The Q1 2019 Store Intelligence Data Digest provides a comprehensive analysis of the global mobile app economy, detailing performance metrics for applications, games, and publishers across the Apple App Store and Google Play. The primary objective is to identify key market leaders and emerging trends during the first three months of 2019, a period characterized by over $19.5 billion in global consumer spending and 28 billion total app downloads.
Key findings highlight a shift in the non-game sector, where Tinder emerged as the top-grossing mobile app, surpassing Netflix for the first time in two years. In the social media landscape, TikTok demonstrated significant momentum, reaching the third position in global downloads with a 70 percent year-over-year increase. The gaming sector remained heavily influenced by Asian titles, which accounted for eight of the top ten highest-grossing games globally. Tencent’s Honor of Kings maintained its revenue leadership, while battle royale titles like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire secured top spots in download rankings alongside popular hyper-casual releases.
Methodologically, the analysis utilizes proprietary store intelligence data to track worldwide revenue and installation estimates. The scope covers global mobile market activity, focusing on the competitive landscape of top-tier publishers such as Tencent, Facebook, and ByteDance. By examining category growth and publisher performance, the findings offer a snapshot of a mobile ecosystem driven by the sustained dominance of established social platforms and the rapid expansion of high-engagement gaming genres.
