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With iOS failure rates up, marketers should explore other options

Apple's flagship device, the iPhone, was met with an unusually high number of performance issues and setbacks last year, which could lead marketers and application developers to reconsider the ratio of resources they put into iOS campaigns and other devices.

A report from Biancco Technology Group found that iPhone failure rates have increased consecutively since 2015, reaching their peak at the end of 2016. This information is a dent in the manufacturer?s sterling relationship, and marketers should see it as a reminder not to forget about Android and other devices.

"When devices lag, crash or stop working altogether, one of the first things users do is head into their mobile carriers or the device manufacturers themselves to diagnose what's causing the problem ? and fix it quickly and efficiently," said Richard Stiennon, chief strategy officer at Blancco Technology Group. 

Failure rate
With the smartphone market growing every year and quickly surpassing other channels as the dominant way consumers interact with the digital world, marketers have been quick to follow the leaders of the industry.

As the popularizer of what we now call the smartphone and an undeniable trendsetter, it is understandable that what Apple does, marketers follow closely.

Many campaigns are designed with Apple first, if not consciously then subconsciously.

But with the increasing failure rate of iPhones, this may serve as a wake up call to marketers that other devices need love too.


iOS? failure rate hovers at 62 percent while its main competitor, Android, has a much healthier 47 percent.

Marketers need to be aware that these kinds of things can have a real effect on the market. Right now Apple is on top in terms of device penetration, but continuing failure rates could drive more customers to other devices, necessitating a change in strategy to account for an increasing number of consumers using different devices.

Platform agnostic
iOS-specific campaigns are not the norm, as most marketing campaigns are available on both platforms, but they do exist, specifically in relation to Apple?s new iMessage makeover that allows for in-message apps.

These apps have seen use from a variety of brands, including Dunkin? Donuts and Hallmark and range from marketing to commercial options.

Dunkin? Donuts leveraged iMessage?s unique capabilities to drive Valentine?s Day sales (see story).

Meanwhile, Hallmark used the app to offer branded e-cards (see story).


But the increasing failure rate of iOS means that these brands may have to begin turning to more platform-agnostic messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger in order to ensure their message is being seen by the most amount of consumers possible.

"Mobile network operators and device manufacturers refer to this as the post-sales customer service and repair experience ? and speed and efficiency are two of the most critical aspects of this experience,? Mr. Stiennon said. ?But without an easy-to-use, robust diagnostics solution, mobile users are often left frustrated with long processing times and inaccurate diagnoses, which in turn, leads to lower Net Promoter Scores and unnecessary returns for mobile network operators and device manufacturers."