Facebook's mobile-only use jumps 23 percent since March
The social network's latest quarterly report to the SEC shows that users are fleeing desktop use and increasingly flocking to mobile-only. Which is bad news for the moment.
Facebook's latest 10-Q filing reveals that nearly 20 percent of its more than 543 million monthly mobile users accessed the social network in June solely on their mobile device. That's 102 million people.
These astounding numbers were first reported by TechCrunch, which also notes that mobile-only users have increased dramatically. According to the SEC 10-Q report, 83 million people visited the site with only their mobile device in March, which adds up to a 23 percent increase of mobile-only users from March to June.
The specifics of Facebook's mobile use are important because the company's revenue growth hinges on how well, and how quickly, it can figure out how to make money from mobile users. Which, at least for now, it mostly doesn't. (Facebook has said many times that mobile is one of its top priorities.)
The social network debuted mobile advertising in February and has been working to amp it ever since. In March, it added sponsored stories and in June it let brands target mobile users exclusively. Still, as TechCrunch points out, mobile ads only show up one at a time, while on Facebook's desktop at least seven ads can be displayed per page.
Another interesting tidbit from the 10-Q: Facebook's overall U.S. growth was only 10 percent, compared to the global average of 29 percent. Brazil had overwhelming growth, up 146 percent, as did India, which grew by 84 percent.