According to a recent report from Appfigures, the number of app downloads dropped significantly in 2025. Even so, the data shows that revenue from app stores for Android and Apple continues to rise, generating billions of dollars.
Throughout 2025, mobile device users performed around 106.9 billion app downloads, considering both the Google Play Store, on Android, and the App Store, from Apple. Although significant, this total represents a drop of approximately 2.7% compared to the previous year.
Reduced downloads and increased revenue
Even with a drop of almost 3% in downloads, application revenue continues to grow. In 2025, user spending increased by 21.6%, making the App Store and Google Play Store generated US$ 155.8 billionor around R$833 billion at current prices.
According to data from reports from recent years, there is no indication that application revenue is likely to decline anytime soon. In 2023, user spending totaled US$ 110.4 billion; in 2024, the value rose to US$ 127.3 billion; and, in 2025, there was this new growth of around 20%.
Appfigures points out that smartphone games are no longer the main source of this billion-dollar revenue. In 2025, they accounted for around 46% of user spending, even with a 10% growth compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, applications that are not games gained even more space and began to lead the collection, with aincrease of 33.9% compared to the previous year.
App downloads have been decreasing since 2020
The peak of downloads on smartphones occurred in 2020, when users carried out around 135 billion downloads throughout the year. Since then, this volume has been gradually decreasing, until reaching 106.9 billion registered in 2025.
In many cases, the drop in the number of downloads did not prove to be a problem, thanks to the new forms of monetization adopted by developers. In addition to in-app purchases, users can also subscribe to services or purchase additional features directly within the app.
Highlightingly, Appfigures also released a report on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in creating applications. With this facility, many developers began to earn high profits by developing apps with the support of AI tools.
“Monthly gross revenue for these apps has increased 37x in two years, with total consumer spending surpassing $1.4 billion in 2024. We project that spending will rise to more than $2 billion,” Appfigures describes.
