Google's browsers are now the most popular in the U.S., according to new research from Adobe.
The research showed that Google’s browsers passed Microsoft's Internet Explorer for the numbers of visits to U.S.-based websites on both personal computers and mobile devices.
Google’s Chrome and Android browsers had 31.8% share in April, up from around 26% the prior year, Adobe said. Internet Explorer had 30.9% share, down from roughly 37% a year ago.
However, Google does not make the most-popular desktop browser or mobile browser. On desktops, Internet Explorer is number one, with 43% share compared to 31% for Chrome. On mobile devices, Apple's Safari is by far the most popular, with 59% of searches.
By making its Chrome browser more popular among internet users, Google is could save on the traffic-acquisition costs it pays to Apple and the Mozilla Foundation to be the default search engine in their browsers.
It also attracts more users to its search engine, as the Chrome browser's address bar is simultaneously the search bar powered by Google search. And more traffic to Google search means more ad revenue for Google.
In addition, Google can "track" Chrome users when they sign in to Chrome while browsing - information that can be used by advertisers.