30 Truly Fascinating App Usage Statistics to Know in 2024

This article is perfect for those searching for new and exciting information on apps. For your amusement and education, we’ve compiled a list of the essential app usage statistics that show just how phone-centric our lives have become. 

Mobile apps are not only a source of entertainment; they’re also a source of numerous conveniences, and they can be a lucrative business for those with the right idea. Mobile app development has become one of the most promising industries, from video games to banking and ridesharing apps

Here’s the list of statistics that show how much time, money, and human resources are involved in the world of mobile apps:

Top 10 App Usage Statistics

  • There were more than 250 million daily app downloads between 2019–2020.
  • There will be 184 billion apps to be downloaded in 2024.
  • Social media mobile apps are the most used app category.
  • 2% of app users open an app over 100 times per day.
  • Telegram was the most downloaded non-gaming mobile app in January 2021.
  • Consumers spent 3.5 trillion minutes on android apps alone in 2020.
  • Around 78% of US smartphone users will not download an app to continue a transaction.
  • Users worldwide spent $19 billion on the App Store in 2020.
  • 98% of app revenue comes from free apps.
  • Apple’s App Store has over 500 million weekly visits.

Apps, Downloads, and Relevant Statistics

1. There were 218 billion app downloads in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

Last year, an estimated 218 billion app downloads occurred. The number shown represents both free and paid apps across all mobile platforms.

2. 78% of US smartphone users will not download an app to continue a transaction.

(Source: Digital Information World)

The mobile app download statistics reveal that 78% of US smartphone users don’t complete a transaction if a company requires them to download an app. This damages customer relations, as 80% of users say they get frustrated at the prospect of having to download an app.

3. Google Play Store and Apple App Store had 36.5 billion app downloads combined in 2020. 

(Source: Statista)

Given the diversity of the online app marketplaces, it’s unsurprising that the app usage stats count this many downloads in 2020 alone.

4. Around 184 billion apps will have been downloaded by 2024.

(Source: Statista)

According to Statista’s forecast, there will be 139 billion app downloads from Google Play Store and 45 billion from Apple App Store, 184 billion in total. 

5. There were more than 250 million daily app downloads between 2019–2020.

(Source: DotNek)

Even though we can’t tell exactly how many apps are downloaded a day, a recent report shows an estimated 250 million daily app downloads between 2019–2020. Just imagine how much more there will be by the end of 2021.

Mobile App Statistics for 2021

6. Around 55% of all website views in January 2021 came from mobile devices.

(Source: Statista)

People embraced the convenience of mobile internet access as soon as it was offered, and mobile app usage will only become more prominent with time. The shift from desktop to mobile devices has been noticeable for a while. In January 2021, over half of all online traffic came from mobile devices, excluding tablets, as the mobile app user statistics show.

Recent mobile marketing statistics show that 91% of all internet users worldwide are mobile internet users. There’s no denying it — mobile devices rule the world.

7. 52% of males over the age of 18 use mobile devices.

(Source: Digital Information World)

Around 39% of them choose smartphones as their content consumption device, while 13% use tablets, based on the mobile app usage by age data. Clearly, the potential app user market is immense. Meanwhile, desktops are the primary device for 48% of adult males.  

8. 65% of females over the age of 18 use mobile devices.

(Source: Digital Information World)

Female users represent an even more significant part of the mobile device market, as 49% of them primarily consume content on their smartphones. In comparison, 16% of them choose to do so on tablets. The remaining 35% prefer desktops, as per the reports on mobile app usage demographics.

9. 39% of the most frequently used apps are related to social media.

(Source: The Manifest)

The majority of the apps that are used most fall into the social media category. When it comes to usage percentages, 39% are social media apps, 10% are gaming apps, 10% are meant for communication, and 7% are retail-related apps.

10. YouTube was the most popular app in 2020, with a mobile audience reach of 72.8%.

(Source: Statista)

According to the app usage statistics, YouTube had a massive audience in September 2020. No wonder why many people find the platform an excellent source of income too. 

11. 98.3% of mobile users have Facebook installed on their device.

(Source: Statista)

Facebook is the app we’re most likely to have installed on our phones. As of January 2021, almost everyone has accessed it on any kind of mobile phone, as shown by the latest mobile app usage statistics from Statista. And that doesn’t even include over 1.5 million fake user accounts deleted by Facebook last year.

12. Spotify had nearly 9.31 million downloads from android users in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

The most downloaded music and audio app in 2020 for Android users was Spotify, with over 9 million downloads, as per the app usage statistics for Android phones. YouTube follows with only 4.62 million.

13. Telegram was the most downloaded non-gaming mobile app in January 2021.

(Source: Telegram / SensorTower)

Telegram is a messaging app initially launched for Android and iOS in 2013. In January of this year, it bagged the title of the most downloaded non-gaming mobile app, with 63 million installs. 

The app download statistics for Android further reveal that TikTok follows closely, with nearly 62 million installs.

14. Facebook was voted an essential mobile app in Q3 2020.

(Source: BuildFire)

When asked about essential apps, 17% of the US consumers said they couldn’t live without Facebook. Boasting more than 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram took the second spot, with 13% of those surveyed listing it as essential. 

The app usage statistics further show that Gmail took the third spot, with 9% of those questioned finding it vital in their daily lives. YouTube, Twitter, Chrome, Maps, WhatsApp, Amazon, and Messenger make up for the rest of the top 10 apps Americans can’t live without at 8%, 7%, 6%, and 5%, respectively.

15. 98% of app revenue comes from free apps.

