SensorTowerGlobal App Revenue Grew 23% in 2018 to More Than $71 Billion on iOS and Google Play
Summary
According to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates, global mobile users spent $71.3 billion on apps and games in 2018, a 22.7% increase from $58.1 billion in 2017. Apple's App Store generated $46.6 billion, 88% more than Google Play's $24.8 billion, though Google Play saw faster growth at 27.3% versus 20.4%. First-time app installs reached 105.3 billion, up 11.1% year-over-year, with Google Play accounting for 75.7 billion downloads (13% growth) and the App Store 29.6 billion (6.6% growth).
Mobile gaming generated $54.7 billion, representing 77% of total app revenue, down from 82% in 2017. Game downloads totaled 38.3 billion, with Google Play contributing 29.4 billion and the App Store 8.9 billion.
You Might Also Like
AdjustMeasure installs across more app stores | Adjust
Adjust has expanded store detection and verification across multiple app storefronts, making Store Type the primary dimension for identifying where an install originated rather than relying on platform or OS alone. For ad ops teams, this means campaign performance can now be analyzed at the store level across Huawei AppGallery, Xiaomi GetApps, Samsung Galaxy Store, Vivo Appstore, and Google Play variants, with independent verification of install origin. Newly detected stores are flagged in AppView with a direct route to configuration, and store-level data flows automatically into reporting, raw data, callbacks, and CSV exports, plus Conversion Rules via Store Rule conditions.
SensorTowerJapan Gaming 2026: The Games, Strategies, and IP Defining a Global Powerhouse
Japan's mobile gaming market remains a revenue powerhouse, generating over $10B in IAPs in the past year despite a slight decline. Downloads are down, but engagement is stable, indicating a mature, high-value audience. Gaming ranks third in Japan's digital ad spend, with the ad market at record highs. Ad ops teams should align with major events and new releases for monetization spikes, balance casual puzzle UAC for volume with strategy/RPG for LTV, and consider cross-platform campaigns.
AppsFlyerCross-channel marketing analytics: how it works in 2026
Cross-channel marketing analytics isn't about putting Meta, Google, and TikTok numbers side by side—they often double-count the same customer journey. Fragmented identity is the real culprit; without a first-party Customer User ID, attribution measures platform credit, not customer value. The article explains that deduplicating conversions across mobile, web, and CTV can lift attributed revenue by 30–60% and improve ROAS by 20%. It walks through attribution models, warns against platform-native analytics, and advises using an independent MMP for true cross-channel measurement. Ad ops takeaway: fix identity resolution first, because AI-driven optimization and budget allocation depend on trustworthy, deduplicated data.
AdjustJapan’s finance app growth in 2026 | Adjust
Japan's finance app category is outperforming, with H1 2026 installs up 8% YoY and sessions up 40%—nearly 5x the install growth and well ahead of global figures (5% and 29%). Stock trading is the standout subvertical: installs +90% YoY and average session length climbing to 11.7 minutes, driven by NISA reforms and a retail investor resurgence. Retention is improving across the full 30-day curve (D1 17% to 19%, D30 7% to 8%). For ad ops teams, the takeaway is clear: prioritize measurement depth, re-engagement, and channel-level quality over top-of-funnel volume alone.
SensorTowerTop 10 Worldwide Mobile Games By Revenue and Downloads in August 2026
August mobile gaming saw stable revenue at $6.57B and downloads at 3.76B. Honor of Kings led revenue through major events, while Tencent titles accounted for 5 of top revenue growth spots, driven by China. Download trends highlighted open-world crime games (Gangstar Mirage City), ASMR unboxing (Mystery Dumpling), and casual vehicle titles, with high growth in India, Brazil, and Turkey. For ad ops, seasonal events, limited-time cosmetics, and localized partnerships are key to engagement; emerging genres and fast-growth markets present new user acquisition opportunities. Live-ops pacing is critical for monetization.
AdjustHalloween app trends: Insights for your 2026 campaign | Adjust
Adjust's Halloween 2025 data across six weeks shows the holiday window opens well before October 31 and differs by category and market. Entertainment installs peaked the weekend before Halloween (up 42–44% vs. summer baseline), with OTT/streaming and video content installs up 120% on October 25 and 300% YoY. Photo and video sessions instead spiked on Halloween night itself (+6% global vs. the four prior Fridays; Canada +15%, Germany +13%, U.K. +11%, U.S. +9%, Mexico +7%). Single global send dates miss market-level peaks, so ad ops should time creative, push, and budget shifts per market—especially in Mexico, where activity runs through Día de los Muertos.
SensorTowerTikTok Surpasses One Billion Installs on the App Store and Google Play
TikTok from ByteDance has surpassed 1 billion installs globally, with 663 million in 2018. It is the 4th most downloaded non-game app, with 71.3 million new users in January 2019, 161% more than last year.
AppsFlyerWeb Gaming: The untapped path to lower CPI and boost ROAS
Mobile CPI and app store fees are eroding ROAS, making web gaming a viable acquisition channel. Full Unity-to-HTML5 ports now deliver 30-50% lower CAC and avoid 15-30% store revenue cuts via web payments. Measurement parity is here: AppsFlyer enables independent attribution, conversion signals, and unified reporting. Retention can improve; one strategy title jumped from 6-7 minutes mobile to 70+ minutes web. Best fit: deep RPG, strategy, puzzle, story games, not hypercasual. Action: audit catalog, pilot web ports, link accounts cross-platform, and use owned media to drive high-intent web users.
More from SensorTower
Decoding Retail Search 2026: A Data Driven Playbook for Marketers
Retail media search ad insights from Sensor Tower show how shopper search trends and competitive SOV translate into ad o...
India’s New Growth Playbook 2026: AI Partnerships, Faith & Finance, and the Shift to Value
India’s app market is shifting from download scale to engagement and monetization. H1 2026 downloads rose only 3%, but I...
Top 10 Worldwide Mobile Games By Revenue and Downloads in September 2026
September mobile gaming softened overall but delivered clear live-ops wins. Global consumer spending hit $6.13B, down 7%...
Premium PC/Console Deep Dive: Growth, Engagement, and Ad Spend
H1 2026 premium PC/console revenue rose 5% to $13.8B, but growth is uneven. Steam premium hours climbed ~13%, led by Act...
Sephora, Ulta, and the New Playbook for Beauty Ad Spend
Retail beauty ad spend rose 23% YoY, with December and April peaks. Sephora (35% share) and Ulta (18%) dominate, but Ama...
Home Improvement Built Momentum on Retail Media
Home improvement retail media broke seasonal norms as July impressions rose 110% YoY to 1.1B, driven by Paint brands Beh...