Use Of Google’s Chrome Browser Continues To Rise On iOS Devices

Google’s Chrome third-party browser now makes up 3 percent of total Web traffic from iOS devices. That’s according to a recent report from market research firm Chikita. A month after the app was released in mid-2012, 1.5 percent of iOS Web traffic came from users of the browser. That number hung around 2 percent until September. The firm was unsure why those numbers have spiked:

While it’s unclear what has contributed to this rise in Chrome usage, it could be partially due to the September 18 release of the new version of Chrome optimized for iOS 7. The release of the new iPhone on September 20, along with the ongoing Chrome advertising campaign may have also impacted adoption rates.

And even though the usage numbers have just risen slightly, that’s still a huge number of iOS devices:

While Chrome usage share on iOS devices rose only about 0.3 percentage points following September 22, keep in mind that iOS has an incredibly large existing user base meaning that usage changes need to be exceptionally great to cause a significant impact. In this realm, Google still has work to do, but the recent growth is a likely indicator that Chrome is regaining some traction in the iOS browsing space.

Since introducing the browser, Google has done a nice job with a consistent number of updates. The last major update of the app was with version 30.0 in late September. That brought an iOS 7-inspired look along with the ability to open map and email links in Google Maps and Gmail, if desired. Last week, U.K. design firm Parallax found an interesting issue with the browser’s private mode. Search terms in the combined search/address bar in Incognito mode can be accessed later when using the mobile site’s search bar. Google called the issue “unfortunate but unavoidable.” Chrome is a universal app for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad/iPad mini. It can be downloaded now in the App Store for free.

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