Commentary

Google Play Downloads Grow 30%; Revenue Up 40%

Mobile consumers can’t seem to get enough of apps.

Worldwide app downloads grew and revenue grew even faster, at least for Android phones, based on the latest tracking study.

App downloads on Google Play grew 30% from the previous quarter, according to the report from App Annie Intelligence, which tracks downloads and revenue in the iOS App Store and Google Play.

The increase in the number of downloads was due largely to growth in emerging markets such as Brazil and India.

Revenue grew even faster, at 40%, due to growth in established markets, especially the U.S., South Korea and Japan.

By percentage of growth, here are the top five countries, in order:

  • Brazil
  • India
  • Russia
  • Mexico
  • United States

Growth in Brazil almost doubled from the previous quarter.

Revenue is a different story, with the U.S. leading the way. Here are the top five countries, in order, based on the growth in app revenue:

  • United States
  • Germany
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • United Kingdom

However, while those are the growth percentages by downloads and revenue, they don’t necessarily convey the overall state of the market.

By total downloads, the U.S. is number one, followed by Brazil and India.

By revenue, Japan leads, followed by the U.S. and South Korea. Most notably, those three countries account for about 70% of worldwide Google Play revenue.

Strikingly, the 10 most used apps in the U.S. are published either by Google or Facebook.

While apps and gaming apps both grew considerably and somewhat evenly, games totally dominates app revenue, which is consistent with other research. Games revenue soared, increasing 50% from the previous year.

Though this report focused only on Android apps, activity on Apple devices is hardly standing still, as I wrote about here last month (China Leads in iOS App Downloads, US tops in Revenue).

The leading growth categories in Google Play downloads were tools and personalization, with apps designed to speed up phones and simplify the user experience.

Perhaps consumers are downloading so many apps in a search for ways to help their phones help them more.

No matter the reason, apps are still hot.

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