Global Mobile Apps in May 2025

In May 2025 the global mobile‑app landscape was dominated by short‑drama platforms, social media and dating apps. NetShort maintained the top advertising spot with 470 000 deduplicated creatives across 76 countries, 54.8 % of its 14 500 new dramas being fresh releases and 87.2 % of creatives newly created. The United States accounted for nearly half of its reach, followed by France, the UK and Brazil. Local Indian drama Kuku TV surged into the top five downloads on Google Play, investing 27 000 creatives—a 28.6 % month‑over‑month increase—thanks to regional popularity and heightened marketing spend.

Instagram experienced a download spike on the App Store after celebrity posts by Fan Bingbing and Eason Chan, while Snapchat’s new Paris office and AR‑focused content helped lift its monthly download growth. On Google Play, RapidTV entered the top 20 downloads with strong traction in Mexico, Brazil, the United States and Indonesia.

Revenue trends mirrored these download patterns. Tinder’s aggressive Pride‑Month promotion pushed it to fourth on the App Store revenue list, with Hinge and Bumble following at 15th and 16th. Canva’s AI‑driven feature updates also drove revenue gains. On Google Play, every top 20 app except Disney+ saw growth; DramaBox and ReelShort collaborated to expand the short‑drama market, and ByteDance’s CapCut benefited from high‑spending youth in the United States, Brazil and Spain.

Overall, May’s data highlight a continued shift toward short‑form entertainment and socially driven apps, with strategic geographic targeting—particularly in the U.S., Brazil, India and European markets—playing a decisive role in both download volume and monetisation.