Ever since smartphones rose to prominence, there has been fierce debate over whether Android or iOS devices are superior—and Instagram head Adam Mosseri is apparently now in camp Android.
It all started when the tech influencer Marques Brownlee, or MKBHD, took to Threads to ask for people’s “best tech hot takes.”
“Android’s now better than iOS,” Mosseri bluntly responded.
Although his use of the word “now” suggests that iOS was once the better operating system in his eyes, he didn’t expand on why Android has taken the lead in his esteem.
Fortune has contacted Meta for further comment.
Either way, the tech leader’s opinion has gathered a lot of attention—which, given Threads’ need for engagement, was perhaps a motive behind the comment.
With over 3,500 likes, Mosseri’s response was the post’s most-liked response and drew over 500 further comments filled with users defending their preferred device.
Why Mosseri may take sides
The Android/iOS war isn’t the first unusual topic for Mosseri to weigh in on.
He’s been very active on Threads since its launch and has been responding to users’ existential questions on everything from whether actors are paid fairly to whether employers should call their staff “family.”
Mosseri—who was made head of Instagram following the resignation of the app’s founders in 2018, six years after Mark Zuckerberg bought it for $1 billion—has been placed in charge of Meta’s new darling, Threads.
Despite its record-breaking debut, active daily users on the app continue to drop and traffic is now down 70% from its peak two weeks ago.
So some are skeptical that his controversial comments are a “publicity stunt” to ramp up engagement, or are based on iOS’ strict third-party policies being a pain for his employer.
Since Apple pushed its privacy framework, App Tracking Transparency, social media platforms that rely on tracking for targeted ads, like Meta, have gotten stung and experienced a share price slump.
“You are saying this bullsh*t because you can track users on Android,” one user responded to Mosseri. Meanwhile, another added, “Yeah cause Apple like privacy so you can’t make as much money.”
Which is better: iOS or Android?
Which operating system is best depends largely on who you’re asking and where they live.
Android is the most popular operating system worldwide, but iOS reigns supreme in the U.S. and the U.K.
As of the first quarter of 2023, Apple held an estimated 52% U.S. smartphone market share, with Samsung the runner-up at 27%.
Similarly in Britain, Apple made up over 50% of the country’s mobile phone sales by July 2022, compared to 30% for Samsung and just under 5% for Huawei.
