A new study on global app revenue by Sensor Tower reveals that user spending on App Store was over $34 billion with more than 15 percent Y-o-Y growth, in the third quarter of 2021. However, the worldwide consumer spending and first-time installs of mobile apps across the Google Play Store was $35.7 billion in the same quarter.
App Store saw an increase in spending but a decrease in first-time installs
The worldwide mobile app revenue and downloads on the App Store saw a 13.2 percent increase with $21.5 billion in revenue from $19 billion for the same quarter the previous year. However, the first-time app installs in Q3, 2021 decreased by 1.2 percent to 8.1 billion from 8.2 billion.
TikTok maintained its top position on the App Store in Q3, 2021 with 41% Y-o-Y growth in consumer spending in the app. YouTube came in second and Tinder came in the third position.
ByteDance’s TikTok recently crossed 3 billion installs globally, becoming the first non-Facebook app to do so. Reflecting this continued success, the app topped charts with the most installs across both stores in 3Q21 with about 1 percent growth Y/Y.
The worldwide mobile game revenue and downloads on the App Store saw 5.6 percent growth with $13.1 billion in revenue from $12.4 billion for the same quarter the previous year. However, the report states that growth in the games category has normalized, the “Y/Y growth seen in 3Q21 trailed the 17.9 percent Y/Y growth in 1H21”. Apple’s digital marketplace saw a decline in first-time installs of mobile games by 8.7 percent to 2.1 billion from 2.3 billion.
Honor of Kings was the top gaming app on the App Store but saw a 5% decline in consumer spending on the app in Q3, 2021. PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact were in second and third positions, respectively.
Analyst at Sensor Tower predicts that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mobile app market will begin to normalize moving in Q4, 2021. Furthermore, the mobile app market will also be affected by Epic Games vs. Apple court ruling.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, the mobile market has seen some normalization in the last three quarters. However, recent developments such as the outcome of the Epic v. Apple case in the U.S. and shifts in China’s mobile gaming policies may very well affect the marketplace in unexpected ways. Some of the trends that emerged in 2020—such as increased use of Business category mobile apps with the proliferation of remote work—are also continuing to impact the mobile market.
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