Chrome has been the biggest web browser on the planet for quite some time now. Everybody uses Google Chrome. You’re probably reading this article right now on Google Chrome either on your desktop or on your mobile phone. Chrome is available on both iPhones and Android smartphones, but it is Android where Chrome is used the most. If you head over to the Google Play Store right now, you’ll see just how popular Chrome is; it has just racked up its 5 billionth download!
Google Chrome is now one of only five apps to have been downloaded 5 billion times
From the humble beginnings of web search Google has grown to dominate the modern tech landscape. By making its mobile operating system software, Android, open source it has put its own apps at the heart of smartphones all over the world. Of the two major mobile operating systems, iOS and Android, Android has been adapted for more headsets including the many budget option Android smartphones available around the world.
A lack of a budget option from Apple means that many consumers don’t even consider Apple when they’re looking for a new phone. When the time comes, it is a question of which Android phone they’ll get rather than a choice between an Android or iOS-powered device.
Google Chrome is a great web browser, but it is Android’s dominance that has powered its ascension to 5 billion downloads. Chrome comes pre-packaged on all Android phones that offer access to the Google Play Store. This point is backed up when you look at the other four apps that have reached 5 billion downloads; Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Search. Yep, all of them are Google apps and all of them come loaded alongside the Google Play Store.
This doesn’t mean that this isn’t a big deal though. Hitting 5 billion downloads, whether you’ve a leg up from Android or not, marks a significant milestone. There are only 7.5 billion people on the planet, so 5 billion downloads, theoretically at least, puts Chrome in the hands of two-thirds of every man, woman, and child on the planet.
Look at it this way. There are lots of other great browsers available on Android. Not least Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Brave, and Microsoft Edge. Each offer unique abilities for users with some focusing on privacy, others on speed, and Brave even offering a way to make money just by surfing the web. When you total all their downloads though, they come in way behind, stuck in the millions. Google Chrome has more Android downloads than all of them combined and still has extra zeros to spare.
This means that although there have been a few hiccups at Chrome HQ recently, and other browsers are looking to make more of a dent into Chrome’s dominance, there is still only one undisputed ruler of the web browser market. All hail Google Chrome.
