For the first time since the first quarter of 2019, iOS's market share in China decreased
Huawei's HarmonyOS operating system has reached a major milestone in the Chinese market, according to research firm Counterpoint Research. In the first quarter of 2024, HarmonyOS surpassed Apple's iOS in market share for the first time, becoming the second most widely used mobile operating system in China.
The report shows significant growth in HarmonyOS market share, from 8% in Q1 2023 to 17% in Q1 2024. Over the same period, iOS's share dropped from 20% to 16%.
For the first time since the first quarter of 2019, iOS's market share in China declined in the first quarter. The report attributes the decline in part to the release of new 5G smartphones from Huawei that directly compete with Apple products.
The growth of HarmonyOS is not limited to China, however. Globally, its market share doubled year-on-year to 4% in Q1 2024, while Android and iOS's share declined slightly from 78% and 20% in Q1 2023 to 77% and 19% respectively.
Despite this, Android managed to recover in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous period. However, iOS's share declined from 23% in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 19% in the first quarter of 2024. According to Counterpoint, this drop is likely due to seasonal fluctuations typical for the iPhone.