Google’s Android OS has taken almost 50% of the global smartphone market share, research firm Canalys has said in its report.

Android is currently being used by almost all major cellphone manufacturers like – HTC, Motorola, Samsung and LG.

Apple’s iOS is second in the list with a considerable distance, reporting 19% market share in comparison to Android’s 50%. Although Apple has overtaken Nokia as the world’s largest individual smartphone vendor.

On the other hand Samsung, which sells Android smartphones as well as its own Bada branded devices, shipped some 17 million devices, a rise of 421 per cent versus a year ago.