(Source: BuildFire)

Facts about apps like this tell us that those thinking of developing a paid app should think twice, as just 2% of the total app revenue can be attributed to this type of app. The rest of the app revenue comes from free apps that implement ads or other income-bringing methods, such as in-game currencies.

How Much Time Do We Devote to Apps?

16. 51% of people check apps on their phone 1–10 times per day.

(Source: The Manifest)

Recent surveys and mobile app usage statistics show that 51% of mobile app users check their apps anywhere between 1 and 10 times a day. 25% of users do so 11–20 times per day, while 2% admit to opening apps over 100 times in a single day.

17. An average US consumer spends more time using apps than watching TV.

(Source: Statista)

The downtime habits of an average American have shifted in the last few years. TV used to be our primary preoccupation during downtime, but now we spend more time scrolling through mobile apps. The average time spent in front of the TV in 2020 was 166 minutes per day, while the app usage stats show the following numbers:

18. Consumers spent 3.5 trillion minutes on apps from Android devices alone in 2020.

(Source: TechCrunch)

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, people had to stay home most of the time. This made way for mobile app adoption, with users spending 3.5 trillion minutes on Android apps alone, as per the Android app statistics for 2020.

19. Those aged 18–24 spend an average of 3.2 hours in apps.

(Source: Social Media Today)

Young adults are the ones with the highest number of daily app hours. Those between the ages of 18 and 24 spend an average of 96 hours in apps each month. When it comes to the older demographics, mobile app usage by age is as follows:

  • 25–34: 2.6 hours per day, or 85.6 per month
  • 35–44: 2.3 hours per day, or 78.8 per month
  • 45–54: 2.0 hours per day, or 62.7 per month
  • 55–64: 1.8 hours per day, or 55.6 per month
  • 65+: 1.6 hours per day, or 42.1 per month

20. Mobile app vs. mobile website statistics indicate that social media is responsible for 30% of our time online.

(Source: Social Media Today)

When it comes to app usage, social media takes the majority of our time. Close to a third of all time spent online is dedicated to these apps. Keep in mind that this accounts for both desktop and mobile visits, although 60% are from mobile devices.

Android App Statistics

21. There were over 3.4 million apps available for download in the Google Play store in the first quarter of 2021.

(Source: Statista)

Surprisingly, there were 3.04 million apps by September 2020. This is at least 90,000 deleted apps from the Google Play Store in only a matter of three months.

22. There are only 113,265 paid apps in the Google Play store.

(Source: AppBrain / The Verge)

Smartphone apps statistics show that less than 4% of all Google Play store apps are paid apps. And that’s to think that 98% of its global revenue comes from free apps (see number 15).

23. TikTok was downloaded over 2 billion times in 2020.

(Source: Cyberclick)

Due to the worldwide lockdown, people tried to find new entertainment methods, and TikTok did not disappoint. Thus, it saw an influx of over 2 billion downloads last year. 

24. Netflix is the top-rated Android app of all time.

(Source: apptrace / Running Wolf’s Rant)

Considering how many apps are downloaded a day, the fact that Netflix’s official app has managed to keep the top spot for as long as it has, with an average rating of 4.0, is awe-inspiring—especially since the app has over 120,000 ratings.

Based on the branding statistics that show the company spent $1.45 billion only on branding in 2020, we’re sure Netflix set aside massive funds for their mobile product as well. According to the app stats by Running Wolf’s Rant, Netflix has a subscriber base of over 180 million as of April 2020. The company’s app is followed by Minecraft, YouTube, Fortnite, and Microsoft Word as the next top apps in the Android store.

25. Around 49% of users visit Google Play Store more than 11 times a day.

(Source: Appventurez)

With over 2.8 million Android apps available for download on Google Play Store, it’s unsurprising that nearly half of users worldwide open it more than 11 times a day. Millennials open it a lot more, at least 50 times a day.

iPhone App Usage Stats

26. There were over 2.2 million apps available for download on the Apple App Store in early 2021.

(Source: Statista)

At the end of Q3  2020, 1.96 million mobile apps were available for download to iPhone and iPad users. Compared to the previous quarter, this was an increase of 7.53%.

27. Zoom was Apple’s most downloaded free app in 2020.

(Source: FastCompany / SensorTower)

The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed changed a lot of the app usage statistics for iOS and all other devices, for that matter. As people had to work from home, virtual meetings became a norm, which is why Zoom was Apple’s most downloaded free app in 2020. By January 2021, it was already downloaded over 14 million times.

28. Over 500 million users per week visit the App Store.

(Source: Apple)

According to the app usage statistics, the App Store has over half a billion users visiting it per week. Apple claims that it’s the world’s safest and most vibrant marketplace, and it’s hard to disagree.

29. The average time spent in the App Store is 33 minutes per month.

(Source: Verto Analytics)

The average time iPhone/iPad users spend in the App Store is 33 minutes every month, with an average of 13 visits during the same period, iOS app usage statistics on iPhones point out.

30. Users worldwide spent $19 billion on the App Store in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

Quite surprisingly, it’s a million miles away from Google Play Store’s global consumer spending in Q3 2020, which was $10.3 billion. Nevertheless, both figures are impressive. 

Conclusion

Whether they’re smartphones or tablets, mobile devices have become items most of us can’t imagine living without. The goal behind this list of app usage statistics is to point out how useful these devices can be, how prominent they’ve become, and how much time we can sometimes waste on them. But still, remember to lift your head high, breathe in some fresh air, and forget about technology from time to time.

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