Android's US mobile ad activity up 7% in August as Google chips away at iOS

While the last Mobile Mix report from Millennial Media suggested Apple had consolidated its position as the leading OS on the firm's ad network, August's figures paint a picture of rival Android gaining serious ground.

The headline figure comes in the form of Millennial's smartphone OS mix, with Apple's July share falling from 55 percent to 48 percent according to August's figures.

Indeed, Millennial claims ads on iOS as a whole have fallen flat of late, although iPad ad requests have grown 76 percent month on month.

Android on the up

It's no coincidence, however, that while iOS has lost 7 percent share since July, Android's share has risen by the same amount.

Google's OS now accounting for 26 percent of Millennial's network. Since January, the platform's ad requests have increased by 996 percent.

RIM is also enjoying a period of growth according to Millennial; its slice of the smartphone cake up by 3 percent compared to July's figures to 19 percent.

Smartphones as a whole now account for more than half of all impressions on the network, suggesting that a portion of Google's growth has not come directly at the expense of Apple, but rather as a part of the platform's expanding userbase.

Moving on Motorola

Much of Android's strength comes from Motorola, with the firm now the third largest manufacturer on the network with just over 14 percent of the market.

Motorola's Droid remains the main reason behind the firm's growth, with Millennial claiming the handset is now the second most popular in the US behind iPhone.

But Droid isn't the only Android device making waves, with six handsets running the OS featuring in Millennial's top 20.

You can read the full Mobile Mix report for August on Millennial Media's website.