There is an app for everything,” the saying goes, and it is becoming truer by the minute. Augmented reality apps change how we see the world around us. There seems to be no limit to what an app can do from streaming movies and music, social networking, romance, and monitoring our health and finances. Apps are also helpful to keep us safe, as proven in the corona pandemic, facilitating contact tracing and tracking the virus spread.

The apps market has come a long way from the first 500 apps launched in 2008 in the iOS App Store. Today, about 2 million different apps are available for users in the Google Play Store and the Apple Store.

With so many apps out there, the competition for apps developers is fierce, and if you want to stand out and make money from your application, you need to know the market.

What makes users download an app?

How your target audience uses your application?

We’ve got you covered. Here you have data and statistics on app download and usage you can use to grow your app business in 2024.

Statistics that will help you improve your user experience

The user experience makes or breaks the success of a mobile app. If you don’t understand what makes your users happy, it is not very likely you will have a successful mobile app.

Several factors combine to create the right user experience, such as your application’s aesthetics, functionality, and ease of use. Mobile apps that provide a positive user experience improve ROI and customer retention.

What are the characteristics of an app that gives a positive user experience?

App UX stats

Apps download statistics

To understand the mobile landscape and trends, here are some statistics in mobile app usage that can help you meet the demand in 2024.

5. Mobile apps usage has increased since the pandemic.

The pandemic changed how people conduct business, interact, and consume media. The need for using their phones for tasks that couldn’t be done in person drove tremendous growth in app downloads—mobile app downloads have grown 23.3% since 2020.

The most popular app categories were food delivery, productivity, fitness, and health.

6. Downloads are expected to increase by 45% in 2022

It’s been more than a decade since the launch of the first app, the launch of the first app, and the number of apps deployed and used has grown steadily year after year. As the number of mobile devices grows, so are the number of apps deployed in the market.

Application data by 2022

Image source

The app market moves through the three stages of market maturity.

  • Experimentation: new smartphone users discover and experiment with new apps, increasing the number of downloads.
  • Expansion:  As users understand the types of apps available and valuable to them, they don’t look as often for new apps. Consequently, while it may seem downloads are still high, the growth rates slow.
  • Maturity: Users return and spend more on their preferred apps. Successful apps increase their monetization. As a result, app store and in-app spending grow.

7. How many apps will be downloaded a day in 2024?

A recent report shows 250 million daily app downloads between 2019 and 2020.

8. Global app downloads

According to Statista, there were projected 196 billion apps downloaded in 2021. The actual numbers are a bit different:

  • 142.9 billion apps and games were downloaded in 2020.
  • Of that, 56.1 billion of those downloads were games

No. of Mobile app downloads

9. Google play had more app downloads in 2020 and 2021.

  • 86.7 billion apps will be downloaded in 2020. In the same period, the iOS store had 24.3 billion downloads.
  • In the last quarter of 2021, there were 6 billion downloads in the Google play store.

10. Google Play Store is the store with more available apps

In 2021, There were 3.48 million apps in the Google Play store. The number decreased a bit as of January 2022.

No. of android apps downloaded

Source

11. Apple is the second-largest app store.

The Apple App Store was the second largest, with 2.2 million available apps.

IOS game downloads

Source

  • In the third quarter of 2021, there were over 2 billion game downloads in iOS.
  • In 2020, the annual iOS game downloads was 10.1 billion.

12. Google led game downloads in 2021

Google play game downloads

Source

  • In the last quarter of 2021, close to 11 billion game downloads were in the Google Play Store.
  • The number of game downloads in 2020 was 46 billion.

15. What app was the most downloaded in 2021?

According to analytics firm Apptopia, this is the rank of most downloaded apps of 2021. Not surprisingly, the apps that generate the most buzz on the Internet are the ones people download the most.

This list  includes both Android and iOS:

 

1. TikTok
2. Instagram
3. Facebook
4. WhatsApp
5. Telegram
6. Snapchat
7. Zoom
8. Messenger
9. CapCut
10. Spotify

TikTok maintains first place from 2020, and the rest are well known, like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. This year’s surprise is CapCut, a video editing app popular Tiktokers use to cut their videos before posting.In the U.S, the list features streaming services and financial apps.

In the U.S, the list features streaming services and financial apps.

1. TikTok
2. Instagram
3. Snapchat
4. Cash App
5. Zoom
6. Messenger
7. Facebook
8. WhatsApp
9. YouTube
10. HBO Max

16. Most apps in the Google Play Store don’t have a rating

  • Over 2 million apps in the Google Play Store have no rating stars, and only 174,000 have 4.5 stars and up.

Rating distribution inAndroid

Source

17. Users prefer to download higher rated apps

There s a direct correlation between the number of stars rating and the percentage of downloads.

