • Reply 10 of 49
    jfanningjfanning Posts: 3,398member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Steven N. View Post


    .????



    On iOS, it is walk into room. Dialog pops up, you select network. Type in PW. No finding the settings page.



    The key is iOS manages wifi networks from a user a power standpoint better. All my Android friends have widgets on their various home screens to turn on and off various radios like GPS, Bluetooth, wifi, 3G and such just get their phone to make it through the day. Understandable most forget to even turn on wifi when it is available.



    You don't need to find the settings in android either, it pops up a notification when there is wifi available



    And I could never understand those widgets for turning on and off services, if you pull down the notification bar there is already buttons to do that.
  • Reply 11 of 49
    cgjcgj Posts: 276member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Jensonb View Post


    "Telefonica"...Yeah, I think you mean Telefonica's O2.



    Anyway, I'm not surprised that 3 users spend less time on Wi-Fi than those on the bigger networks. 3UK's 3G connection is blazingly fast.



    My friend is on the 3 network, he loves how fast the 3G network is.



    ...



    On those rare occasions when he can get signal.
  • Reply 12 of 49
    fuwafuwafuwafuwa Posts: 163member
    May be because their malwares only send data on 3G?
  • Reply 13 of 49
    macbook promacbook pro Posts: 1,605member
    The answer is obvious:



    Too busy running Anti-Virus software

    Too busy changing the battery

    Too busy trying to ignore bloatware

    Too busy fixing hardware issues

    Too busy fruitlessly attempting to update Over-the-Air

    Too busy with task management

    Too busy watching ads

    Too busy customizing with pink "Hello Kitty" wallpaper
  • Reply 14 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacBook Pro View Post


    The answer is obvious:



    Too busy running Anti-Virus software

    Too busy changing the battery

    Too busy trying to ignore bloatware

    Too busy fixing hardware issues

    Too busy fruitlessly attempting to update Over-the-Air

    Too busy with task management

    Too busy watching ads

    Too busy customizing with pink "Hello Kitty" wallpaper



    Once again we can see that people who buy iOS devices are just smarter to begin with.



    "Hey, do you want to buy a brick with a 5" screen that will suck your battery down so fast that you can hear the little electrons scream as they die?"
  • Reply 15 of 49
    opuxiiopuxii Posts: 1member
    Yeah unless apple has something easier than "hitting a button directly on my home screen" to one click wifi off and on, I'm not following your logic lol.
  • Reply 16 of 49
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    Not good news for carriers or Apple.



    They will push more Android phones.
  • Reply 17 of 49
    cmvsmcmvsm Posts: 204member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jfanning View Post


    And also point 2, are you aware that Android is an OS? So you can't compare Android vs iPhone, you should really list what model Android based phone you are referring to.



    Which is the problem exactly.....
  • Reply 18 of 49
    pmoeserpmoeser Posts: 80member
    Most of us on here are tech-savvy.



    More and more I meet "normal" people that are using android based phones and when I ask them why they chose it, the majority reply along the lines of "it was free and the guy/girl in the shop said it is the same as an iPhone"



    If you are reasonably tech-savvy, you know you will use wifi to save money and 3G/4G data. Given a choice of a free AT&T hotspot and using up your data plan, what are you going to choose?



    Over here, our largest telco (Telstra) has just shut down their wifi hotspots and wifi is very hard to find. Not surprisingly, our 3G/4G data prices are high.



    I wouldn't be surprised if AT&T follow a similar route very soon.
  • Reply 19 of 49
    Probably the Android users can afford their phone bills...
  • Reply 20 of 49
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member




    Quote:
    Originally Posted by oberpongo View Post


    Two simple reasons:

    1. Its much easier to connect with an iPhone to Wifi than with android

    2. Having wifi run in the background on an iPhone does not drain the battery as much as on android.



    Thus iPhone users just keep wifi on and auto connect.



    The auto connect also saves power buy handling background transactions over WiFi whenever possible. Since WiFi uses a less powerful transmitter you can stay in sync easier and with a lower impact on the battery.
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