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Report
5 Mobile App Forecasts: 2023
Global mobile market projections for 2023 indicate a complex landscape defined by shifting consumer priorities and economic pressures. While total mobile advertising spend is expected to reach $362 billion, growth is projected to slow due to macroeconomic headwinds. Short-form video apps are anticipated to be the primary drivers of this ad spend, helping to offset a decline in performance marketing budgets. Conversely, mobile gaming is facing a downturn, with consumer spending forecasted to drop to $107 billion in 2023. This decline is attributed to a combination of the global economic squeeze and tightening privacy regulations, such as IDFA and Google’s upcoming changes, which complicate the targeting of high-spending users. Despite the contraction in gaming spend, specific high-performing titles continue to reach massive financial milestones. Fourteen new apps and games are projected to surpass $2 billion in lifetime consumer spend during 2023, with eleven of those being games. Notably, the video streaming sector remains robust, with platforms like HBO Max and iQIYI expected to join the $3 billion lifetime spend club, reflecting a sustained consumer shift toward mobile-first entertainment. The broader mobile economy is also seeing a migration of retail dollars toward experiential sectors. As discretionary income tightens, consumers are prioritizing travel, live events, sports, and wellness over physical goods. This shift is supported by a long-term trend of increasing mobile engagement; total time spent in apps is forecasted to surpass 6 trillion hours by 2028. This growth is fueled by 5G rollout and the deepening personalization of apps, with emerging markets in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East driving significant engagement. These findings are based on proprietary market estimates and historical data analysis of global app store performance and consumer behavior.
data.aiJan 2023
Report
State of Mobile 2024
The global mobile economy experienced a significant recovery in 2023, with consumer spending rising 3% to $171 billion and daily engagement surpassing five hours per user in leading markets. While mobile gaming faced a slight 2% contraction in spending due to economic headwinds and a shift toward longer title life cycles, the broader industry was bolstered by a resilient non-gaming sector. This growth was primarily driven by social media "tipping," video streaming subscriptions, and the rapid emergence of generative AI. Mobile advertising also remained a cornerstone of the ecosystem, reaching $362 billion with projections to exceed $400 billion in the coming year. The landscape is increasingly defined by a shift in consumer behavior and monetization strategies. Non-gaming apps reached a record $64 billion in spend, led by TikTok, which became the first non-game app to surpass $10 billion in lifetime revenue. In contrast, the gaming market saw a decline in new hit releases, with the industry consolidating around established high-fidelity IPs and social multiplayer genres like Creative Sandbox and Battle Royale. Despite this consolidation, breakout successes like Monopoly GO and Honkai: Star Rail demonstrated that high-quality debuts can still disrupt saturated markets. Across various sectors, mobile integration has reached unprecedented levels. Travel and ticketing apps saw record-breaking demand as consumers returned to in-person events, while the finance sector experienced a surge in personal loan apps and "Super Apps" amid global inflation. Retail also underwent a structural shift as China-based platforms like Temu gained significant global market share. Ultimately, the 2023 data reflects a mature mobile market where growth is increasingly tied to sophisticated AI integration, creator-driven economies, and the transition of traditional services into comprehensive digital hubs.
data.aiJan 2024
Report
State of Mobile 2025
The global mobile economy reached a significant milestone in 2024, with consumer spend hitting $150 billion. This growth was primarily propelled by a 25% surge in non-gaming app revenue, particularly within the entertainment, productivity, and generative AI sectors. While total app downloads declined for the fourth consecutive year, indicating a maturing market, user engagement reached a record 4.2 trillion hours. The rise of generative AI served as a primary catalyst for this engagement, with AI chatbot downloads increasing by 635 million and the subgenre generating nearly $1.3 billion in revenue. The mobile gaming sector demonstrated a robust recovery in 2024, reaching $80.9 billion in internal purchase revenue. Although total game downloads fell by 6%, the market shifted toward high-quality, core genres. Strategy and RPG titles dominated monetization, while the "hybrid-casual" model—combining simple mechanics with midcore progression—emerged as a vital growth driver. Established franchises continue to exert dominance, with titles older than two years accounting for over 80% of revenue. Notably, the industry saw a record eleven games surpass $1 billion in annual revenue, signaling a concentration of wealth among top-tier performers. Beyond gaming, the landscape was defined by the continued dominance of social media, which accounted for 2.4 trillion hours of global usage. TikTok became the first non-game app to reach $15 billion in lifetime spend, reflecting a broader trend of social platforms diversifying revenue through in-app purchases and subscriptions. In the retail sector, Chinese e-tailers like Temu and SHEIN expanded their global footprint, while the finance sector saw a resurgence driven by cryptocurrency and digital wallets. Despite signs of "digital fatigue" in traditional streaming, the mobile ecosystem remains resilient, characterized by strategic shifts toward ad-supported tiers, meaningful AI integration, and incentivized health and fitness platforms.
Sensor TowerJan 2025
Report
State of Mobile 2025: TikTok Edition
The mobile industry reached a significant milestone in 2024, generating a record $150 billion in in-app purchase revenue, representing a 12.5% year-over-year increase. While global downloads experienced a marginal 1% decline to 136 billion, user engagement reached an all-time high of 4.2 trillion total hours. This growth was primarily fueled by non-gaming sectors, specifically Entertainment, Productivity, and Photo & Video, alongside a recovering mobile gaming market where eleven titles surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue. Geographically, North America and Europe remain the strongest monetization hubs, though nearly 80% of total consumer spend now occurs outside an app’s home country, signaling a highly globalized marketplace. Artificial Intelligence has emerged as the primary catalyst for industry transformation, with AI chatbots recording a 200% revenue surge and generative AI apps reaching $1.3 billion in annual spend. This technology is being integrated across diverse verticals, from productivity tools to dating apps like Tinder and Grindr, which are utilizing AI to streamline user experiences and facilitate real-world connections. The Productivity and Utility sector specifically benefited from this trend, seeing a 35% revenue increase to $15 billion. Furthermore, niche categories such as short-form drama apps and fitness reward platforms are gaining significant traction, with the latter benefiting from a shift toward social "run clubs" and outdoor exercise. The 2024 landscape also highlights a shift in monetization strategies and user behavior. In the dating sector, revenue grew by 14% despite a decrease in time spent, suggesting that users are prioritizing efficient, high-value interactions over passive scrolling. Meanwhile, the Health and Fitness category continues to see strong seasonal surges and global expansion in markets like Germany and Australia. Across all sectors, the industry is moving toward community-focused retention and sophisticated subscription models, leveraging AI to maintain high per-user monetization even as traditional download growth stabilizes in mature markets.
Sensor TowerJan 2025