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Global mobile app downloads fall to 106.9 billion installs
Global mobile app downloads fell for the fifth year in a row in 2025, dropping 2.7% to 106.9 billion installs, according to a report by app analytics firm Appfigures.
Despite the decline, consumer spending on apps rose 21.6% to US$155.8 billion in 2025, driven mainly by in-app purchases and subscriptions.
Spending on non-game apps grew 33.9% year-on-year to reach US$82.6 billion, surpassing the US$72.2 billion spent on mobile games, which saw a 10% rise.
Mobile game downloads dropped 8.6% to 39.4 billion, while non-game app downloads stayed nearly flat at 67.4 billion.
In the US, app downloads dropped 4.2% to 10 billion, but consumer spending increased by 18.1% to US$55.5 billion.
US non-game app spending reached US$33.6 billion, up 26.8%, while game app spending rose 6.8% to US$21.9 billion.
🔗 Source: TechCrunch
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
AI-driven subscriptions lifted non-game app revenue
- Non-game spending rose 33.9% as AI apps moved toward more than $2 billion in 2025, with ChatGPT at 44% among top AI apps and general assistant apps (chatbots that answer questions and perform tasks) at 40% of the top 1,000 since January 2023 1.
- Software app revenue grew more than 50% year over year as monthly AI downloads climbed from nearly 6 million in January 2023 to 115 million in December 2024 21.
- The U.S. holds 64% of AI app spend 1, alongside a 26.8% jump in U.S. non-game spend.
Niche subscription apps can earn more even as downloads slip
- Camera-based identifier apps show how focus wins. Plant identifier tools take 78% of the $27 million in monthly revenue, while multi-purpose apps are 26% of 1,328 titles but only 1.4% of revenue 3.
- Subscription tools got fresh funding. RevenueCat (a subscription management platform) closed a $50 million Series C, and Appcharge (an in-app payments platform) raised a $58 million Series B 4.
- Product teams should favor retention and monetization over acquisition. Spending rose 21.6% while downloads fell 2.7%. Europe and Latin America saw in-app purchases (microtransactions and subscriptions bought inside apps) rise more than 20% 2, so teams can adjust prices and paywalls (purchase screens) for overlooked regions.
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