Over the last few years, Android success in Germany has seen a huge increase, and this rapid rise to success is making Germany a great target for international publishers, as well as bringing the great potential to local businesses and app developers. In this article, we take a look at the rapid popularity Android has been gaining in Germany, and how that is affecting the app market.
Android in Germany vs iOS
The one true key performance indicator for being a successful smartphone provider is comparing yourselves to Apple and iOS. There is no doubt that iOS has held the smartphone throne in the past, so if you can begin to match Apple’s success, you know you’re doing well.
Over the last few years, Android has managed to surpass iOS when it came to app store revenue. In fact, Google Play store revenue grew 150% in 2014 alone, finally boosting it to higher revenue than the iOS app store for the first time ever.
To explain just how well Android is doing in Germany specifically, we can take a look at other regions and their app store success. For example, in the UK, iOS monthly revenue sits at just under 200 million, whilst Google Play store monthly revenue is below 100 million.
Germany on the other hand has much more equal standing. However, iOS monthly revenue in Germany sits at around 100 million, whilst Android monthly revenue is 1.1x higher.
Why Android Success in Germany is Constantly Growing
What’s important to understand first before tackling this question is that any smartphone adoption, regardless of device or OS, has been growing significantly year over year in Germany.
The difference is that Android growth has sat at around 20% year on year since 2011, whilst iOS has been considerably smaller. In 2014, IDC recommended that there were roughly 2.9x more active Android devices than active iOS devices.
This may be down to the amount of marketing power Android manufacturers have held over the last few years. Since manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony have continued to improve their lineups, more consumers have been interested to move over to Android.
Germany is considered to be at the forefront of the smartphone industry, with many new releases happening they’re first. It’s no doubt then that Germany is adopting the most consumer favourited devices first. Android gives consumers the ability to find the exact device for their needs and budget.
The Future of Android in Germany
Will Android continue to steamroll iOS in Germany? Will we see the gap between iOS and Android close, or will it continue to grow? These are very interesting questions to ask, and according to IDC, we may see Android continue to grow at a faster pace than iOS.
Over the next four years, we could see 35% more active Android devices, and Google Play revenue will continue to grow alongside it.
What’s important to note that although the growth of Android has continued to excel in Germany, iOS hasn’t exactly slowed down either. In fact, over the next four years, iOS will continue to grow, but just at a much slower rate.
It’s clear that Google’s goal to connect everybody to the smartphone world is working, and these new adoption rates show that.
All we can take from this information is that the Google Play store is definitely worth investing your time into. Even if you prefer the iOS platform, you should still explore any options you have to bring your apps to Android too.
