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Q4 2020Store Intelligence Data Digest

Executive Summary: Highlights

Worldwide app downloads totaled 35.2 billion in 4Q20, a 20.6% year-over-year increase. Full year downloads grew 23.8% to 143B, including 34.4B on the App Store and 108.6B on Google Play.

Among Us made a huge surge in the second half of 2020 to rank as the top game by downloads in 2020. The online social deduction game from InnerSloth provided a way for consumers to stay connected during the pandemic.

The impact of COVID-19 was felt across the mobile space, and no app better exemplified this than Zoom. Zoom was the No. 4 app globally by downloads in 2020 and no app saw more Y/Y growth.

Despite a ban in India earlier in the year, TikTok was the top app by worldwide downloads in Q4 2020 and the full year. The social video app has fully emerged as a force on mobile.

© 2020 Sensor Tower Inc. - All Rights Reserved

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Table of Contents: Topics Covered

Market Overview: Worldwide year-over-year download growth for the App Store and Google Play

Top Apps: Top non-game apps globally, in the U.S., and in Europe

Top Games: Top mobile games by downloads across the App Store and Google Play

Top Publishers: Top publishers of mobile apps and games worldwide, in the U.S., and in Europe

The Q4 2020 Store Intelligence Data Digest offers analysis on the latest mobile trends:

5.

6.

16.

Top Charts for the Quarter

Top Categories: A look at year-over-year growth for the top categories on both app stores

Top Countries: The countries that had the most installs in the quarter and a look at Y/Y growth

36.

39.

2020 Year in Review: Top apps, games, publishers, new apps, and new games globally in 2020

Rise of Remote Work: The rise of remote work apps like Zoom as offices adapted to COVID-19

Mobile Games Soar to New Highs: A look at how mobile gaming was propelled to new highs in 2020

Travel Begins to Bounce Back: Recent trends for travel apps and a look at how demand will return in 2021

43.

51.

57.

65.

2020 Year in Review

26.

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Sensor Tower’s Mobile Insights team compiled the download estimates provided in this report using the Sensor Tower Store Intelligence platform.

● Figures cited in this report reflect App Store and Google Play download estimates for January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020.

● Download estimates presented are on a per-user basis, meaning that only one download per Apple or Google account is counted towards the total.

● Downloads of the same app by the same user to multiple devices, updates, or re-installs of the same app by the same user are not counted towards the total.

● Android app install estimates represent downloads from the Google Play Store only. Sensor Tower does not provide download estimates for third-party Android stores.

About This Data: Methodology

Store Intelligence

Could your business benefit from access to Store Intelligence insights and the highly accurate data used to build this report? See the fastest growing apps and publishers by downloads or revenue.

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Market Overview: Q4 2020 Worldwide Download Growth

35.2 Billion App Store + Google Play Downloads

7.9 Billion App Store Downloads

27.3 Billion Google Play Downloads

Worldwide App Store and Google Play Downloads

0

5B

10B

15B

20B

25B

30B

35B

40B

Q4 2019 Q4 2020

35.2B29.1B

+20.6%

Worldwide App Store Downloads

0

5B

10B

15B

20B

25B

30B

35B

40B

Q4 2019 Q4 2020

7.9B7.8B

+1.3%

Worldwide Google Play Downloads

0

5B

10B

15B

20B

25B

30B

35B

40B

Q4 2019 Q4 2020

27.3B21.3B

+27.7%


5

Top Apps

TikTok .

WhatsApp .

Facebook .

Instagram .

Zoom .

Messenger .

Snapchat .

Telegram .

Google Meet .

Snack Video .

Amazon .

Netflix .

Spotify .

Pinterest .

CapCut .

YouTube .

Microsoft Teams .

Disney+ .

WhatsApp Business .

Likee .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M 160M 180M

App Store Google Play

Overall - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.

Q4 Apps by Worldwide Downloads 7


TikTok was the top app by global downloads in three out of the four quarters in 2020. A ban in India dampened its growth, with installs down 46 percent from their Q1 2020 peak. Installs outside of India still had positive growth year-over-year.

