Mobile app spending hit $58.6 billion in 2017, a 35% increase from 2016. Apple's App Store generated $38.5 billion (up 34.7%), while Google Play's $20.1 billion grew 34.2%. Global first-time installs rose 13.5% to 91.5 billion, with Google Play downloads (64 billion) outpacing the App Store (28 billion).
Game revenue accounted for 82% of total app spending at $48.3 billion, growing 30% YoY. Google Play led game downloads with 27.2 billion (77% share), while the App Store had 8.3 billion. Overall game downloads grew 14.6% to 35.5 billion.
You Might Also Like
SensorTowerARKit-only Apps Surpass 13 Million Downloads in First Six Months, Nearly Half from Games
ARKit-only apps on iOS have surpassed 13 million installs since Sep 2017. Games lead with 47% share, followed by Utilities and Lifestyle. Top apps include AR Dragon, CamToPlan Pro, and The Machines.
AppsFlyerStrong open rates, weak app revenue: your email campaign isn’t broken. Your links are.
Email, SMS, and push are high-intent channels, but a structural gap between click and in-app action causes massive drop-off. CTRs of 30-40% often yield only 1-3% in-app conversion. The root cause is ESP link wrapping, which breaks deep link context and attribution. Fixing the handoff through proper deep linking can double purchase rates and unlock channel performance. Brands must treat the link as a continuation layer, not a redirect, and ensure context survives the transition.
AdjustFIFA World Cup 2026 mobile app trends for marketers | Adjust
Analysis of 2022 World Cup mobile data reveals that the tournament's largest engagement window occurs early, with sports entertainment installs spiking 189% and sports news 204% on November 22. Engagement revolves around national team matches, with significant spikes from non-participating markets like China (+1,294% sports entertainment installs). For 2026, brands must adapt in real-time to shifting attention across matches and regions. Adjust's AI-powered attribution and analytics provide the visibility needed to capitalize on these global events.
MolocoIs your channel mix resilient in an AI-disrupted world?
AI is reshaping consumer behavior, with 80% of Google searches ending without a click and half of consumers using AI for product research. This disrupts traditional channels like search (CPC up 10-25%) and affiliate marketing (revenues down 7%). Meanwhile, mobile apps and CTV offer stable, high-engagement alternatives. Advertisers should diversify away from disrupted channels, targeting the independent app ecosystem where Day 30 ROAS can be 116% higher. Key metrics: organic direct traffic share (target >51%) and disrupted channel spend share (target <34%).
SensorTowerIPL Is Fueling India’s Mobile App Market: JioHotstar Dominates Entertainment While super.money Downloads Nearly Double
IPL 2026 drove significant cross-platform engagement for JioHotstar, with downloads up 25% PoP, DAU up 41%, and sessions up 60%. Tadka launch within app shows strategy to extend engagement beyond live sports. Instamart leveraged IPL with record ad impressions and 44% open rate. super.money downloads nearly doubled, with paid-channel installs rising to 25% and ad impressions surging 5.5x. Brands should invest in IPL-driven moments to capture high-intent, mobile-first audiences.
SensorTowerAd Monetization 101: App Analysis & Top Ad Publishers
Ad monetization is a critical yet often overlooked revenue stream for mobile apps. Sensor Tower's new reports provide granular data on ad revenue, network performance, and ad formats. Key insights: 72% of top-grossing games use hybrid IAP+ad strategies, and ad revenue is growing across verticals like News, Ecommerce, and Entertainment. The reports enable benchmarking competitors' ad revenue, ARPMAU, and ads per minute, identifying effective networks, and evaluating acquisition targets using total revenue (IAP+ads). These insights help app developers optimize monetization strategies and maximize profits beyond in-app purchases.
Mintegral2025 Trends: AI’s Rise, Privacy’s Reign, and the Next Wave of Advertising
In 2025, AI agents will automate ad production and UA, reducing personnel needs. Privacy concerns persist despite Google's cookie reversal, driving contextual targeting and new identifiers. Advertisers will explore CTV and in-app inventory via cost-per-outcome deals. M&A activity ramps up, with deal volume up 118% YoY. AI-generated creative becomes crucial as targeting narrows, enabling scalable, varied ad creatives.
AppsFlyerThe Signal Economy Goes Live: Takeaways from MAU Vegas 2026
At MAU 2026, the industry agreed that attention, not production, is the bottleneck. Cross-platform web-to-app attribution is now achievable with AppsFlyer's mobile-grade measurement extending to web, giving ad ops a unified view. AI is in production, with Square's team shipping six live workflows. Web-to-app is the most efficient top-of-funnel for app businesses, and retention overtakes acquisition. Ad ops must prioritize clean signal layers and incrementality testing over single-metric attribution.
More from SensorTower
Inside the Aisles of Grocery Retail Media
In Q1 2026, Kroger led grocery RMNs with 2.4B impressions, over 2.5x more than Albertsons. Meijer and Publix grew fastes...
Sensor Tower's Full Funnel Digital Intelligence Playbook
Home and lifestyle retailers like Wayfair, Kohl's, and Macy's use different digital strategies. Wayfair leads in web tra...
IPL Is Fueling India’s Mobile App Market: JioHotstar Dominates Entertainment While super.money Downloads Nearly Double
IPL 2026 drove significant cross-platform engagement for JioHotstar, with downloads up 25% PoP, DAU up 41%, and sessions...
Ad Monetization 101: App Analysis & Top Ad Publishers
Ad monetization is a critical yet often overlooked revenue stream for mobile apps. Sensor Tower's new reports provide gr...
Here’s What Happened Last Quarter: Q1 2026 Mobile, Web, and Ad Trends
The Q1 2026 Digital Index reveals headwinds in the US mobile market, with IAP revenue declining for two straight quarter...
Introducing Enhanced Web Insights: 3 New Reports & How to Use Them
Sensor Tower's Web Insights now covers 4M websites and 12M paths across 56 countries. Three new reports help marketers t...