Android's share of the smartphone market has shrunk in the U.S. for the first time since 2013, according to new research, as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus helped Apple's iOS make market-share gains around the world.

The market share of Android -- the mobile operating software developed by Google – fell by 2 percentage points, year-on-year, in the U.S. over the three months ending November 2014, according to Kantar Worldpanel on Wednesday.

It also slipped by over 3 percentage points across Europe's five biggest countries, and tanked by 6.7 percentage points in the U.K.

Dominic Sunnebo, the strategic insight director at Kantar, predicted more gains for Apple in the future due to the popularity of its newest iPhone models.



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"The longer the new iPhone models are on the market the more their appeal will extend beyond Apple's loyal customers," he said in a press release.

Officially released in stores in September, sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus across the world topped 10 million in on the first weekend, according to Apple, managing to eclipse the launch figures of the previous 5S and 5C models.

Customers switching from Android to iOS – Apple's iOS -- remains stable at 18 percent, according to the Kantar, although it was especially pronounced in certain regions.

Between September and November 2014, Apple's share of the market grew to 42.5 percent in the U.K -- a growth rate of 12.2 percentage points year-on-year. In the U.S., Apple accounted for 47.4 percent of sales, 4.3 percentage points higher than during the same period in 2013. Meanwhile in China, Apple sales increased by 1.1 percentage points, bringing Apple's share of the smartphone market to 18.1 percent.

"Android fatigue is setting in," Neil Mawston, mobile analyst at Strategy Analytics, told CNBC via email. "Android, rather like Symbian a few years ago, has become too popular for its own good."