SensorTowerGlobal App Revenue Grew 23% in 2018 to More Than $71 Billion on iOS and Google Play
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.
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Analysis of 2022 World Cup mobile data reveals that the tournament's largest engagement window occurs early, with sports entertainment installs spiking 189% and sports news 204% on November 22. Engagement revolves around national team matches, with significant spikes from non-participating markets like China (+1,294% sports entertainment installs). For 2026, brands must adapt in real-time to shifting attention across matches and regions. Adjust's AI-powered attribution and analytics provide the visibility needed to capitalize on these global events.
AppsFlyerStrong open rates, weak app revenue: your email campaign isn’t broken. Your links are.
Email, SMS, and push are high-intent channels, but a structural gap between click and in-app action causes massive drop-off. CTRs of 30-40% often yield only 1-3% in-app conversion. The root cause is ESP link wrapping, which breaks deep link context and attribution. Fixing the handoff through proper deep linking can double purchase rates and unlock channel performance. Brands must treat the link as a continuation layer, not a redirect, and ensure context survives the transition.
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.
MolocoIs your channel mix resilient in an AI-disrupted world?
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SensorTowerAd Monetization 101: App Analysis & Top Ad Publishers
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SensorTowerTikTok Continues Its Climb With 75 Million New Users in December, Up 275% From 2017
TikTok's global growth: 75M new installs in Dec 2018, up 275% YoY. India drove 27% of new installs with 25x increase. In-app purchase revenue hit $6M, up 253% YoY. Ranked #3 for new installs in Dec 2018.
SensorTowerIPL Is Fueling India’s Mobile App Market: JioHotstar Dominates Entertainment While super.money Downloads Nearly Double
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AppsFlyerThe Signal Economy Goes Live: Takeaways from MAU Vegas 2026
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