They would need to completely revamp the branding if they want to market towards younger non-tech interested individuals. Simplify the hardware/software and boost marketing with a cool and luxury focus. I don’t think feature improvement is required for this problem in NA, you need to change the nerdy alternative image people have in their minds when they think Android.
But they basically own the rest of the world so idk if this is even an issue.
It dominates the rest of the world due to cheap android phones being available there and many of them can’t buy Apple phones for cheap.
For example: India , where I come from, people can’t afford iPhones so they buy the cheaper android phones. But literally every single person buys an iPhone as soon as they can afford it. iPhone market was really low in the past because you couldn’t even buy it there. Now that the used iPhone market is growing there, a lot of people prefer buying a used , relatively cheap and reliable iPhone over a new cheaper android phone.
Market penetration is the issue. Not that people over there love android over iPhones.
this is bang on right. In south america, everyone rocks the chinese androids, but if they can afford or get an iphone during a visit to the states they jump on it.
I’m 100% convinced that if you started to give away free iPhones and free Android phones around 90% of people would choose the iPhone. All the people hating it do it because they cant afford it, not because they really dislike the OS. Its a completely normal behaviour
As an Indian, I was going to give the same example, but you already covered it. I live in the US now, whenever I go to India during vacation, I get request to bring at least one or two iPhone(s) from US to India. LMAO.
That’s something Android will never have – the iPhone signals to others you are a storyteller, part of the top 5% globally in wealth, etc. An Android phone, fair or not, signals you are likely to be carrying a Discover card and use ad-supported Pandora for your music. Its not something the brand will shake.
They would need to completely revamp the branding if they want to market towards younger non-tech interested individuals. Simplify the hardware/software and boost marketing with a cool and luxury focus.
That’s impossible, as Google cant control what people do with Android. If some OEM wants to make a $50 Android phone, they cant stop them.
As you pointed out, Android still outsells Apple globally, but it should be obvious that most of those phones are budget devices, not flagships.
Android will never be a premium brand, but there can be premium brands or lineups within Android. This is probably why Google completely killed the Nexus brand, which used to sell very cheap decent devices, now Pixel is more of a mid-high end brand.
Hell, that was already the case with “iPhone vs Galaxy.” Samsung presented themselves as “the brand” to purchase if you’re not getting an iPhone and it’s been working out for them so much that they’re more-so the “Android phone” when you think of “Android phone” than Pixels are.
I’m a tech-interested individual and Android realistically just doesn’t offer much for me; the Apple ecosystem is so convenient and I use my phone to scroll on Reddit, text my friends, take photos, and occasionally watch YouTube. For techy stuff… I’d use my computer.
I think what a lot of people who are gung ho about Android’s supremacy because of its “increased freedoms” fail to realize is that for 99.9% of people, they don’t care about their phone having x feature when in reality they just wouldn’t use it even if they did have it. Even when my phone was jailbroken I never used a repo that Apple just didn’t add as a feature later on. Then on the average consumer’s phone use case… iOS is just smoother and better looking. Simple as.
A lot of it comes down to the messenger too. The younger people that I know prefer iMessage, green bubbles are like repellant to them. If android could get their shit together and make a similar app without doing the typical Google thing of fracturing it into five apps later on, then they might actually win some of the younger market share.
There’s literally nothing Google can do about green bubbles, which based on my younger relatives is an unironic downside to Android. This is the kind of thing consumers care about, and it’s out of their hands.
If android could get their shit together and make a similar app
At this point if Apple stops being such an annoying ass company weaponizing iMessage and adopts RCS or if the EU forces RCS adoption, that’s the first step to loosening Apple’s grip on the US market.
Until people can send HD images, videos, gifs, and stickers irrespective of device/platform, Google or Samsung can’t do anything. Once teens see that their classmates and friends with Androids aren’t sending low res compressed pictures over text, they’ll have one less gripe about texting “green bubbles”. There’s a lot of other things that Google and Samsung can do after Apple adopts RCS to make the texting experiences even more seamless.
Personally I switched to the iPhone 12 after 3 years of owning a Pixel 2XL predominantly because the widgets and App Library features brought iOS on a day to day level on par with Android. Less customization and tinkering sure, but overall experience was a simpler and seamless one. I’ll switch back to a Pixel once RCS is adopted by Apple, and Google implements the necessary features to alleviate the green bubble vs blue bubble bullshit.
Teens don’t care about having a cohesive messaging app. The green vs blue bubble stigma has nothing to do with the usability of the app. It has everything to do with blue bubbles being a signifier of status because Apple = more expensive in people’s minds. Google has to penetrate that first.
