Figures have increased by 15.4 percent compared to last year
In 2018, people using both Google Play Store and iOS App Store spent up to £57bn in total on games and apps. Although this is a huge amount, the figure has now risen by 15.4 percent in the first half of 2019. If these figures continue to increase at the same pace, it may mark a new record for app spending. Sensor Tower have recently released a report revealing staggering figures, which show that in the first six months of 2019, users have spent over £32bn on mobile games and apps already.
The report revealed that iOS App Store contributes £20bn to the total figure, which is 45% higher than Google Play Store’s earnings who have accumulated £11bn so far. However, individually both companies have outdone their previous year sales. Google Play Store has earned 19 percent more than the first half of 2018, going from £9bn to £11bn. For iOS app Store, their income has increased by 13.2 percent from £17bn to £20bn.
For both app stores, the dominant source of income came from mobile games with the spending on these apps increasing by over 11 percent, reaching £23bn for both companies, in just the first half of 2019.
In worldwide mobile game downloads, ‘Honor of Kings’ has topped the charts, earning more than £583m, this is then followed by ‘Fate/Grand Order Sony Aniplex’ which has brought in £503m.
The figures for Apple have increased at a much slower rate than Google Play, due to the downturn in spending on iOS by consumers in China. In result of this, the Apple App Store has recorded a 7.8 percent growth while Google Play’s figures have increased by 16.8 percent.
Other non-gaming apps have also increased in sales, with Tinder users spending £398m on the app, a which has increased by 32 percent since their previous year income. The spending for the Netflix app has also increased considerably earning £319m.
The most downloaded apps have also been revealed and all fall under Facebook’s umbrella with Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook.
Due to its wide availability, Google Play Store has a significant lead when it comes to mobile game downloads, which isn’t surprising as 9 out of every 10 phones run Android.
Navkiran Bains
