Safari still leads in mobile browser share, but Facebook's browser is on the rise

According to a new study from analytics firm Mixpanel, Facebook's in-app web browser now accounts for an average of 7.6 percent of mobile browser market share in the United States. This places Facebook behind only Apple's Safari with 58.4 percent and Google's Chrome at 33.3 percent.

The most recent measure of domestic browser market share, by Statcounter last month, placed Safari in first place with 49.4 percent, followed by Chrome with 43.1 percent. Facebook was not listed in those rankings.

In terms of overall platform use, Mixpanel found that 65.5 percent of Americans use iOS, compared to 34.5 percent using Android. As for carriers, the study said, 28.6 percent of users use Verizon, with 27.1 percent using AT&T.

Counterpoint, as of May, listed the iPhone at 42 percent U.S. market share. The study also splits off the market share numbers by state, and reports that Safari is the top mobile web browser in each of the 50 states.

Mixpanel's study surveyed 20,000-plus of the firm's customers, covering 3 billion individual events.

The numbers show that while Safari maintains its dominant position, more and more users are reaching the web through Facebook's ecosystem. This represents a change in users' consumption of content, as they're at the mercy of Facebook's algorithm, and all of its notable shortcomings.