The global app market has yet to peak, according to the latest analysis of the iOS and Android app ecosystem released. Global app downloads reached 37 billion in the first quarter of 2022 on iOS and Google Play, up 11% year-over-year according to a report from Google Play. data.ai (formerly known as app Annie). The largest markets for app downloads in the quarter were India, the United States and Brazil, while Mexico, Turkey and Brazil posted the highest quarterly growth.
Consumer spending on apps also grew in the first quarter. The first quarter of the year was again the highest in history for consumer spending, which reached 33.000 million dollars. iOS apps continued to drive the majority of app ecosystem growth on this front, accounting for 65% of the quarter's total in consumer spending, a figure that increased 42% over the past 2 years. The 65% figure is also in line with the previous five quarters.
Image credits: data.ai
Top categories to spend include games, entertainment, and photo and video apps. Additionally, the percentage of consumer spending driven by iOS apps was even higher when games were removed from the equation. Among non-game apps, iOS apps accounted for 73% of consumer spending compared to apps on Google Play, largely driven by the popularity of streaming video apps, dating apps and in-app purchases on live streaming apps.
Some smaller categories accelerated in terms of consumer spending in the quarter, including iOS medical apps (up 23%) and health and fitness apps (up 20%). On Android, growing categories included Personalization, Food & Beverage, and Auto & Vehicle Apps.
A big milestone for spending in the quarter came from Disney+, which joined just 34 other mobile companies in reaching 2 billion dollars in global consumer spending.
Image credits: data.ai
Regarding the state of the application industry beyond its continuous growth, there is not much information. Just as iOS continues to drive consumer spending, most new app installs are driven by Google Play, as has been the case for years. Android users in the quarter installed 28.500 billion of the total 37.000 billion new app downloads, up 16% year-over-year, thanks to Android's traction in emerging markets. The most downloaded applications were games, tools and social applications.
While the top of the charts remained relatively constant in terms of downloads, with apps like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Instagram dominating, there were a couple of notable changes. Snapchat jumped from position 7 to position 5 in the first quarter in terms of new global app installs, following the launch of the augmented reality (AR) shopping experience. Meanwhile, Singapore-based commerce company Shopee dropped from 10th to 7th place for downloads, after reporting GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) revenue of $5.1 billion in 2021.
Image credits: data.ai
