Android phones fail more than iPhone, BlackBerry

If you have an Android phone, this may worry you a little: Android owners tend to complain of hardware failure over software, and more so than users of any other operating system, according to a study.

The study puts this down to Android's massive popularity, as well as how many low-cost handsets are available -- many cheap models use the software, but perhaps aren't as well built as pricier phones. Big sigh of relief.

Repairs to Android handsets cost operators $2 billion (£1.2 billion) a year, according to the year-long study carried out by "wireless experience management experts" WDS, reports BGR. The company surveyed 600,000 support calls across Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia.

It found that Android owners complained about their handsets far more than owners of phones on other operating systems, with 14 per cent of technical support calls on Android relating to hardware. This compared to 11 per cent for Windows Phone, 7 per cent for iOS and 6 percent for BlackBerry OS. Though that's no reflection on the software itself, just the hardware it's used on, which is inevitable given Android's openness.

"One thing we must be absolutely clear on is that our analysis does not find any inherent fault with the Android platform," said Tim Deluca-Smith, vice president of marketing at WDS. "Its openness has enabled the ecosystem to grow to a phenomenal size, at a phenomenal rate, and it's this success that is proving challenging.

"The Android customer experience differs enormously between devices and this means the way in which Android devices are retailed and supported must consider factors such as the hardware build and quality of components," he added.

Though considering the iPhone 4S's recent woes, maybe the occasional Android hardware fail isn't such a big deal.

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