Some 28% of smartphone users own an Android, with 26% using an iPhone and 14% a BlackBerry, the study for digital banking provider Intelligent Environments found. More than four million British people over 18 years old own an Android – and it is popular with both young professionals and older people. More than a third (36%) of those aged 25-34 who are smartphone owners use an Android phone, and a quarter (25%) of retired people who own a smartphone use an Android phone.

This report is interesting because it breaks the stereotype that Google’s (GOOG) Android is a U.S.-only or U.S.-led anomaly.  The rise of Android in Europe will likely be hastened by the implosion of Nokia’s (NOK) Symbian platform as the company shifts to a Microsoft (MSFT)Windows Phone 7 strategy over the next year or two (Who wants to buy a device on a dead platform?).

The report had some other interesting nuggets:

• Maps are big on Android: 34% rate Maps in the top three apps they spend the most time using, compared with BlackBerry (RIMM) and Apple (AAPL) (both 28%).
• 63% of iPhone users rank social networking and 48% games in their top three apps.
• 18% of iPhone users spend more than four hours on their phone each day, compared with just 4% of Android and BlackBerry users

James Richards, director of mobile at Intelligent Environments, said: “The top three mobile platforms in the UK certainly seem to attract different personalities. It’s fair to say that iPhone and BlackBerry have strong identities but given that Android is on a number of handsets, we are clearly seeing more of a mixed user base. Perhaps we will see the telecoms industry of the future tailoring their apps and services further to suit the variety of demands being placed on the mobile.”

It will be interesting to see how the market share numbers fluctuate as Nokia’s Symbian heads toward zero.

Image via Talk Android