The google play store statistics has taken a dramatic curve over time. All thanks to the pandemic and brilliant technologies which made the virtual world possible in the era of social distancing. Now that we all have adapted digitalization, can you think of a day without your go-to application? A big no, right? As your banking transactions can be done by I-mobile applications, you are paying your bills via Paytm, ordering medicines through Pharmeasy, attending meetings over hangouts, and your cravings are taken care of by Zomato, yes, yes for your entertainments you can anytime prepare your popcorn and switch to Netflix. Correct? 

You don’t need anything when your needs are just a tap away! The Google play store does not need any introduction now,  and without a doubt, this is non-replaceable anytime soon. As we have plenty of needs and there is a good number of apps in the google play store that perfectly solves our problem leading to an increase in the demand of launching the application on the play store. 

But before knowing the details of the Google Play store, how about a quick introduction of Google Play.

google play

What is Google Play?

This amazing product was built in 2008 and from there it has come a long way. It was previously known as Android Market. And now, this is one of the most used Operating Systems in the world. 

As a majority of the apps are launched on Google Play, aren’t you curious to know google play store statistics?

Facts about the play store market:

1. Paid Vs Free apps: 

As most of us know, there are a number of apps on google play that are available for free. Free apps attract more customers as they are free to use and usually one does not have to pay to use the app. A user can simply download the app, use it and further can decide if that is beneficial for them or not. But if you talk about paid apps, the name signifies, you have to pay for downloading the app and for using it further. The revenue model for these apps are clear, pay instant and use it later.  If we talk about google play download statistics, 96.9 per cent of all Android applications are available for free, while 3.1 per cent required payment. Overall,  free apps are the king of google play market share that remains higher than the number of paid apps in the examined period.

free vs paid

Read more: How do free apps make money

2. How many apps are listed in Google Play Store:

Can you guess the number of apps in the google play store? You will be surprised to know that there are more than 4 million apps on google play engaging billions of google play users across the globe. As per ‘The Verge’  there are more than 3 billion wild users across the world which of course plays a vital role in driving the android mobile app market.  

app listed in google play store

3. How many new apps get launched every day: 

3500 to 4000 is the average new number of android apps mobile applications that are listed on the Google App store every day. And 88.5 thousand mobile applications are launched on the google play store annually, as per statista. However, the play store keeps on removing the applications as per their quality benchmarks.

4. How much money does the Google Play store makes:

With the increase in the number of applications the revenue of the google play store also increases giving a significant increase in the curve of google play download statistics. From 2016 to 2021, the revenue curve of the Google play store has drastically grown up. According to Statista, the revenue for the year 2020 was somewhere around 40 billion US dollars, mobile advertising obviously being the primary source of the revenue. Google also makes money from the media side of the play store which comprises the subscription and paid music, books, movies and many more. With each subscription or payment, the play store has some parts reserved.

Read here: How much does it cost to build an app

5. Why it is difficult to replace Google Play Store:

Google Play is the go-to destination for users to instal applications. Google is known for its awesome product, service and privacy policies which brings a sense of satisfaction to the google play users. The policies of the Google play store is quite restrictive so that the users cannot get harmed in any frames. Also, there are several perks offered to the developers who list the apps on the Google Play store. Due to the brilliant user experience, many iOS users are shifting from iPhone to Android mobile. Here is an explanation for the above from Business Insiders

6. How many apps have ratings and reviews:

The app’s ratings and reviews play a crucial role in-play statistics. More than 50% of mobile users check the rating and read the reviews before downloading the apps. If the app is a paid app, then almost more than 80% of users dive deep into the ratings and reviews of the application which is a good practice because it’s always a good call to research on the part where you are willing to spend. Nowadays people also notice the way the application marketing team responds to the query and negative feedback to see the level of engagement involved in customer satisfaction.  You will be surprised to know that the play store market has more than 1.5 million apps rated. More than 520000 lakhs apps have been rated above 4 stars. 

7. App usage as per generations:

As I explained earlier, we have shifted our dependencies more on the mobile applications that offer us ease of getting things done by a tap. Would like to draw your attention towards google play stats as per the generations cap.

  • Gen Z: They spend almost 6-9 hours in their home and that too in the entertainment applications like Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok and Snapchat. 
  • GenY: Being the phenomenal generation who brought in the era of smartphones are the ones who spend almost 4 hours in a day on their smartphones and the apps they browse are Amazon, Instagram, Mobile Bankings, Paytm, Lifestyle app, Investment apps and a lot of diverse categories. 
  • Gen X: This generation spends nearly 2.5 hours on their mobile phones and that too for browsing information, on social media or on apps from which they can book tickets. 
  • Baby Boomers: Baby boomers are the ones who spend the least time on mobile phones. If we talk about the kind of application they use, it’s basically the retail and travel based application. They do not promote online transactions. 

In conclusion, Gen Y largely participates in the google play market share and Social media application remains the king amongst all the categories of mobile applications.

There are a diverse number of apps in google play with unique features which have gained enormous popularity and engagement over time. If we talk about the play store market trends of 2021, there are some unique features that hold a significant google play market share over other mobile app features. Listing some of them below:

  • Machine learning
  • Mobile eCommerce
  • IoT
  • VR and AR
  • Mobile Wallet
  • Cloud Integration
  • Security
  • 5G Applications
  • On-demand app development. 
  • Beacons technology
app trends

Top 10 mobile apps by revenue:

According to Forbes, Tiktok remains at position one in terms of most downloaded apps in the world. However, if you talk about revenue, the google baby, YouTube has made the most revenue. Here YouTube and HBO Max share a unique distinction: both are the only apps on both the most downloaded and the highest-earning top lists. Let’s explore more about play statistics. Below are the results of the top google play app as per revenue: 

play store revenue

PS: According to Statista,  Mobile internet users are spoilt for choice when it comes to the sheer variety and availability of mobile apps. As of the first quarter of 2021, gaming apps were the most popular app category in the Google Play store, accounting for 13.72 percent of available apps worldwide. Education apps were ranked second with a 9.31 percent share.

App development by countries:

There are definitely  N number of apps in google play which are developed by several countries. The United States tops the list, holding the volume 33.5 percent of all app releases in the combined iOS and Android market. China, remains the second and shares the release volume of 15.9 percent. India is at position 3 releasing 5% applications in the app release market across the globe.

Conclusion:

With the increasing dependency of humankind on mobile, we have seen a dramatic increase of app downloads each year. In the above google play store statistics, we have addressed customer’s dependency and behaviour towards the various kinds of applications. If you are entering into the mobile application market, it is important for you to understand what problem you are solving for your customers,  the mindset of google play users and what are you expecting back from them. The major popular apps have hacked the mantra profoundly.

Reach out to Agicent:

Don’t wait longer, if you have a great idea, you understand the pain point of your customers and know your customer well, reach out to Agicent and untangle the hidden revenue opportunities. Agicent has got all this covered for you. You can use our App cost calculator to estimate the cost of making an app from scratch. Get a better idea of our work by looking at our portfolio and the testimonials. 



Sudeep Bhatnagar
Co-founder & Director of Business
Sudeep Bhatnagar

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