mobile - Do iOS / WP users recognize the Android share icon?

I've been assigned the task to add an icon / CTA to enable users to invite people to our application from their contact list.

Due to width restriction, especially with localization, one of the criteria I got was to try and avoid using text for the CTA (Eg Invite) and try and find a suitable icon that communicates the action only using form/colour.

I made a first draft for such an icon, a post letter with our app/company icon stuck into it and an arrow cueing "ready to send".

However I worry about a few things looking at the icon.

• Is it too cluttered, hard to see what it is?


• Is it hard to identify what the icon is trying to communicate? Something stuck into a letter, what does that mean?

I would love to get some feedback on this icon, even though it may be dangerously close of stepping over the On Topic -line.. I would appreciate constructive feedback on this if you like. I'm not very adept at designing icons, so if you are then please give me a piece of your mind if you want to.

However, what I'm really interested to know though is if it would be OK to use the standard Android sharing icon for this:

OR

As far as I know these icons are generally only utilized in Android native UI and Android applications. Does anyone have an idea of whether it would be OK to use this icon also for iOS and WP users or if it could be considered as a fish out of water and not fit at all?

Answer

The iOS Human Interface Guidelines on standard icons shows another icon as standard share icon. iOS users should be more familiar with this share icon and not recognize the Android one.

Windows phone 8 does have an other standard share icon.

jQuery mobile doesn't include a share icon.

So you could have a look at a popular multi-platform apps see what kind of icon they use.

Update:

The BBC uses the new Android share icon as generic share icon above and below their articles:

The embedded Youtube player also uses this share icon:

As it keeps spreading, the more likely it becomes that people get familiar with this share icon.