Android users more engaged with ads in Dec

Android overtook Apple in user activity at Thanksgiving and now it takes the lead in user engagement

That’s it: Android wins.  For now… 

Not long after comScore reported that the Android market share has finally overtaken the iOS share, a new report from mobile advertising network Mojiva finds that Android users were more engaged with their devices than iOS users for the first time last month.  This is a major departure from previous trends, which showed iOS users in the lead in user engagement with the mobile Web and apps from September through November.  But a sudden sea change occurred at Thanksgiving, at which point Android users took the lead—a trend that appears to have stuck.

Based on unique users, the Android OS smoked the competition with a 60% overall network share across Mojiva in December, according to the Mullet.  In other words, 6 out of 10 users who engaged with an ad on the Mojiva network were using an Android device. 

In the week before Christmas, Android accounted for 56% of users on the Mojiva network, while iOS accounted for 29% and RIM maintained a slim wedge of 12%.  Apple saw a boost in user engagement after Christmas, however, as its unique audience grew by 6% (likely due to more people receiving Apple devices as gifts), and the iOS network share climbed back to 35%. 

RIM appears to be the biggest loser, however.  By the end of December, RIM’s network share amounted to a paltry 7%, less than half of its November network share of 18%.  RIM is now more or less where Symbian was back in September, while Symbian now accounts for a teensy sliver of the network share.

RIM nevertheless takes the top spot in overall market share, according to comScore, but only by a narrow margin. RIM accounts for 33.5% of the market, while Android accounts for 26%, but Android has been on a steep and steady upward trajectory, so it's only a matter of time (a couple of months, max) before Android is sitting pretty at the top.

Interestingly, Apple saw a higher click-through-rate before the holiday: 0.50% for the iPhone, just over 0.40% for the iPod Touch, and slightly more than 0.20% for the iPad.  Those numbers dropped off steeply after Christmas, whereas the opposite was true for Android devices.  Android devices had a higher click-through-rate after the holiday than it did before.

Image source: nandokasteleijn.com