Sixty-two percent of U.S. smartphone owners have downloaded mobile applications in the past 30 days, with 83 percent of those downloads originating via devices running either Apple's iOS or Google's Android, according to Nielsen's latest Mobile Media Report.

Smartphone applications downloaders report an average of 33 apps on their device, up 22 percent compared to year-ago totals. iPhone app downloaders lead with an average of 44 apps, followed by Android at 32. Android app interest is growing, however: 49 percent of all Android device owners downloaded an app in the last month, up from 4 percent two years ago, Nielsen notes. Thirty-four percent of iOS device owners installed an app within the last 30 days, followed by BlackBerry owners at 11 percent and Windows Mobile at 3 percent.

Most consumers discover applications by searching app stores and relying on recommendations from family and friends, Nielsen reports. Games continue to lead all app categories. Survey respondents with children report that their kids downloaded 27 percent of the apps on their phones, while spouses account for 13 percent of apps installed on their significant other's device.  

Forty-four percent of U.S. subscribers now own a smartphone. Sixty-four percent of subscribers between the ages of 25 and 34 are smartphone owners, compared to 53 percent of subscribers aged 18 to 24. Android leads all operating systems at 44 percent market share, while Apple is the top smartphone manufacturer with 28.6 percent market share.

Looking beyond applications, mobile messaging activity continues to increase while voice services wane. Eighty-one percent of U.S. subscribers sent or received a text message in the last 30 days, up from 75 percent two years ago, while voice minutes declined 12 percent over the same period. Younger subscribers continue to send the most messages, with teens between the ages of 13 and 17 sending and receiving an average of 3,417 SMS and MMS messages each month. At the same time, subscribers 55 and up now send and receive 231 mobile messages each month, a 134 percent increase over two years ago.