Facebook remained a mobile powerhouse with four of the next five apps following TikTok. Besides TikTok, Zoom was the only non-Facebook app to rank in the top five.

TikTok .

YouTube .

Zoom .

Instagram .

WhatsApp .

Facebook .

Messenger .

Taobao .

Gmail .

WeChat .

Google Chrome .

Google Maps .

Google .

Netflix .

Microsoft Teams .

PinDuoDuo .

Widgetsmith .

Spotify .

Telegram .

Disney+ .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for iPhone and iPad for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps are excluded. We report unique installs only (one download per user). Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.



While Zoom’s downloads fell each of the past two quarters, demand for video conferencing apps amidst COVID-19 remained high. Zoom ranked No. 3 on the App Store in Q4 2020, down two spots from its record 94 million downloads in Q2 2020.

Apple introduced homescreen widgets to iPhone and iPad with its release of iOS 14 in September 2020. Widgetsmith was the top homescreen widget app in Q4 2020 with more than 17 million downloads.

WhatsApp .

Facebook .

TikTok .

Instagram .

Snapchat .

Zoom .

Messenger .

Snack Video .

Telegram .

Google Meet .

Flipkart .

Likee .

WhatsApp Business .

MX TakaTak .

Amazon .

CapCut .

Spotify .

Pinterest .

Josh .

Netflix .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M

Google Play - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for Google Play for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. We report unique installs only (one download per User). Google preinstalled apps are excluded. Android download estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.



The battle for the top spot on Google Play in Q4 2020 was tight, with WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok each separated by less than 500K downloads. WhatsApp took the top spot after falling out of the top five the previous quarter.

Video-sharing social network apps continued to do well in India following the ban of TikTok in June 2020. Snack Video ranked No. 8 on Google Play despite also being banned in India in late November.

Zoom .

TikTok .

YouTube .

Facebook .

Messenger .

Instagram .

Disney+ .

Cash App .

Amazon .

Netflix .

Discord .

Walmart .

HBO Max .

WhatsApp .

Snapchat .

DoorDash .

Hulu .

Spotify .

Gmail .

Twitter .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M 16M 18M


Overall - United States

Q4 Apps by U.S. Downloads


10


Zoom was the top app in the U.S. for the third consecutive quarter. Its installs were down more than 50 percent from their peak at 41 million in Q2 2020 as offices and schools closed in response to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Discord’s U.S. installs have continued to rise during the pandemic. It reached No. 11 with a new high 8.1 million downloads in Q4 2020, up 161 percent Y/Y.

Zoom .

YouTube .

TikTok .

Facebook .

Instagram .

Messenger .

Gmail .

Amazon .

Netflix .

Google .

Discord .

Disney+ .

Cash App .

Widgetsmith .

Google Maps .

Google Chrome .

Spotify .

Walmart .

Hulu .

DoorDash .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M

iPhone iPad

App Store - United States



11


YouTube was a consistent top performer on the U.S. App Store, surpassing 11 million downloads for three straight quarters. Its previous high entering 2020 was 9.1 million.

Amazon was the only app to enter the top 10 in Q4 2020 vs. Q3. Holiday shopping helped propel it to one of its best quarters on the U.S. App Store, second only to Q2 2020 when consumers turned to Amazon as a safe way to shop during COVID-19.

Zoom .

TikTok .

Messenger .

Facebook .

Cash App .

Disney+ .

HBO Max .

Walmart .

Google Pay .

WhatsApp .

Instagram .

Discord .

Snapchat .

Tubi .

Parler .

PayPal .

DoorDash .

Hulu .

Amazon .

Netflix .

0 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M

Google Play - United States



12


HBO Max, a new streaming service launched in May 2020 that replaced existing HBO apps, was very successful on Google Play. Its 3.2 million new downloads in the U.S. were an all-time high and up 51 percent Q/Q.

