On Tuesday, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri provided his own ‘hot take’ on the Threads account of well-known reviewer Marques Brownlee, which caused a significant uproar for his brand-new social media platform Threads. Mosseri wrote on Twitter that “Android’s now better than iOS.” As one might anticipate from such a divisive subject and post, some comments agreed with the Instagram CEO, while others said things like, “Now I understand why there’s no native iPad app for Instagram.”
The Longstanding Debate
There were some iOS supporters there, and one of them posted that “Android is better at ad-tracking and poor customer service.” One Thread participant asked, “Do they let you dress yourself in the morning?” in a reply that was specifically addressed at Mosseri. After using the platform for the past ten years, an Android user expressed his disagreement with the CEO by stating that he “strongly disagrees” and that he is sick of Android and considering switching back to iOS.
An iOS user who disputed the Instagram CEO’s assertion also disputed Mosseri’s statement. This Threads subscriber responded, “This is just objectively false, iOS has gotten very seamless with almost no pain points over the last couple years.”
Naturally, the group included several Android defenders. “I’ve been using Android for years, and it’s always done me well, connecting to my other devices, allowing me to access spreadsheets, and providing me with all the apps I require. Switching to iOS would be difficult, one person stated.
Adding fuel to the fire?
While Mosseri’s tweet fanned the flames of the ongoing conflict between supporters of Android and iOS, it’s arguably less surprising that he chose Android than that he even voiced his preference. For the record, Instagram launched on iOS first before releasing an Android version long before Mosseri was named Instagram CEO and before what was then a picture filter software was purchased by Facebook. Of fact, such was the customary sequence of events back then, and it continues to be so today.
With about 71% of the global smartphone market, Android is the most widely used operating system. iOS is second with a 28% share. The dominance of Android is partially attributable to some markets’ lower Android phone prices. For instance, despite being a developing country, India has the second-largest smartphone market in the world. Android controls 95% of cellphone sales in that market because consumers there are more price sensitive than in other nations.
