A Startling Difference in Android and Apple iOS Traffic Patterns

There is an almost-shocking finding in comScore’s recent “Mobile Future” report: 75.2 percent of all Internet traffic coming from Apple iOS devices comes through a Wi-Fi connection, while 71.4 percent of Android traffic come through mobile broadband access.

In December 2011, WiFi connections drove 40.3 percent of mobile Internet connections by smart phone and 92.3 percent of tablet Internet connections in the U.S. market.

For whatever reason, users of Android devices of all types seem to rely on their mobile broadband connections far more than iOS device users. Perhaps the difference is the use of Wi-Fi-only iPod “Touch” devices, or some difference in the types of data plans iOS users buy, compared to Android users.

It is a startling difference, whatever the reason.