Google Pay was another app with a successful relaunch, adding new features to its U.S. app in November 2020. It surpassed 2 million downloads on Google Play in December alone.

TikTok .

Zoom .

WhatsApp .

Instagram .

Microsoft Teams .

Telegram .

Facebook .

Messenger .

Pinterest .

Reface .

Discord .

Spotify .

Google Meet .

Snapchat .

Netflix .

YouTube .

Wish .

Amazon .

AliExpress .

Life At Home .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M 35M


Overall - Europe

Q4 Apps by European Downloads


13


After Europe began to reopen in the fall, COVID-19 cases surged again in Q4. Demand for top video conferencing apps surged with it, with Zoom (No. 2), Microsoft Teams (No. 5), and Google Meet (No. 13) all rising up the ranks compared to Q3.

TikTok was the top app in Europe for the second consecutive quarter. Its top markets included Russia (with 31 percent of the app’s downloads in the region), Turkey (18 percent), and Ukraine (7 percent).

WhatsApp .

Zoom .

YouTube .

TikTok .

Instagram .

Microsoft Teams .

Telegram .

Facebook .

Gmail .

Messenger .

Spotify .

Google Maps .

Netflix .

Pinterest .

Google Chrome .

Discord .

Google .

Snapchat .

Widgetsmith .

Google Meet .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Europe



14


WhatsApp from Facebook was the top App Store app in Europe. Its European downloads rose steadily during 2020 to reach their highest total since Q3 2018.

Google had six of the top 20 App Store apps in Europe, led by YouTube and Gmail. Google Maps fell from No. 4 in Q3 2020 to No. 12 in Q4 as some countries imposed lockdowns or other additional restrictions around COVID-19.

TikTok .

Zoom .

WhatsApp .

Telegram .

Instagram .

Microsoft Teams .

Reface .

Facebook .

QR & Barcode Reader .

Likee .

Messenger .

Pinterest .

Wish .

Discord .

Google Meet .

Snapchat .

QR & Barcode Scanner .

Spotify .

Life At Home .

AliExpress .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M

Google Play - Europe



15


TikTok was the top app in Europe on Google Play, surpassing 20 million downloads for the fifth consecutive quarter. Zoom moved up four spots from Q3 rank No. 2 in the quarter, and WhatsApp rounded out the top three.

Top video conferencing apps were most popular in a variety of European countries. Zoom’s top country was Turkey, while Poland and Italy were the top markets for Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, respectively.

Top Games

Among Us .

Join Clash 3D .

Shortcut Run .

Garena Free Fire .

Subway Surfers .

Tiles Hop .

Roblox .

My Talking Tom Friends .

PUBG Mobile .

Acylic Nails .

Homescapes .

Candy Crush .

Cube Surfer .

Emoji Puzzle .

Stack Ball .

Water Sort Puzzle .

Gardenscapes .

Subway Princess Runner .

My Talking Tom 2 .

Call of Duty: Mobile .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M 160M 180M


Overall - Worldwide

Q4 Games by Worldwide Downloads


17


Among Us, an online social deduction game from InnerSloth, was the top game by worldwide downloads for consecutive quarters. Its 166 million downloads in Q4 2020 was the best quarter from any game since Call of Duty: Mobile in Q4 2019.

Garena Free Fire was one of the most consistent top performers in 2020. It ranked No. 4 for the quarter and finished only behind Among Us by downloads in 2020.

Among Us .


Shortcut Run .

Genshin Impact .

Project Makeover .

PUBG Mobile .

Acylic Nails .

Roblox .

Subway Surfers .

Tangle Master 3D .

Join Clash 3D .

Homescapes .

Roof Rails .

Chat Master .

Arena of Valor .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Color Roll 3D .

League of Legends: Wild Rift .

Rush Hour 3D .

Gardenscapes .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M

iPhone iPad




18


Call of Duty: Mobile ranked No. 2 on the App Store, boosted by its release on December 25 in China. It accumulated nearly 10 million App Store downloads in China in its first week.

