App downloads grew 15% in 2016, and revenue grew 40% thanks to China: According to a new year-end analysis from app intelligence firm App Annie released today, the app industry continues to grow, which found that app downloads, time spent in apps, and revenue increased overall in 2016. grew 15% year-over-year, time spent in apps increased 25%, and revenue paid to developers increased 40%.
Downloads followed roughly the same path as last year, increasing by 13 billion on the iOS App Store and Google Play to over 90 billion. Due to China, iOS downloads grew more this year than in 2015. Also, apps other than games contributed to higher download growth than games, especially in categories like Finance, Travel, Photography & Video on iOS and Productivity, Tools, and Social on Google Play.
Of course, downloads don’t tell the whole story, so App Annie also looked at time spent using apps. It found that total time in apps increased by more than 150 billion hours in 2016, reaching nearly 900 billion hours. However, this analysis was only done on Android devices, excluding China, so it’s not a complete picture.
It’s worth comparing this metric to another year-end report released earlier this month by rival company Flurry. His analysis also revealed that time spent on mobile apps was increasing (he thought it was much higher: 69% on iOS and Android), and found that actual app usage, i.e., sessions (i.e., app launches), had only increased. by 11%. Percent. App Annie defines usage as “time spent in apps,” which is technically a different metric.
The App Annie report also noted that users are launching many apps per month in more than 30 markets in places like the US, UK, China, India, Japan, Brazil, and South Korea. This is roughly the exact figure as in previous years. Nielsen said in 2015 that people use about 26 or 27 apps per month. However, other analysts have previously noted that just five non-native apps are heavily used each month.
2016 was also a strong year for App Store revenue growth, according to App Annie. Publishers were paid over $35 billion from iOS and Android app stores, a change of 40%, which is more than the growth rate in 2015. When third-party Android stores were include in the analysis, revenue rose to nearly $89 billion.
Once again, the influence of China came into play here. Contributing almost half of the annual growth of the iOS App Store. The country also surpassed all others to become the App Store’s top earner in 2016.
Most of the Chinese app store’s revenue comes from games, with role-playing games being top-rated last year. Fantasy Westward Journey, for example, has earned over $800 million since its launch in 2015. China has also seen the most significant social media revenue gains, with Tencent’s QQ messaging app contributing significantly. substantial.
In other parts of the world, games have not lost their edge when making money for developers. The category generated 75% and 90% of revenue in the iOS App Store and Google Play, respectively. Of course, the impact of Pokémon Go cannot be overlook here: the game hit $500 million in consumer spending in less than two months. By the end of 2016. It reach more than $950 million in consumer spending, faster than some of the most successful games of all time. Including Candy Crush, Puzzle & Dragons, and Clash of Clans.
The full report also dives into other year-end trends, including the popularity of fintech apps, the growth of streaming video (YouTube was number one in the US and UK. But Netflix generate more income), and increase use of purchases. Applications
App Annie also noted that based on downloads, Facebook got 4 of the top 5 apps in the world. The top 5 were Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat. It’s slightly different from the Nielsen list, which had YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Search in the top 5. In terms of revenue, App Annie’s list was: Spotify, LINE, Netflix, Tinder, and HBO Now.