Android Devices Are Open To Latin America

A recent report by Mixpanel indicates Latin American countries are an open area for Android devices. According to the study, a key question is, which types of devices should developers spend time optimizing for to better serve these audiences? Mixpanel outlined mobile trends and ideas. The trends for Android indicate "cost is king." Android developers see the international market as an open territory.

According to Guía Local, Android powered 61.3% of smartphone internet traffic in Latin America during 2013. iOS and Windows Phone followed at a considerably large distance, securing market shares of 28.1% and 4.9%, respectively. The report indicated that in Latin America alone, there are opportunities for Android and the diversity of devices running on the Android OS. Countries in Latin America such as Mexico and Brazil are at the forefront.

The report also showed some of the hottest Android markets. These included the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Developers for Android also were influenced by the costs of such devices within the low-end, mid-range and luxury tiers. Choosing the right audience attracts consumers which may be more drawn to higher-end devices could prove more long term value. The spending power indicators were key.

Android registered the highest shares of smartphone online traffic in Panama (80.6%), Bolivia (75.0%) and Argentina (74.6%). The Google OS was so dominant in these markets that second-place iOS came at least 55 percentage points behind. In extreme cases like Argentina, where protectionist policies and a deeply embattled economy have made it nearly impossible for consumers to own an iPhone, the gap between Android and iOS stretched to nearly 65%.

Will Android come out on top towards winning the race in Latin America, markets like Mexico and Colombia? As the second and third largest countries in the region by population, there still are remaining open battlegrounds. According to Guía Local, in 2013, iOS claimed a 36.4% smartphone traffic share in Mexico and a respectable 31.8% in Colombia. At those levels, Apple’s OS trailed Android by 16.2 and 22.6 percentage points, respectively.