Genshin Impact was a new entrant to the top 20 after its release late in Q3 2020, ranking at No. 4. Its top markets on the App Store included China, the U.S., and Japan.

Among Us .

Join Clash 3D .

Garena Free Fire .

Subway Surfers .

Shortcut Run .

Tiles Hop .


Subway Princess Runner .

Candy Crush .

Ludo King .

Roblox .

Stack Ball .

Emoji Puzzle .

My Talking Tom 2 .

Cube Surfer .

FPS Commando .

Fun Race 3D .

Homescapes .

Water Sort Puzzle .

Bubble Shooter .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M




19


Among Us surpassed 112 million installs on Google Play, up 80 percent Q/Q. It was the best quarter for any game on the platform since Pokémon Go in Q3 2016.

Join Clash 3D from Supersonic Studios was the No. 2 game in the quarter. Supersonic Studios had one additional game among the top 20, Emoji Puzzle.

Among Us .

Shortcut Run .

Chat Master .

Roblox .

Project Makeover .

Acylic Nails .

Roof Rails .


Let's Be Cops 3D .

Match 3D .

Tangle Master 3D .

Papers Grade Please .

Subway Surfers .

Join Clash 3D .

Sushi Roll 3D .

Scribble Rider .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Genshin Impact .

Tiles Hop .

Stair Run .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M



Q4 Games by U.S. Downloads


20


Among Us was also the top game in the U.S. both of the past two quarters, with roughly 24 million downloads each quarter. No other game reached even 10 million U.S. installs in either Q3 or Q4 2020.

Roblox had another strong quarter in the U.S. ahead of its IPO. It was the No. 4 game in Q4 2020 and finished No. 2 in the U.S. behind Among Us in 2020.

Among Us .

Shortcut Run .

Project Makeover .

Chat Master .

Roblox .

Acylic Nails .

Roof Rails .


Let's Be Cops 3D .

Tangle Master 3D .

Subway Surfers .

Match 3D .

Scribble Rider .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Genshin Impact .

Madden NFL .

Sushi Roll 3D .

Rush Hour 3D .

Wordscapes .

Homescapes .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M 16M 18M

iPhone iPad




21


Genshin Impact entered the top 20 for the first time at No. 14. The U.S. was Genshin Impact’s second largest market on the App Store with 19 percent of its downloads, only behind China with 36 percent.

Hypercasual games publisher Voodoo had three of the top 20 games, including Shortcut Run, Roof Rails, and Scribble Rider. Voodoo was the No. 2 publisher overall on the U.S. App Store in Q4.

Among Us .

Roblox .

Chat Master .

Shortcut Run .


Join Clash 3D .

Acylic Nails .

Roof Rails .

Match 3D .

Tiles Hop .

Who is? .

Demolish .

Project Makeover .

Sushi Roll 3D .

Tangle Master 3D .

Stair Run .

Parking Jam 3D .

Magic Tiles 3 .

Scribble Rider .

Word Collect .

0 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M 7M




22


Among Us and Roblox were the only games in the top 10 in Q3 2020 to return to the top 10 in Q4. The high turnover reflects the number hypercasual titles among the top list. These tend to have shorter retention than other game genres.

Top hypercasual publishers represented among the top 10 included Supersonic Studios, Voodoo, AppLovin’s Lion Studios, and Crazy Labs. The space remained competitive in Q4 2020.

Among Us .

Shortcut Run .

Join Clash 3D .

Acylic Nails .

Who is? .

Tangle Master 3D .

Water Sort Puzzle .

Brawl Stars .

Roblox .

Homescapes .

Subway Surfers .

Tiles Hop .

Sushi Roll 3D .

PUBG Mobile .

Emoji Puzzle .

Stair Run .

Roof Rails .


Project Makeover .

