Analytics firm Flurry took a “deeper look” into the relative success of Android and iOS, arguing that “there is more than one race for mobile market share occurring simultaneously”.

The company said that the number of Android devices it is tracking worldwide doubled last year, reaching 564 million as of April 2013. While the installed base of iOS devices has also grown over that time, Android pulled ahead in late 2012 and has maintained its position ever since – albeit after a period where the number one spot changed several times.

However, when it comes to time spent in apps, Apple maintains the leadership. While the total time spent in Android apps nearly equalled that of iOS in March 2012, it has fallen since then, after the launch of the third generation iPad. So while the Android user base is bigger, more time is spent using apps by iOS users in total.

Flurry suggested several reasons why this may be the case.

Firstly, it mooted that the two operating systems have attracted different types of user. “Once Apple established the app ecosystem many of the consumers who purchased iOS devices were doing so to be able to run apps on those devices,” it said, whereas “many Android devices were provided free by carriers to contract customers upgrading feature phones”.

Secondly, it was suggested that the fragmented nature of the Android ecosystem “creates greater obstacles to app development and therefore limits availability of app content”. In addition to the wide range of devices to support, much of the installed base is also using old versions of the platform, “because the processes for pushing Android updates out to the installed base of Android devices are not nearly as efficient as those for pushing iOS updates to iOS device owners”.

Thirdly, it was suggested that “the arguably larger and richer ecosystem of apps that exists for iOS feeds on itself”. iOS device owners use apps, and so developers create apps for iOS, which “generates positive experiences, word-of-mouth, and further increases in app use”.