Apple depends on mobile phone carriers for iPhone sales. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), with about three-quarters of US iPhone sales going through carriers, Apple relies heavily on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and the rest for initial sales and follow-up service.
Carriers control the sales transaction, where store staff can influence choice of model, and even whether a customer remains with iPhone or switches to Android.
What happens when a customer switches carriers? That turns out to be a point of vulnerability for Apple, according to CIRP. Loyalty to iOS declines when an iPhone owner moves to a new mobile phone company, according to the research group.
“Based on data from our quarterly survey of all smartphone buyers, not just Apple buyers, about one-quarter of buyers switch mobile carriers when they buy a new smartphone, with a slightly higher percentage of Android users than iOS users switching,” says CIRP. “Our mobile phone buyer survey confirms the overall loyalty rates for iPhone users. For the twelve-month period ending in June 2025, iPhone had a loyalty rate of 89%. The loyalty rate was lower for iPhone users who changed mobile carriers.”
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