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Awareness on OS and UI is pretty low among Android users in India

64% of Android smartphones shipped in the India market in 2015 featured the ageing Android KitKat OS, reveals a CyberMedia Research (CMR)report on the state of mobile OS adoption.

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Soma Tah
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BANGALORE, INDIA: It is interesting to note that 72% of Android smartphone buyers did not receive an update to the latest Android OS or its latest features at the time of purchase in CY 2015. 64% of Android smartphones shipped in the India market in 2015 featured the ageing Android KitKat OS, reveals a CyberMedia Research (CMR)report on the state of mobile OS adoption.  The study was conducted across 158 different Smartphone brands and covered 1,476 device models.

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“Typically, a consumer nowadays needs to purchase a premium priced smartphone to access the latest Android OS or software-enabled features. The key reason for the delay in sending updates to existing Android smartphones is that handset vendors prefer to launch new models, rather than focusing on updating existing ones. Of course, this comes with the rider that wherever it is essential and critical to send an update, they do not remain selective,” said Faisal Kawoosa, Lead Analyst, Telecoms at CMR.

Android users also lag behind the iOS users, in terms of the awareness and eagerness in upgrading the OS. While iOS users lead with 96% users updating the OS at least once, Android lags behind at an abysmal 38%. Interestingly, the major drivers for OS update are 77% users seeking performance improvements, 57% users wanting to explore new features, and 43% looking for security and bug fixes.

Emerging Role of Software as a Differentiator: Custom ROM and UI

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In 2015, only 2.3% of smartphones shipped in India were equipped with a Custom ROM – Cyanogen or Oxygen. Despite Custom ROM offering deeper levels of customization, it is largely left for more tech-savvy users to ‘fiddle’ with the device, giving them a more personalized experience. Over 95% of smartphones shipped during the year were loaded with a proprietary UI from the handset vendor that not only allows users flexibility to personalize widgets (apps, subscriptions, etc.) but also serves as a visible differentiator for brands.

“The smartphone industry as a whole needs to increase awareness about all the three hierarchies – OS, Custom ROM and UI among users. This will enable them to appreciate the relevance of software updates and how OS level updates can improve overall handset performance. We witnessed a very high update percentage across OS, Custom ROM and UI among users, once they were made aware about the significance of the same,” said Satya Mohanty, Lead, End-User Research at CMR.

“With increase in commoditization of hardware features owing to competitive pressures, smartphone vendors will need to start focusing on creating differentiation through user experience enabled by OS and software features,” added Kawoosa.

You can download the entire report here.

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