  • Only 4% of apps that don’t have any rating get downloaded
  • Contrarily, 45% of apps with 4 to 4.5 stars get downloaded by users.
  • The most popular star category is 3.5-4, which gets downloaded 47% of the time.

App usage statistics

18. Mobile apps occupy 70% of the digital media time

US consumers are on their smartphones longer than they watch TV. Mobile usage now leads to media consumption. 70% of the time users spend on digital media is done on an app. 

19. Mobile app usage statistics by age and gender

  • The average person has 40 apps installed on their phone. However, out of that number, only half get used.
  • The higher the age group, the lower the number of apps installed.

App used Vs. App installed

Source

  • Young adults and millennials spend more time on mobile apps than older adults. The older the users, the fewer apps they use.

Avg. Monthly hours per mobile app user

Source

20. Most used app types

  • Social media, gaming, and communication apps are the most used categories.
  • Travel, maps, e-commerce, and finance are used when needed.
  • 75% of respondents to the survey said Social, Gaming, Communication, Entertainment, and Mobile browser apps are the ones they use daily.

(statistics source for this section)

Average Weekly Time Spent in Minutes

Social 131
Gaming 116
Communication 102
Entertainment 67
Mobile Browser 46
Productivity 35
Music 80
E-commerce 65
Health 27
Travel 19
Map 25
Finance 57

 

21. How often do users check their smartphones a day?

US consumers are well into the digital aria, since data shows they check their phones close to 100 times a day.

According to a study, the average American smartphone user checks their phones every 10 minutes on average.

The 18 to 24-year-olds group is the demographic with the heaviest smartphone usage, checking their phones on average every 5 minutes.

How do mobile apps benefit the user?

Mobile apps are one of the elements a company can use to meet customers’ expectations and needs.

  • An app provides more value to your customers. They can access your services anytime from their smartphones.
  • Because you provide more value, customers become more interested in your brand.
  • Gives users a fast and easy connection to your business.
  • User engagement increases with a mobile app. Segmented targeting enables you to create different user profiles and personalize the content delivered by the app.
  • Users get the chance of serving themselves, improving customer service.
  • Data from the app help you track potential issues before the customer faces them.

Here are more benefits of improving your mobile UX for your users

  • Capture users. Have an instant impact on customers when you launch your app. A good user experience can be appealing and drive the customer’s decision to use the app.
  • Gets better rankings in the app store. As your app gets more downloads and ratings, the ranking on the app store will grow.
  • Improved ROI. When your app has a great design, it helps meet users’ needs. Satisfied customers are more likely to promote your app to others, resulting in a higher return.

Mobile apps help businesses create a personalized marketing channel. 

Mobile app features can help deliver content more efficiently and improve monetization.

  • Push notifications: Push notifications in mobile deliver a 70% opt-in rate on average.
  • In-app ads and purchases: Ads, and calls to action have a higher clickthrough rate within apps.

The importance of the user experience for mobile users

Mobile UX is the general feel a user gets when interacting with a mobile product. For example, some mobile retail apps allow you to buy with one click. As users spend more time on their phones, mobile UX is increasingly important.

One of the critical parts of the mobile user experience is the UI (user interface), which is how consumers engage with the mobile app. The UI includes all the app’s controls, blocks, buttons, and elements.

Developers need to think in a user interface design that attracts and is aesthetically pleasing to the user. Choosing a corporate color scheme and a clean design is very effective. Users need applications that provide easy, fast, and reliable service. The goal for developers is to create products that are clear and easy to consume.

Why a better app user experience can boost conversions

What has user experience to do with conversions? Everything. A well-designed UX for your app directs the user’s attention and motivates them to perform the desired action. Here are some tips to design an app UX to increase conversions:

  • Use what works

People tend to react positively to familiar experiences. Integrate elements that your users recognize from other apps to increase their usability.

  • Minimize the app loading time

Users have less patience every day, and their attention span is shorter. That’s why every screen that takes time to load risks users bouncing back. Any heavy image or rich media element can mess up the outcome.

  • Keep choices to a minimum

Too many options can result in choice overload. Reducing the number of choices in your app so they guide your customer journey is a good idea to improve the user experience.

  •  Direct the user’s attention

Try to get as much data as possible about customer behavior. By analyzing the user’s in-app journey, you can direct their attention to perform the actions you desire.

How CodeFuel enhances app user experience

At CodeFuel, the user experience is at the center of our strategy. CodeFuel monetization platform enables app developers to provide highly relevant content and ads that improve the user experience. Machine learning capabilities deliver data analytics for contextual advertising and news. As a result, users are more engaged and conversion rates improve. Learn how CodeFuel helps app developers and publishers maximize their yield.