Apple users are becoming even less likely to switch away from the iPhone. According to new research, the company’s customer loyalty has reached its highest level in years.
A new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) (via MacRumors) found that 87% of people who bought an iPhone during the first quarter of 2026 were already using one beforehand.
This is up from 84% during the same period last year. At the same time, the number of Android users moving to Apple’s platform has continued to shrink.
According to CIRP’s survey, just 12% of new iPhone buyers switched from Android during the March quarter. This is down from 14% a year earlier. The remaining 1% came from feature phones, other smartphone platforms or were buying their first smartphone.
The figures suggest that the battle between iPhone and Android is more about keeping existing ones. CIRP notes that Android switchers have consistently accounted for between 11% and 15% of new iPhone buyers in recent years. This is a much narrower range than during the iPhone’s early growth. At that time, Apple was expanding to more carriers and attracting first-time converts in larger numbers.
That trend also reflects a maturing smartphone market. Most buyers have already settled into one ecosystem and are less inclined to change platforms when upgrading.
One product that could help is the long-rumoured foldable iPhone. Apple is widely expected to enter the foldable market in the near future. This could potentially appeal to buyers who have already embraced foldable devices from Samsung, Google and other Android manufacturers.
Smartphone owners appear increasingly loyal to the platform they’ve already chosen, with relatively few switching sides each year. As new AI features and fresh hardware arrive, the competition may become less about converting users and more about giving them fewer reasons to leave.
