Mobile apps have become indispensable in our daily lives. As per industry reports, the average smartphone user spends 4.8 hours per day using apps, with the global app economy showing steady growth year-over-year.
Let‘s look at some of the most important mobile app usage statistics and trends to watch out for in 2023:
Global app revenues will cross $935 billion, with games, social and entertainment leading the charge
The worldwide app economy is slated to grow leaps and bounds in the next few years. According to Statista, mobile app revenues across iOS and Android are projected to grow from $365 billion in 2018 to a whopping $935 billion in 2023.
The app market growth is being led by categories like mobile gaming, social media, entertainment, photo & video, utility and lifestyle apps. Per Sensor Tower estimates, mobile games generate 58% of total app revenue. Entertainment apps follow at 11% market share.
Over 204 billion apps downloaded globally in 2022, dipping slightly from pandemic highs
According to Sensor Tower‘s research, 2022 saw 204 billion apps downloaded from iOS and Android app stores worldwide. This was a minor drop from 2021, which clocked over 230 billion downloads, likely boosted by increased app usage during COVID-19 lockdowns.
While growth is slowing slightly, average monthly app downloads are still well over 17 billion. The global app market is massive in scale and remains highly competitive.
Android Play Store offers 3.3 million+ apps, Apple App Store has 2.1 million
The two dominant mobile app marketplaces currently are the Apple App Store for iOS apps and the Google Play Store for Android apps. As of Q4 2022, Android Play Store offered over 3.3 million apps available for download, compared to App Store‘s catalog of over 2.1 million apps.
While Android Play Store has historically had more available apps, the App Store continues to generate higher revenues. In Q1 2022, App Store generated $85 billion in consumer spend, around 1.8x higher than Play Store‘s $47 billion.
Average smartphone user has over 100 apps installed, uses around 40 monthly
According to App Annie data, today‘s average smartphone user has over 100 apps installed on their device. However, only around 40 of those see monthly usage.
The most used app categories are communications, social media, entertainment and utilities. Messaging apps like WhatsApp dominate communication. YouTube leads entertainment. Facebook and TikTok are the top social media apps.
Mobile accounts for 72% of time spent on digital media
As per eMarketer‘s 2022 forecast, US adults spend 4 hours 22 minutes per day consuming digital media on average. Out of this, a staggering 72% is attributed to time on mobile devices, primarily smartphones.
Mobile usage skews higher among younger demographics, but mobile is the leading digital media channel across age groups. Apps account for the lion‘s share of time spent on mobile.
Shopping and retail apps see 40% jump in usage sessions
As per data.ai‘s analysis, shopping and retail apps saw their usage and sessions climb by 40% in 2022 over 2021 figures. This growth was driven by ecommerce expansion and rising adoption of m-commerce.
Other top app categories that witnessed double-digit jumps in usage sessions were entertainment, finance, food & drink, travel and weather apps.
Mobile gaming apps generate 58% of total app revenues
According to Statista, mobile gaming apps generate a majority 58% share of total app revenues. Other top revenue-generating app categories are:
- Entertainment: 11%
- Social media: 10%
- Video streaming: 4%
- Music: 3%
- Shopping: 2%
Monetization models like in-app purchases, subscriptions and ad revenue enable high earnings for categories like mobile gaming and entertainment apps especially.
89% of mobile time spent in apps versus just 11% on the mobile web
Per App Annie‘s data, a commanding 89% of time spent on mobile devices is attributed to time on apps. Just 11% of mobile minutes are spent on mobile web browsing.
This highlights how users strongly prefer apps over mobile websites, given their intuitive interface, integrated features, ability to work offline and superior user experience.
On average, users actively use just 28 of their installed apps
As per device data analyzed by Phone, users have between 95-150 apps installed on average, but actively use just 28 core apps on a regular basis. These apps cover key categories like communication, social, entertainment, shopping, productivity and more.
The vast majority of installed apps see infrequent to zero usage, even though users rarely delete them. Curation of one‘s app library is important to minimize unused apps.
Shopping apps see high abandonment – 25% are opened just once after install
App retention remains a key challenge across categories – as per Simon-Kucher‘s study, 25% of apps downloaded are opened just once by users after install before being abandoned.
Un-engaging UI/UX design, lack of valuable core features, too many ads, high app size and lack of personalization contribute to poor retention rates.
Developers need to analyze user feedback and behavior to identify drop-off points. Intuitive design, social features and continuous UX improvements can boost retention.
The mobile app ecosystem continues its meteoric rise globally, making apps indispensable to billions of smartphone users. These usage statistics and trends showcase the massive scale and potential of the app economy. Leveraging user behavior insights is key for developers and businesses to succeed in this space.
