Apple’s iPhone, which runs the company’s iOS mobile operation system, is gaining popularity in Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, claims a report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. The report, based on smartphone sales data for the first quarter of 2015, shows that iOS devices accounted for 20.3 percent of all smartphone sales over the period – an increase of 1.8 percent from the same period last year.

“In the first quarter of 2015, the iPhone 6 and [iPhone] 6 Plus continued to attract consumers across Europe, including users who previously owned an Android smartphone,” stated Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

The research found that, across the five countries mentioned, on average 32.4 percent of customers who bought an iPhone for the first time during the first quarter of this year switched to iOS from Android handsets.

Android’s market share declines in Europe

Compared to the same period a year ago, Android’s share of the European smartphone market declined by 3.1 percentage points to 68.4 percent.

This continues the gains made by iOS in the fourth quarter of 2014 when its European smartphone market share increased by 6.2 percent over the same period a year ago. Android, in turn, saw a 3.8 percent year-over-year decline in the fourth quarter of 2014.

It’s not all doom-and-gloom for Android though.

“In Great Britain, while 25.6 percent of new iOS buyers switched from Android during the quarter, Android’s leadership remains strong, thanks to the price options consumers have in both the contract and prepay market,” said Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe.

A survey showed that 35 percent of consumers who bought an Android smartphone in the first quarter of this year did so because they received a favorable price on the phone. A further 29 percent indicated that good contract deals influenced their decision to buy an Android phone.

photo credit: iOS 8 icons via photopin (license)