Cellular16.10.2014

Apple versus Android: mobile browser war

By Staff Writer

Akamai recently released its Q4 2014 State of the Internet report, which showed that Mobile Safari is the most popular mobile browser in the world.

The Akamai State of the Internet Report draws data from Akamai IO, which collects data on browser usage across PC and mobile devices connected via fixed and mobile networks.

Mobile browser usage on cellular networks

The diagram below illustrates mobile browser usage by users identified to be on cellular networks in the second quarter of 2014.

The diagram focuses on the usage of Android Webkit and Apple Mobile Safari, with other browsers designated as “Others” in the graph.

As the graph shows, a gap of 2-3% separated Mobile Safari and Android Webkit during the first month of the quarter.

The changes in early May were the result of an update to the underlying Akamai IO database which reclassified several “other” browsers as Android Webkit.

Usage of the two browsers appeared to be extremely similar for the next couple of weeks, but by the end of the quarter the gap had widened to 4-5% in Mobile Safari’s favour.

Overall, Apple Mobile Safari trended to an average of 35.9% of requests, while Android Webkit trended to an average of 32.6% of requests.

While usage of Android Webkit and Apple Mobile Safari on cellular networks has been fairly close in the two years that we have been publishing this data from the State of the Internet Report, this is the first quarter where Safari essentially led Webkit on cellular networks across the full 90-day observation period.

Mobile browsers on cellular networks

Mobile browser usage on all networks

Expanding the data set to all networks (not just those defined as cellular), Apple Mobile Safari was once again the most popular.

At the start of the quarter, a gap of approximately 19% separated Apple Mobile Safari and Android Webkit.

The early May reclassification helped boost the observed usage of Android Webkit, but by the end of the quarter the gap had only narrowed slightly, to around 17%.

Averaged across the entire quarter, Apple Mobile Safari accounted for 48.5% of requests, while Android Webkit accounted for 31.6% of requests.