Gardenscapes .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M 35M 40M 45M 50M


Overall - Europe

Q4 Games by European Downloads


23


Among Us took a bit longer to take hold in Europe than it did in the U.S. Its downloads increased more than 2.5x between Q3 and Q4 2020 as it took the top spot in Europe for the first time.

Brawl Stars dipped a bit in Q4 2020 but still managed to rank among the top 10. It was the No. 5 game in Europe each of the previous two quarters.

Among Us .

Shortcut Run .

Acylic Nails .

Project Makeover .

Subway Surfers .

Join Clash 3D .

Roblox .

Tangle Master 3D .

Homescapes .

Color Roll 3D .


PUBG Mobile .

Brawl Stars .

Rush Hour 3D .

League of Legends: Wild Rift .

Who is? .

Roof Rails .

Water Sort Puzzle .

Sushi Roll 3D .

Magic Tiles 3 .

0 2M 4M 6M 8M 10M 12M 14M 16M 18M 20M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Europe



24


Among Us achieved a new level of popularity in Europe, with more App Store downloads in Q4 2020 than any other game had in all of 2020. Its Q4 2020 was twice as high as the next best quarter for a game that year.

After a quarter ranked outside of the top 20, Call of Duty: Mobile returned at No. 11 in Q4 2020. It had more than 2.1 million App Store downloads in the region, reflecting 35 percent Q/Q growth.

Among Us .

Join Clash 3D .

Shortcut Run .

Who is? .

Water Sort Puzzle .

Brawl Stars .

Tiles Hop .

Tangle Master 3D .

Acylic Nails .

Emoji Puzzle .

Roblox .

Homescapes .

Sushi Roll 3D .


PUBG Mobile .

Stair Run .

Subway Surfers .


Roof Rails .

Foil Turning 3D .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M




25


Among Us was also hugely popular on Google Play, though its success was less unprecedented on that platform than on the App Store. Its 27 million downloads in Q4 was still well ahead of the next best quarter from a game this year. Save The Girl had 23 million downloads back in Q2.

Brawl Stars was the only game besides Among Us among the top 10 on Google Play in both Q3 and Q4 2020. It dropped one spot from No. 5 in Q3 to No. 6 in Q4.

Top Publishers

Google .

Facebook .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

ByteDance .

Microsoft .

Azur Interactive .

Outfit7 Limited .

Crazy Labs .

Tencent .

Supersonic Studios .

BabyBus .

Amazon .

Say Games .

InnerSloth .

Activision Blizzard .

Playgendary .

Miniclip .

InShot .

Good Job Games .

0 100M 200M 300M 400M 500M 600M 700M 800M


Overall - Worldwide

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores.

Q4 Publishers by Worldwide Downloads 27


Google maintained its dominance as the top publisher across the App Store and Google Play for the third consecutive quarter. This was a notable shift, as Facebook had more downloads than Google each year between 2014 and 2019.

InnerSloth, publisher of hit game Among Us, entered the top 20 for the first time at No. 15. Zoom, meanwhile, dropped out of the top 20 after ranking No. 6 in Q2 and No. 18 in Q3 2020.

Google .

Tencent .

Facebook .

Voodoo .

Alibaba Group .

Microsoft .

ByteDance .

Amazon .

AppLovin .

InnerSloth .


Crazy Labs .

Zoom .

NetEase .


Good Job Games .

Adobe .

Say Games .

Baidu .

Playrix .

0 50M 100M 150M 200M 250M 300M

iPhone iPad


Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for iPhone and iPad for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps are excluded. We report unique installs only (one download per User).



The top three publishers were the same as 3Q20. Alibaba Group replaced ByteDance in the top five.

Nearly all of the top 10 publishers on the App Store were from the U.S. or China, including Google and Facebook from the U.S. and Tencent and ByteDance from China. France-based Voodoo was the one exception among the top 10.

Google .

Facebook .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Azur Interactive .

Outfit7 Limited .

BabyBus .

ByteDance .

Crazy Labs .


Microsoft .

Say Games .

InShot .

Playgendary .

