Apple customers contributed to a mind-boggling $ 143 billion total spent on apps in 2020 in stores like the iOS App Store, a new report by app analytics firm App Annie claims.
That’s a particularly impressive figure in a year that saw major economic upheaval as a result of the sweeping effects of the coronavirus pandemic. However, while this had big ramifications for many people and businesses, it also meant more reliance than ever on connected devices to help us work, learn, seek out entertainment, and communicate with friends and family.
In other words, it led to perfect conditions for a boom in app business.
People Spent More Time Using Apps Than Watching TV
According to App Annie’s estimates, the pandemic resulted in the equivalent of 3-4 years of mobile growth in a single year. The app which may have benefitted the most was the uber-successful TikTok, which is currently on course to achieve 1.2 billion active users sometime in 2021.
These aren’t the only interesting insights that came out of App Annie’s State of Mobile 2021 report. It also reveals that, in the United States, Americans spent approximately 8% more time using mobile devices than they did watching live TV.
While the average American spends an estimated 3.7 hours watching live television, they spent four hours using their trust mobile device. This indicates a major change in the way Americans (and, really, the rest of the world) are using our free time.
Overall mobile app downloads, across both iOS and Android, increased by 7% year-over-year, hitting a massive 218 billion downloads in the year.
A Record Year for the App Store
This isn’t the first time there have been hints about a massive record year for apps—and, particularly, the App Store, which accounts for the majority of profit when it comes to mobile apps.
In a recent press release, Apple noted that, over the holiday season, App Store customers spent a whopping $ 1.8 billion on digital goods and services between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day 2021, customers spent a record $ 540 million+ in a single day.
While that’s just a small snapshot of the hottest time of the year for app usage, it nonetheless supports the idea that 2020 was a pretty spectacular year for all things App Store. And with 2021 so far looking to continue many of the home-working, remote learning trends of last year, things may not be taking a dip any time soon.
Image Credit: James Yarema/Unsplash CC
