As of January 2026 Google has a 90.04% share across all devices is that true?
Executive summary
Google’s all-devices global search share around early 2025–2026 is consistently reported in the high‑80s to about 90 percent range, but none of the provided sources verify the precise figure “90.04%” for January 2026; trackers and industry roundups show values clustered near 89.6–90.0% depending on methodology and date [1] [2] [3]. Given measurement differences between StatCounter/Statista, industry summaries and SEO vendor reports, 90.04% is plausible as an estimate but not directly corroborated by the documents provided [1] [2] [4].
1. Why the number floats: different trackers, dates and device mixes drive small shifts
Market‑share estimates vary because research firms use different data sources, sample periods and device weighting; Statista/StatCounter reported Google at 89.62% in March 2025 (a multi‑year low noted by Statista) while other aggregators and SEO sites published figures ranging from roughly 89.3% to “about 90%” for 2025–2026 snapshots [1] [3] [4]. ResourceRA’s 2026 snapshot lists Google at 89.99% across devices, which is a hair under 90.0% and illustrates how rounding and the precise month measured can flip a reported percentage by a few tenths of a point [2]. Industry blogs and agencies sometimes present slightly different numbers—some rounding up to “over 90%”—reflecting both timing and commercial framing [5] [4].
2. Device splits matter: near‑absolute mobile dominance versus weaker desktop share
The headline all‑devices share hides stark device differences that explain volatility: multiple sources show Google commanding an especially strong share on mobile—commonly reported in the low‑to‑mid‑90s—while desktop shares are lower, in the high‑70s to low‑80s, which drags some all‑device averages below 90% depending on global device usage at the moment of measurement [4] [6] [7]. For example, some reports put mobile share near 95% while desktop sits around 80–82% in various datasets, producing all‑device figures that cluster in the high‑80s to ~90% band [4] [6] [7].
3. What the differing figures mean for claims like “90.04% in January 2026”
A specific claim of 90.04% for January 2026 is within the plausible range given the sources’ variance, but the exact number is not confirmed by the provided reporting: ResourceRA shows 89.99% in 2026 (close but not 90.04%) and StatCounter/Statista noted 89.62% as of March 2025, while other industry summaries either round to “about 90%” or report slightly different snapshots [2] [1] [3]. In short, the statement is not disproven, but it is not directly substantiated by the supplied sources—so calling it an exact fact would overstate what the evidence supports [2] [1].
4. Read the caveats: agendas, rounding and the rise of alternative discovery paths
Commercial SEO sites, marketing agencies and vendor reports sometimes emphasize stability or dominance to serve clients’ strategic narratives, which can skew phrasing toward “over 90%” or “dominant” even when underlying trackers show just under 90%—so be alert to rounding and promotional framing [5] [4]. Moreover, emerging traffic from AI answer engines and regional competitors (e.g., Yandex, Baidu) is small in global totals but growing in niches, and regulatory pressures or default‑setting deals could shift future figures; these dynamics are flagged across analyst pieces and tracker commentary [8] [1] [7]. Finally, differences in how “search” is defined (web queries vs. queries routed through apps or AI assistants) further complicate single‑number claims [8] [9].
Conclusion: The claim that Google had exactly 90.04% share across all devices in January 2026 cannot be confirmed from the provided sources; a range of reputable trackers and industry summaries places Google in the high‑80s to roughly 90% window during 2025–2026, making 90.04% plausible but not verifiable with the material at hand [1] [2] [3].