So RCS. Every Android device has it. Google has been attempting to put pressure on Apple to support it. Serves a similar purpose to iMessage and is integrated into the standard messaging app.
RCS was crippled from the start. It was intended to be implemented by the mobile carriers but none did at first. Then a handful did but they didn’t make it interoperable with each other.
They are popular outside US because they are a cheap alternative.
Offer Google and Samsung for similar price as iPhone and then check the stats again. (which is becoming reality; most of their flagships already cost similar to iPhone of that tier)
100% agree. Everyone’s phone is running a different cobbled version of Android (world wide). Who wants to spend hundreds of dollars to play roulette with an Android phone when you can get a new iPhone and know how the experience is going to be and have updates for years.
I know Google is “working on it” but they’ve been working on it for years.
Rebrand the software on the higher end phones to Pixel OS or something to make it different and stand out.
I don’t like iPhones and prefer Pixel devices and just see the different ecosystems as right brain vs left brain.
As someone who converted from droid to iPhone, they need to completely revamp how they (android phone makers) do updates. Most of the time, Google makes a new version of android, and the Pixel phones get that.
For Samsung, they take it, add Samsung bloat and a UI reskin, then it’s handed to your carrier that adds more bloat. This pushes your software and security update out by months.
With my iPhone, it can be locked or unlocked, and when Apple releases the latest security/minor update/ major OS update, I get it the day they say they’re going to release it.
I’m not a teenager, but I’m tech interested and I still prefer ios over android. It’s just simpler and I prefer this. I don’t work on my phone, I’m just using it for very basic things.
I work with teenagers everyday and I literally cannot remember the last time I’ve seen an Android phone. It’s unheard of- basically, Android is like the kiss of death if you’re a teen.
They would need to completely revamp the branding if they want to market towards younger non-tech interested individuals. Simplify the hardware/software and boost marketing with a cool and luxury focus. I don’t think feature improvement is required for this problem in NA, you need to change the nerdy alternative image people have in their minds when they think Android.
But they basically own the rest of the world so idk if this is even an issue.
Simplify the software? I just switched from a galaxy to the 15 Pro and I’ve never had as many head scratching moments trying to figure out an UI.
They could probably flip the ‘Mac Vs PC’ script by this point.
The s23 series low key looks better and more elegant than the current iphones
“In my opinion…”
It dominates the rest of the world due to cheap android phones being available there and many of them can’t buy Apple phones for cheap.
For example: India , where I come from, people can’t afford iPhones so they buy the cheaper android phones. But literally every single person buys an iPhone as soon as they can afford it. iPhone market was really low in the past because you couldn’t even buy it there. Now that the used iPhone market is growing there, a lot of people prefer buying a used , relatively cheap and reliable iPhone over a new cheaper android phone.
Market penetration is the issue. Not that people over there love android over iPhones.
Everyone there loves iPhones over android.
Considering iPhone’s are supported for twice as long as android phones I’m not sure if they’re much more expensive in the long term.
this is bang on right. In south america, everyone rocks the chinese androids, but if they can afford or get an iphone during a visit to the states they jump on it.
I’m 100% convinced that if you started to give away free iPhones and free Android phones around 90% of people would choose the iPhone. All the people hating it do it because they cant afford it, not because they really dislike the OS. Its a completely normal behaviour
As an Indian, I was going to give the same example, but you already covered it. I live in the US now, whenever I go to India during vacation, I get request to bring at least one or two iPhone(s) from US to India. LMAO.
That’s something Android will never have – the iPhone signals to others you are a storyteller, part of the top 5% globally in wealth, etc. An Android phone, fair or not, signals you are likely to be carrying a Discover card and use ad-supported Pandora for your music. Its not something the brand will shake.
That’s impossible, as Google cant control what people do with Android. If some OEM wants to make a $50 Android phone, they cant stop them.
As you pointed out, Android still outsells Apple globally, but it should be obvious that most of those phones are budget devices, not flagships.
Android will never be a premium brand, but there can be premium brands or lineups within Android. This is probably why Google completely killed the Nexus brand, which used to sell very cheap decent devices, now Pixel is more of a mid-high end brand.
Hence why you’ll rarely (if ever) see “Android” in Pixel marketing material.
