[뉴스AS] 구글 앱 이용자, 두달 연속 네이버 앞섰다는데…진짜?

Recent analysis shows that in the past two months, the number of active users of Google apps in Korea has consistently surpassed that of Naver apps. However, industry experts caution against concluding that Google has taken the lead in the domestic search market, considering factors like search duration and the scope of the data collected.

According to AI tech company Aigine's Mobile Index data, as of last month, Google app's monthly active users (MAU) reached 47.67 million 7456, surpassing Naver's 47.25 million 3614 by 42 million 3842. This happened for the second time since the Mobile Index began tracking this data in March 2021. While mobile index numbers are based on estimated revenue from the three major app stores (Google Play, Apple App Store, and W-store), there can be differences from actual figures.

Despite Google's increasing usage among domestic users, Naver still holds a significant advantage in terms of user behavior. Last month, Naver's average usage time per user (396.8 minutes) was approximately 5.9 times more than Google's (66.9 minutes). Similarly, Naver's average daily active users (2675 million) were about 94.3 million more than Google's (1732 million).

The discrepancy between MAU and DAU figures highlights the different ways these metrics are calculated. Google's MAU includes data from its Google Assistant and Jinami apps, which come pre-installed on Samsung Galaxy smartphones. In contrast, Naver's MAU is based only on search app data, giving it a relative disadvantage. Some evaluations attribute Google's MAU growth to its "Circle to Search" feature, which appears in some Galaxy S series devices and shows related search results when users draw a circle around a product or landscape on the screen.

However, the feature can be triggered by simple touches, leading to accidental inclusion in Google's MAU numbers. Naver officials noted that Google's success in gaining a foothold in Samsung's mobile ecosystem has contributed to its MAU growth. They also stated that Naver is considering diversifying its touchpoints to make its services more accessible to users.