About three percent of Web traffic accessed via iOS in North America is now via Google’s Chrome browser, marking the first time it has crossed this threshold, according to research from online ad network Chitika.
The percentage may be negligible, but this creeping increase in traction into Apple’s stronghold may be a sign that Google could be appealing to iPhone users who already have Chrome on their desktop.
Chitika notes that in the more than 14 months since Chrome made its debut for iOS in mid-2012, its share has been stuck in the 2 percent range. Usage rates only crossed the 3 percent mark in the final week of September.
Chitika says it isn’t clear what exactly contributed to the rise in Chrome usage, but attributes it partially to the release of Version 30 of Chrome for iOS 7 on September 18, as well as the new iPhone 5s and 5c that went on sale on September 20, along with an advertising campaign for Chrome.
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To measure Chrome usage on iOS devices, Chitika examined tens of millions of North American ad impressions generated by iOS devices between September 1 and September 30, with the browser then analyzed and determined accordingly.
Headline image via Kimihiro Hoshino/AFP/Getty Images
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