Sensor Tower Estimates had Mobile Users Spending $83 Billion in 2019
According to Sensor Tower, mobile users spent more than $83 billion globally in 2019. The Apple App Store had user spending at a record $54.2 billion for the year, accounting for a growth of 16.3% year-over-year from $46.6 billion in 2018. Google Play users only spent $29.3 billion in the same time period, putting Apple user spending 85% higher than the Android crowd. Although less spending occurred on the Play Store than the App Store last year, Google saw a year-over-year revenue increase of 18.1%.
The largest part of App Store spending outside of Games was found in Entertainment apps, making $3.9 billion in 2019, an increase of 18.5% compared to last year. Social was the highest earning category on the Google Play store for 2019, with nearly $686 million spent, up 32.4%. Between Google Play and the Apple App Store, mobile games accounted for $61.7 billion in 2019. This estimate accounts for 68% of iOS revenue and 84% of Google Play spending in 2019, showing the continuous strength of the mobile market.
Mobile game installs increased 9.9% compared to last year, with 42.1 billion mobile games being installed in 2019. Around 78% of these installs happened on the Google Play store, despite the App Store acquiring more revenue from 9.2 billion installs compared to 32.9 billion. This means that more people are downloading games on Android but more people are spending money on iOS. Call of Duty: Mobile made more in revenue than its competition in 2019, which is likely a theme that will continue.
Although the mainstream gaming audience is fighting against microtransactions, the success of the mobile market seems to show that we can expect to see more mobile mechanics implemented into console and PC games, not less. The mobile market continues to see strong growth that most developers would probably like a piece of.
Are you a mobile gamer? Did you spend money on in-app purchases in 2019? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Sensor Tower