Android phones have overtaken the iPhone to become the most popular smartphone in Britain, according to new research by YouGov.
The YouGov poll of 2,000 UK adults found that some 28 per cent of smartphone users owned an Android-powered handset, while 26 per cent owned an iPhone and 14 per cent a BlackBerry .
When extrapolated, the figures suggest that over four million people over the age of 18 own an Android mobile .
The survey for digital banking provider Intelligent Environments also found that Android users were most likely to spend time mapping and planning travel, with 34 per cent rating this in the top three apps they spent the most time using, compared with 28 per cent for both BlackBerry and iPhone users.
Apple owners, however, were the most addicted to their phones, with 18 per cent using theirs more than four hours a day.
They were also big spenders with 17 per cent admitting that their main bank account is permanently overdrawn, compared with 14 per cent for Android customers and 13 per cent for BlackBerry .
James Richards, director of mobile at Intelligent Environments, said: “The top three mobile platforms in the UK certainly seem to attract different personalities. It’s fair to say that iPhone and BlackBerry have strong identities but given that Android is on a number of handsets, we are clearly seeing more of a mixed user base.”
“Perhaps we will see the telecoms industry of the future tailoring their apps and services further to suit the variety of demands being placed on the mobile .”
