Survey shows consumers are more loyal to their OS than a brand

When you get a new smartphone, are you loyal to the brand? What about the operating system? According to a new survey, we’re more likely to stick with the operating system we’ve been using. As for brand loyalty, we’re a little more apt to stray.

 A healthy 68% of users will stick with their OS when migrating between phones, according to a new survey from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. With so much variety in the market, it seems we’re unable to resist temptation; 59% of us will switch brands when choosing a new device. In the face of all the proprietary OS skins Android OEMs toss at us, it seems we’re unaffected for the most part.

This is almost entirely and Android discussion, too. Apple is great at keeping iOS safely guarded, but Android is open and varied. You may use a Samsung Galaxy S4 now, but the new HTC One-whatever may entice you. If you feel a twinge of guilt about wanting to give it a shot, don’t — you’re in the majority!

Staying put with an OS is no real surprise. Re-purchasing apps is an annoyance, and relearning an interface is something many are just not willing to do. It will be interesting to see how wearables fit into this equation in future surveys. With Tizen being Samsung’s new wearable OS, and Google expected to release an Android-esque smart watch OS soon, these numbers cold become more diverse.