Monday, September 21, 2026

App Store breaks record driven by pandemic

Date:

2020 saw record spending by users of Apple’s App Store, sadly thanks to bans that forced many people into their homes. With almost nil out-of-home entertainment, users are left with wild downloads. In the holiday season alone, consumers have spent about $ 407 million on iOS and Android apps so far, about 34% more than in the same period in 2019.

It’s the Sensor Tower analytics company that has come up with the numbers. Overall, 2020 was a record year for global spending on mobile apps and games, surpassing $ 100 billion in just one year for the first time in November, combined with the App Store and Google Play Store. This trend continued into Christmas, when consumers around the world spent around $ 407.6 million on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Mobile spending on Christmas reached approximately $ 9 billion globally from December 1 to December 27. Most of Christmas spending has been focused on mobile games, which increased 27% from $ 232.4 million in Christmas 2019 to $ 295.6 million this year. On the App Store, entertainment apps ranked second, with $ 19.3 million or 21.8% of all non-gaming expenses. On Google Play, the category generated $ 4.3 million, or 18.5% of all revenue generated. Outside of mobile gaming, TikTok was the top app in terms of consumer spending, generating $ 4.7 million in revenue globally at Christmas.

Apple announces the most downloaded apps on the App Store in 2020 in Italy

As always, although there are more Android devices than iOS, it was the iOS apps that generated the most revenue by far. Apple’s App Store captured the majority of spending between the two platforms, reaching 68.4% of total spending, or 278.6 million, a 35.2% year-on-year increase in Google Play revenue. for 129 million dollars, however, more than 33% annually. In the United States, Roblox has generated most of the revenue among games, posting 6.6 million in the holiday period, while Disney + did so in the other entertainment category, with revenue of $ 2.6 million.

The vast majority of developers are already going to retain most of the App Store revenue from the holidays, as Apple charged them the 15% commission rate cut in half, ahead of the expected start date of 1 from January. Apple announced the surprise change in November in a measure designed to counter antitrust action.

For all the news and articles about the iPhone universe, the dedicated section of our website is available, while for the Android world we start from this page.

Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison was a celebrated American author whose novels earned worldwide recognition for their depth, artistry, and cultural significance. Her influential works continue to inspire readers and writers across generations.

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