As it stands, the market battle between Android and iPhone seems set to continue forever, but you can’t ignore that the majority of users who do switch are abandoning Google for Apple. What follows are three of the biggest reasons for doing so, identified by Creative Strategies, as Apple’s iPhone sales threaten to spike.

Reason #1: Security

I think most people are growing more aware of the need to maintain device security and to keep a fairly steady eye on data security. Apple seems to agree — notice how its Android attack line videos (two included below for reference) are focused around similar reasons?

Security awareness

That’s not always been the case, but thousands of malware attacks and high-profile data breaches such as those form Yahoo and others mean that even smartphone users who aren’t particularly tech savvy have become more aware.

[ Further reading: How to switch from Android to iPhone ]

Such awareness wasn’t quite as important at the dawn of the smartphone age earlier this century. In part, this was because those devices — while revolutionary at their time — simply didn’t do as much or carry as much information.

Think about it: You could use that 2007 iPhone to purchase items from iTunes. You can use a 2017/2018 model to buy things in the shops. That 2017 iPhone had Exchange support — today’s models can support location- and device-based access to the enterprise intranet.

What I’m arguing is that the value and personal importance of the information kept on our devices has become more important, and Apple’s security story has emerged to be much stronger than that told by competitors. Consumers are not stupid, and as they become more switched on to the value of their digital data, they become more likely to migrate to the more secure iOS platform.

The software updates

Apple’s commitment to regular updates — and its proven track record of creating and shipping security updates across its iOS ecosystem adds a level of reassurance other platforms seem intrinsically unable to match.

At present, 59 percent of iOS users are running the most recent version of the software, with an additional 33 percent running iOS 10. That means nine out of 10 iPhones and iPads run software that’s at most 15 months old. Android is fragmented: Only .3 percent of those devices are on this year’s Android 8, with another 20 percent using last year’s Android 7.

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Reason #2: Sync

Apple’s focus on services reflects a trans-industry wide movement to business models built around rental, rather than ownership. Access becomes everything in this model. AirBnB and Uber lead their fields without really owning the vehicles and buildings used in them.

In more personal terms, we experience this kind of model every time we sign up for a new phone plus connectivity tariff, or when we join Apple’s iPhone Upgrade scheme. We also encounter this with every online service, from music to banking, retail to dating, and anything else.

Ease of use

What’s changed this century is that consumers have grown more accustomed to rental models and have become more trusting in online service provision. Today’s smartphone user may have subscriptions with multiple such services. They are also likely to own multiple devices, and that’s where the problem emerges. In contrast to competitors, Apple’s platforms are far better at syncing passwords, settings, images and other items between all your devices using the same Apple ID. You can even set up a new iPhone just by tapping it with your old one in iOS 11.

That kind of convenience makes it so much easier for consumers rapidly engaging in a multi-device, multiple-service, cross platform digital existence. This sync extends across to Apple’s Macs, of course.

Reason #3: Service

Apple’s customer service and support sets the bar. Not only has the company been known to quietly (if not consistently) help customers even when they have problems that emerge outside warranty, but it also works to make help easy to find, accessible and relevant.

There are lots of signs to evidence these claims: Not only do the company’s in-store Genius Bars offer free expert help, but it offers help and advice (including personal one-to-one sessions) to new users picking up any of its products. If something does go wrong, you’ll usually find effective support at the end of an online chat, in store or over the phone.

This kind of customer support gets noticed. Customers do talk to each other, and word spreads outside of the Apple bubble — and that message is not missed by any Android users who may have encountered problems securing effective help from their device manufacturers, as I’ve heard is sometimes the case.

The three reasons given above come from a Creative Strategies report from Tim Bajarin. One more thing in his report? He thinks around 30 percent of Android users are thinking of switching to an iPhone despite this week’s nonsense from Consumer Reports (no link deserved).

Are you switching to iPhone? Take a look at The Android-to-iPhone switchers guide to help guide your journey.

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