An Analysis of Download Sources on Apple's App Store 2021

This analysis examines the primary drivers of first-time app downloads on the Apple App Store between 2018 and 2020. The study categorizes download sources into four main channels: search, browse, app referrals, and web referrals. By analyzing a sample of apps—comprising 54% games and 46% non-game applications—the research highlights how user acquisition strategies differ significantly based on app category, monetization model, and the time elapsed since an app’s initial launch.

The findings indicate that search remains the dominant discovery mechanism, accounting for 59% of all App Store downloads in 2020. While non-game apps rely heavily on search—reaching 70% of their total downloads—the gaming sector shows a distinct trend toward app referrals. Specifically, the share of game downloads originating from app referrals grew from 26% in 2018 to 38% in 2020. This shift is largely attributed to the rise of the hypercasual game genre, which accounted for 63% of its own installs via app referrals in 2020, utilizing in-app advertising and cross-promotion as primary growth levers.

The data further reveals that download sources evolve over an app's lifecycle. App referrals are most critical within the first six months of a launch, particularly for games. However, as apps mature beyond one year, search becomes the primary driver of new user acquisition. This suggests that while paid advertising and cross-promotion are essential for initial visibility and the hypercasual market, organic discovery through search is the most sustainable source of growth for long-term, established applications. The report concludes that while market conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can cause temporary fluctuations in these trends, the fundamental reliance on search for non-games and the increasing importance of referrals for games remain the defining characteristics of the current mobile ecosystem.