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You Spent Less Time Using Apps Last Year—But You Also Spent More Using Them
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Main points
- Mobile apps appear to have lost some of their appeal among Americans, according to download and usage data from market research firm Sensor Tower.
- Sensor Tower said in-app spending will still increase about 16% from 2023 to 2024.
- The organization said AI chatbots and medical tracking tools were the strongest performers in terms of downloads last year.
Apps are no longer as popular as they once were.
New data shows Americans are exploring fewer new apps and spending less time using the apps they already have on their phones. But that doesn’t mean they won’t spend their money on things they enjoy. The latest analysis of mobile trends from market research firm Sensor Tower shows that in-app revenue will grow 16% from 2023 to 2024.
Here are some of the trends highlighted in the Sensor Tower report:
Consumer enthusiasm for new apps may be cooling. In 2024, there will be approximately 12.3 billion app downloads in the United States, down from 12.6 billion in 2023 and 12.7 billion in 2022. Americans will spend slightly less time overall on apps, with 323 billion hours in 2024 compared to 325.1 billion hours in 2023.
Apps are still a source of revenue. In-app spending will be just under $52.4 billion in 2024, up from $45.2 billion in 2023.
Americans spend the most on games. In-app purchases for mobile games reached $25.5 billion, with casino, puzzle and strategy games accounting for the most revenue. In-app spending was also relatively high on movie and TV streaming apps ($5.4 billion), social media apps ($3.8 billion), and dating apps ($2.3 billion).
Generations gravitate towards different projects. interest (password) and Snapchat (break) was among the top 10 apps with the largest 18- to 24-year-old user base as of the fourth quarter, but they are less popular among other generations.
Meanwhile, Walmart (WMT) has one of the broadest user bases among people 55 or older, but doesn’t have the same foothold among other demographics. Alphabet (GOOG) However, Youtube has the broadest share among all age groups studied, from 18 to 55+.
Artificial intelligence chatbots and medical trackers are receiving increasing attention. Of all the app types surveyed, AI-powered chat tools saw the most significant growth in global downloads. Time and money spent on these chatbots has also increased. Medical tracking apps for monitoring menstruation and sleep also performed strongly this year, with downloads up 43%.
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