Android overtakes Apple with 44% share of mobile app downloads

Google’s Android now has the leading market share for app downloads ahead of Apple, according to new data from ABI Research.

More Android apps were downloaded in Q2 2011 than iOS apps (a 44% and 31% market share respectively), though Apple still gets more downloads per user than Android.

Android is a bigger platform so the download numbers are not surprisingly, however, Apple has the advantage of a good pool of developers with a better catalogue of apps and a better user experience, which is vital to its future success, according to Business Insider.

Despite this, the iPhone’s sales growth is slowing while Android smartphone shipments increased by 36% in Q2. Android’s success has been attributed to its open source strategy, which has allowed growth in third party multi-platform and mobile operator app stores.

Global app downloads for year-end 2011 are expected to rise to 29 billion, compared to only nine billion in 2010. The total smartphone install base is expected to grow 46% in 2011.

The figures come days after The Sunday Times revealed that Steve Jobs fell out with Eric Schmidt, chief executive of Google, over Android. Schmidt was elected to Apple’s board of directors in 2006 and resigned in 2009 due to the conflict of interests between Apple and Google. He was there when Apple launched the iPhone and Jobs complained that Google went on to “steal” Apple’s design and ideas to develop the Android operating system. A lawsuit between the two companies remains unresolved.