Marbridge Daily

Umeng: China's 2012 Active Android Users Reach 160 Mln

Umeng, 3/26/13

According to a report released by Beijing-based mobile application analytics platform Umeng on March 26, the number of active iOS users in China grew to 85 mln as of the end of 2012, while the number of active Android users grew to 160 mln. The total number of monthly new iOS and Android users grew from a mere 9.2 mln in January 2012 to 33 mln in December 2012. The number of new iOS and Android devices added in 2012 was three times the total for 2011.

iPhones accounted for between 74% and 82% of iOS devices in 2012, while iPads reached a peak of 23% of iOS devices. iPads accounted for 82% of all tablet computers in Q4 2012, as compared to 17% for Android-based tablets and 1% for iPad minis. Samsung and HTC continued to lead the Android device market in Q4 2012, but saw their total share of the market decline from 53% in Q3 2011 to 32% in Q4 2012. The top ten Android tablets in Q4 2012 contained three tablets from Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Lenovo (0992.HK) and four tablets from Samsung.

The total number of December 2012 application launches on all mobile platforms surveyed (Android, iOS, and Windows Phone) was 16 times the January 2012 total, and monthly usage time was 12 times what it had been in January 2012.

Average per-user time spent using video applications increased from nine minutes per day to 31 minutes per day over the course of 2012, a growth of 259%. Frequency of usage also increased by 24% for video apps, and by 114% for mobile reader apps. Mobile reader apps saw a 6% decline in average per-user time spent, reflecting increasing mobile user preference for short-form content. Female users comprised a clear majority (68% to 75%) of mobile e-commerce app users and photography app users (roughly 60%). Male users accounted for 70% of mobile gamers in the adventure and card and chess game categories, while women accounted for a majority (65%) of gamers in the edutainment and home gaming categories.

Peak hours for in-app content sharing, as reported by Umeng, are from 12 noon to 2 PM and around midnight. Daily usage frequency among users who engaged in social sharing was 3.5 times that of users of the same app who did not engage in social sharing, and average per-user time for the former was 3.8 times that of the latter.

As of March 2013, Umeng's analysis platform covers 100,000 applications.

Editor's Note: Umeng's figures all describe "active devices," i.e., mobile devices, running supported operating systems, which have launched at least one application using Umeng's mobile application analytics platform within a given period.

China's Active Android Device Market Share by Brand

Keywords: national statistics segmentation growth rate user habits 2012 mobile application users wireless Android market share tablet iPad Umeng iOS Q4 2012 analytics iPhone mobile OS