Google also reported how much its developers make thanks to Android. It paid $5 billion to developers over the last 12 months, more than double the $2 billion it paid to developers the year previous.
But in regard to that metric, Apple is trouncing Android. According to Evans, “Apple told us that it paid out $7bn in calendar year 2013 – given the growth trend, it probably paid $10bn in the last 12m.â€
Evans brings up a few reasons this could be happening. On average, Android phones are much cheaper than iPhones, attracting a different user base that could be more fiscally conscious.
Android devices are also more popular in lower-income countries where users could lack credit cards. “Finally, this can become circular: if developers believe that Android users do not pay, then their behavior will be affected – they may offer a free ad-supported app instead of a paid app, or have a lower price,†said Evans. “And if they decide not to support Android or support it second, then their users will gravitate to iPhone first, which becomes self-fulfilling.â€