To make sure that your website delivers a great mobile browsing experience, you need to learn which mobile browsers are the most popular in your target market. For example Android users can swap Chrome for Opera, Firefox, or UC Browser, while iPhone users may prefer Chrome over Safari. Check out the latest statistics on the most popular smartphone browsers based on DeviceAtlas' statistics in Q3 2016.
Mobile browsers available today
Android users have the largest selection of mobile browsers to choose from that can replace the default browser on their phone. The most popular ones, available from the Play Store, are UC Browser, Opera, and Firefox. For iOS users Chrome Mobile is arguably the most common alternative choice, although Opera Mini, UC Browser, and Firefox are also available.
| Browser | First released | Operating system | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome for Android | 2012 | Android | Default Android browser since Android 4.2. |
| Android Browser | 2008 | Android | Default Android browser from Android 1.5 to 4.1 (later replaced by Chrome). |
| Safari | 2007 | iOS | iOS version of desktop Safari available since the release of the first iPhone in 2007. |
| Chrome for iOS | 2012 | iOS | iOS version of the Chrome browser. |
| IE Mobile | 1996 (Pocket IE), 2008 (IE Mobile) | Windows | Default browser for Windows Phone-based devices and older Windows CE devices (formerly known as Pocket IE). |
| Microsoft Edge Mobile | 2015 | Windows | Default browser for Windows 10 Mobile-based devices. |
| Samsung Browser | 2012 | Android | Samsung Browser was released as an alternative to a default Android browser on Samsung Galaxy devices. |
| Opera Mobile | 2010 | Android | Opera Mobile was available before 2010 on older mobile OSes, such Windows Mobile and Symbian. |
| Opera Mini | 2008 (Android), 2010 (iOS), 2015 (Windows Phone) | Android, iOS, Windows | Opera Mini pre-processes and compresses websites before sending them to the mobile phone. |
| Firefox | 2011(Android), 2015 (Firefox OS, iOS), | Android, Firefox OS, iOS | A mobile version of the Firefox browser. Default browser for the Firefox OS-based devices. |
| UC Browser | 2010 (iOS), 2009 (Android) | Android, iOS, Windows Phone | A Chinese mobile browser popular in some Asian markets such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia. |
Safari and Chrome are leading, Samsung Browser is growing fast
Depending on the local market, either Safari or Chrome Mobile are the most used mobile browsers. Chrome Mobile is leading in Italy, Spain, and India, while Safari dominates in France, UK, and the USA. Generally speaking, we noticed that Chrome Mobile is a more popular smartphone browser than Safari, especially in emerging markets. This is also due to the fact that some users install Chrome on their iOS devices.
In the Android world it is common for device makers to release their own software which either replaces default apps from Google or works as a pre-loaded alternative. This is particularly effective in the case of Samsung whose Samsung Browser is now the third most popular mobile browser in the largest markets including Germany (24.6%), South Korea (18.2%), and UK (16.5%).
Here are the most recent statistics showing which mobile browsers were the most used in each country based on DeviceAtlas' web browsing statistics in Q3 2016.
Western Europe
Eastern Europe / Africa
Americas
Asia / Asia Pacific
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All statistics represent the share of web traffic in selected countries based on mobile visits tracked by DeviceAtlas.