Google's Android relished the biggest piece of the mobile OS pie during the last quarter in the US, market research firm ComScore said.

In the last quarter, Google's popular Android OS saw its market share rising to 47.3 per cent, up from 44.8 in the previous quarter.

Rival firm Apple's iOS also enjoyed an increase in its market share, from 27.4 per cent to 29.6 per cent, during the same period.

It may be noted here that Android is available for a wide range of mobile devices from number of manufacturers such as Samsung, Motorola and LG; while iOS is available only for Apple's own devices.

During the holiday quarter, Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple sold a record 37 million iPhones across the globe.

But, Canadian manufacturer RIM has long been facing a hard-hitting climate with a shrinking market share. It suffered a fall of 3 per cent in its market share, from 19 per cent to 16 per cent in the three month period.

Microsoft's Windows Phone suffered a loss of roughly one point in its market share to 4.7 per cent, while Finnish handset maker Nokia's Symbian slipped even more with a 1.4 per cent market share.

ComScore also estimated that the number of smartphone users in the US is now 97.9 million, up from the prior month's estimate of 91.4 million.