Google desperately wants people to think “iPhone vs Pixel” instead of “iPhone vs Android”
Hell, that was already the case with “iPhone vs Galaxy.” Samsung presented themselves as “the brand” to purchase if you’re not getting an iPhone and it’s been working out for them so much that they’re more-so the “Android phone” when you think of “Android phone” than Pixels are.
I’m a tech-interested individual and Android realistically just doesn’t offer much for me; the Apple ecosystem is so convenient and I use my phone to scroll on Reddit, text my friends, take photos, and occasionally watch YouTube. For techy stuff… I’d use my computer.
I think what a lot of people who are gung ho about Android’s supremacy because of its “increased freedoms” fail to realize is that for 99.9% of people, they don’t care about their phone having x feature when in reality they just wouldn’t use it even if they did have it. Even when my phone was jailbroken I never used a repo that Apple just didn’t add as a feature later on. Then on the average consumer’s phone use case… iOS is just smoother and better looking. Simple as.
Even the branding inside Android itself. “Material You”, or anything Android 12 and up, seems specifically designed with old folks in mind.
Mate, the real reason is iMessage
A lot of it comes down to the messenger too. The younger people that I know prefer iMessage, green bubbles are like repellant to them. If android could get their shit together and make a similar app without doing the typical Google thing of fracturing it into five apps later on, then they might actually win some of the younger market share.
In Europe depending on the country people use WhatsApp or Telegram. Nobody uses any Message, iMessage or SMS app here.
There’s literally nothing Google can do about green bubbles, which based on my younger relatives is an unironic downside to Android. This is the kind of thing consumers care about, and it’s out of their hands.
At this point if Apple stops being such an annoying ass company weaponizing iMessage and adopts RCS or if the EU forces RCS adoption, that’s the first step to loosening Apple’s grip on the US market.
Until people can send HD images, videos, gifs, and stickers irrespective of device/platform, Google or Samsung can’t do anything. Once teens see that their classmates and friends with Androids aren’t sending low res compressed pictures over text, they’ll have one less gripe about texting “green bubbles”. There’s a lot of other things that Google and Samsung can do after Apple adopts RCS to make the texting experiences even more seamless.
Personally I switched to the iPhone 12 after 3 years of owning a Pixel 2XL predominantly because the widgets and App Library features brought iOS on a day to day level on par with Android. Less customization and tinkering sure, but overall experience was a simpler and seamless one. I’ll switch back to a Pixel once RCS is adopted by Apple, and Google implements the necessary features to alleviate the green bubble vs blue bubble bullshit.
Again imessage is ery NA specific. Rest of the world uses 3rd party apps anyways
Teens don’t care about having a cohesive messaging app. The green vs blue bubble stigma has nothing to do with the usability of the app. It has everything to do with blue bubbles being a signifier of status because Apple = more expensive in people’s minds. Google has to penetrate that first.
So RCS. Every Android device has it. Google has been attempting to put pressure on Apple to support it. Serves a similar purpose to iMessage and is integrated into the standard messaging app.
RCS was crippled from the start. It was intended to be implemented by the mobile carriers but none did at first. Then a handful did but they didn’t make it interoperable with each other.
Yeah that’s not the image most people I know have of android users.
They are popular outside US because they are a cheap alternative.
Offer Google and Samsung for similar price as iPhone and then check the stats again. (which is becoming reality; most of their flagships already cost similar to iPhone of that tier)
100% agree. Everyone’s phone is running a different cobbled version of Android (world wide). Who wants to spend hundreds of dollars to play roulette with an Android phone when you can get a new iPhone and know how the experience is going to be and have updates for years.
I know Google is “working on it” but they’ve been working on it for years.
Rebrand the software on the higher end phones to Pixel OS or something to make it different and stand out.
I don’t like iPhones and prefer Pixel devices and just see the different ecosystems as right brain vs left brain.
As someone who converted from droid to iPhone, they need to completely revamp how they (android phone makers) do updates. Most of the time, Google makes a new version of android, and the Pixel phones get that.
For Samsung, they take it, add Samsung bloat and a UI reskin, then it’s handed to your carrier that adds more bloat. This pushes your software and security update out by months.
With my iPhone, it can be locked or unlocked, and when Apple releases the latest security/minor update/ major OS update, I get it the day they say they’re going to release it.
And androids need to just work like iPhones do.
I’m not a teenager, but I’m tech interested and I still prefer ios over android. It’s just simpler and I prefer this. I don’t work on my phone, I’m just using it for very basic things.
I work with teenagers everyday and I literally cannot remember the last time I’ve seen an Android phone. It’s unheard of- basically, Android is like the kiss of death if you’re a teen.