New survey data indicates that iPhone users are more loyal to the brand than at any point in the past three years. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Apple’s retention rate climbed to 87% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 84% during the same period last year and 85% in early 2024. The figures point to a smartphone market in which the vast majority of owners prefer to remain within their chosen ecosystem.
Switching slows to a trickle
The findings show that only 12% of new iPhone purchasers in the March quarter had migrated from an Android handset, edging down from 14% a year ago. Another 1% of buyers moved from basic phones, other platforms, or purchased their first smartphone. Industry observers view these modest migration numbers as a sign of a maturing market. Most consumers stay with the operating system they already use, discouraged by the friction of transferring data, applications, accessories, and digital media.
Apple’s upgrade path versus Android conversions
CIRP did not publish the survey’s sample size or margin of error, leaving the precision of the loyalty measurements uncertain. Still, the trend reinforces a strategic reality for Apple: revenue growth is likely to come more reliably from persuading current customers to upgrade than from attracting Android switchers. For rivals such as Google, this entrenched loyalty poses a significant obstacle, even as the Pixel 10 and competing devices garner favorable attention. The data underscores just how durable platform allegiance has become in the smartphone industry.
Sources: cirpapple.substack.com, appleinsider.com