Miniclip .

Good Job Games .

Abishkking .

Amazon .


InnerSloth .

0 100M 200M 300M 400M 500M 600M


Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide daily download totals for Google Play for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. We report unique installs only (one download per User). Google preinstalled apps are excluded. Android download estimates do not include third-party stores.



Google, Facebook, and Voodoo kept the top three spots in Q4 2020. AppLovin moved up to No. 4 with 32 percent growth from 3Q20.

Two games studios based in Israel were among the top 10 publishers on Google Play. Crazy Labs and Supersonic Studios both specialize in hypercasual games.

Google .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Facebook .

Amazon .


Microsoft .

Crazy Labs .


InnerSloth .

Zoom .

Good Job Games .

Say Games .

ByteDance .

AT&T .

Kwalee .

Amanotes .

PayPal .

Azur Interactive .

Disney .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M



Q4 Publishers by U.S. Downloads


30


Google was the top publisher in the U.S. despite having its worst quarter of the year in Q4 2020. It was far-and-away the top publisher in the U.S. in 2020.

Few top publishers were from outside of the United States, apart from the many hypercasual games publishers like Voodoo and Crazy Labs. ByteDance, publisher of TikTok, was a notable exception.

Google .

Voodoo .

Facebook .

Amazon .

AppLovin .


Microsoft .

Crazy Labs .

InnerSloth .


Zoom .

ByteDance .

Good Job Games .

AT&T .

Kwalee .

Say Games .

PayPal .

Disney .

Amanotes .

Walmart .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M 90M

iPhone iPad




31


On the U.S. App Store, the top four publishers remained the same as last quarter. AppLovin replaced Microsoft among the top five.

Among Us propelled InnerSloth into the top 10 for the second straight quarter. It moved up one spot versus Q3 2020.

Google .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Facebook .

Amazon .


Microsoft .

Azur Interactive .

Crazy Labs .


Say Games .

Amanotes .

Good Job Games .

InnerSloth .

Playgendary .

Outfit7 Limited .

AT&T .

Abishkking .

APIX Educational .

PayPal .

0 5M 10M 15M 20M 25M 30M 35M 40M




32


Meanwhile, the top five publishers on Google Play all remained the same as in Q3 2020. Activision Blizzard, Azur Interactive, and Supersonic Studios entered the top 10 in Q4 2020.

Top games publishers represented a handful of different countries. Voodoo (France), AppLovin (the U.S.), Azur Interactive (Cyprus), Crazy Labs (Israel), and Say Games (Belarus) were just a few of the top performers in the quarter.

Google .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Facebook .

Microsoft .

Azur Interactive .

Crazy Labs .


Say Games .

InnerSloth .


ByteDance .

Amazon .

Outfit7 Limited .

Playgendary .

Yandex .

Abishkking .

Miniclip .

Zoom .

Good Job Games .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M 160M


Overall - Europe

Q4 Publishers by European Downloads


33


Facebook dropped out of the top three for the first quarter in 2020, falling to No. 4 in Q4. AppLovin passed Facebook with its best quarter yet in Europe. The bulk of AppLovin’s downloads came from its games publisher Lion Studios.

U.S.-based publishers had a good quarter in Europe. InnerSloth entered the top 20 at No. 10, and Zoom returned to the top 20 after falling outside the top list in Q3 2020.

Google .

Facebook .

Microsoft .

Voodoo .

InnerSloth .

AppLovin .

Amazon .


Zoom .

Crazy Labs .

ByteDance .


Yandex .

Good Job Games .

Say Games .

Adobe .

Miniclip .

Playrix .

Telegram .

Electronic Arts .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M

iPhone iPad

App Store - Europe



34


Google was the top publisher again in Europe, with 67 million App Store downloads in the region. This was an all-time high and up 25 percent Y/Y.

Telegram made the top 20 for the first time this year with more than 6.5 million installs in Q4 2020. Its messaging app was most popular in Russia, which contributed 38 percent of its European downloads.

