What Android is like in Iran

One of my Android apps is so popular in Iran that it had got 100 thousand active users from Iran last month. As I almost know nothing about Iran, it's quite interesting to me what Android is like there.

Until now, the information I got is only based on numbers reported by Google Analytics.

Overview

Good news, more than 60% users in Iran are using Android 4.1 or above.

Bad news, most users only have slow internet links like 2G/3G or ADSL.

Devices

Then what about mobile devices in Iran? Top popular phone are from Samsung and Huawei. It's not surprising, as Samsung and Huawei are dumping their cheap phones to the third world. The interesting thing is, according to the whole datasheet, there is no device from Nexus or Moto. The only explanation I have is that companies of US are forbidden to sell devices to Iran (Iran Sanctions).

Another finding is that most users from Iran are using really low-end phones, which are ususally shipped with very low-resolution display, like 480x800, 480x854 or 540x960. I cannot tell if they are using second-hand devices smuggled from other countries or low-end devices designed for the local market like what's happening in India and China. As Xiaomi has already been selling their 720p devices below $100 dollars, maybe they should expand their business to Iran?

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Author

Max Lv

A programmer focusing on High-performance Computing.