The study examined the intellectual structure, collaboration patterns, and theme development of MobileAssisted Language Learning (MALL) research from 2016 to 2025 through bibliometric analysis. Following the VOSviewer software analysis of open-access peer-reviewed articles available in the Scopus database, the study mapped publication trends, country collaboration, author networks, and keyword co-occurrences. Results exhibited a three-phase trajectory of evolution, with an accelerated pace post-2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme geographical disparities (with China, Iran, and the United States at the forefront of citation impact), and fragmented author networks of collaboration. Keyword analysis identified five thematic clusters, e.g., an intense emphasis on vocabulary learning, while exposing disconnections between technology-oriented and pedagogy-oriented research. These findings highlight the need for expanded theoretical foundations, increased international collaboration, and greater integration of technological affordances with pedagogical principles. As one of the first bibliometric studies focusing specifically on MALL’s evolution in the late 2010s and early 2020s, this research provides a systematic visualization of the field’s intellectual terrain, revealing structural challenges that impede theoretical cohesion.