Android and iOS cemented their lead in the global smartphone operating system market, accounting for 85 percent of shipments during the second quarter of 2012, according to figures from IDC.

The success of these two platforms contrasts with the fortunes of former platform market leaders Symbian OS and BlackBerry, which both fell below the 5 percent market share level.

And despite the doubling of shipment volumes for Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, led by the ramp-up of the Lumia range at Nokia, this platform still has an uninspiring share – 3.5 percent – indicating the need for additional momentum when Windows Phone 8 devices reach the market.

Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC, noted: "With much of the world's mobile phone user base still operating feature phones, the smartphone OS market share battle is far from over. There is still room for some mobile OS competitors to gain share, although such efforts will become increasingly difficult as smartphone penetration increases."

According to the company, the success of Android “can be traced directly to Samsung,” which accounted for 44 percent of all smartphones shipped using the Google OS during the period. Its volume “totalled more than the next seven Android vendors’ volumes combined”.

Apple’s growth was slower than the market, as anticipation builds for the next-generation iPhone.

Chart: Worldwide Smartphone OS Market Share, 2Q 2012Description: Tags: Author: IDCcharts powered by iCharts