Android's global smartphone market share now stands at around 88%

According to latest numbers released by market research firm Strategy Analytics, Android's global smartphone market share in Q3 2016 stood at around 88%, up from the 84.1% figure reported in the same period last year..

Apple's iOS, meanwhile, lost some of its market share - it's now 12.1%, down from the 13.6% share it claimed in Q3 last year. Talking about smartphone shipments, Android phones saw an Y-o-Y growth of 10.3%, while iOS saw a decline of 5.2%.

"Android’s gain came at the expense of every major rival platform," said Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics. "Apple iOS lost ground to Android and dipped to 12 percent share worldwide in Q3 2016, due to a lackluster performance in China and Africa."

"BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows Phone have all but disappeared due to strategic shifts, while Tizen and other emerging platforms softened as a result of limited product portfolios and modest developer support."