Google .

Voodoo .

AppLovin .

Azur Interactive .

Facebook .

Say Games .

Microsoft .

Crazy Labs .


Outfit7 Limited .


ByteDance .

Abishkking .

Playgendary .

InnerSloth .

Amazon .

Miniclip .

Yandex .

Playrix .

Good Job Games .

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M 90M




35


Voodoo’s Google Play downloads in Europe peaked in Q3 2020 at 99 million. It followed that up with a strong quarter in Q4 with nearly 85 million installs, good enough to rank No. 2 behind Google.

Azur Interactive ended 2020 with its best quarter yet, up 62 percent from its previous high from Q3 2020. Its top games in the quarter included Stack Ball, Do Not Fall.io, and Harvest.io.

Top Categories

0

500M

1.0B

1.5B

2.0B

2.5B

Games Photo & Video Utilities Shopping Entertainment

528M529M555M572M

2.12B

534M496M484M585M

2.33B

Q4 2019 Q4 2020

App Store


Q4 Categories by Worldwide Downloads

-9.1%

-2.2% +14.8% +6.6% -1.2%

37


Games downloads fell 9.1 percent Y/Y, with China contributing most of the decline. After downloads in China reached 743 million in Q1 2020 amid the spread of COVID-19, its 302 million in Q4 2020 was its lowest total in eight years.

Utilities and Shopping each passed Entertainment to rank as the No. 3 and 4 categories, respectively. Utilities in particular had strong growth of 14.8 percent year-over-year.

0

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6B

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Game Tools Entertainment Social Video Players

1.13B1.14B1.51B1.84B

11.47B

825M1.05B1.02B1.48B

8.77B

Q4 2019 Q4 2020

Google Play


Q4 Categories by Worldwide Downloads

+30.8%

+24.5%+47.2%

+8.7% +36.6%

38


While games struggled on the App Store, Google Play observed a very different trend. Game downloads surpassed 11 billion on Google Play for the third straight quarter.

The rest of the top five categories kept the same order as in Q3 2020. Entertainment and Video Players had particularly high year-over-year growth.

Top Countries

India

U.S.

Brazil

Indonesia

Russia

Mexico

Turkey

Philippines

Vietnam

Pakistan

0 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B


Overall


As Google Play is not available in China, we have excluded the country from this chart.

Q4 Countries by Downloads 40


India had its second best quarter to date behind Q3 2020, surpassing 7 billion downloads for the second time. This was an increase of 44.5 percent Y/Y from its 4.9 billion downloads in Q4 2019.

Pakistan entered the top 10 for the first time in 2020 off of 59 percent Y/Y growth. 97.3 percent of its downloads were from Google Play, with the App Store taking the remaining 2.7 percent.

App Store


Q4 Countries by Downloads

0

500M

1.0B

1.5B

2.0B

2.5B

U.S.

China

Japan

Great Britain

Russia

265M320M422M

1.69B

1.93B

271M306M423M

2.00B1.84B

Q4 2019 Q4 2020

+4.6%

-15.8%

-0.3%+4.6%

-2.1%

41


The U.S. passed China to take the top spot on the App Store in Q4 2020 for the third consecutive quarter. The last three quarters were the only ones where the U.S. had more downloads than China since 2015.

China’s App Store downloads declined for the second straight quarter, reaching their lowest total since Q2 2015. However, its downloads only fell by 0.6 percent Y/Y in 2020 because of a strong first quarter to the year.

0

1B

2B

3B

4B

5B

6B

7B

India

Brazil

Indonesia

U.S.

Russia

1.22B1.36B1.79B

2.47B

6.93B

1.14B1.35B1.34B2.00B

4.77B

Q4 2019 Q4 2020

Google Play


Q4 Countries by Downloads

+45.2%

+23.7%

+33.5%

+0.1%+7.3%

42


India alone contributed 36 percent of the total Y/Y growth on Google Play in Q4 2020, with its downloads climbing by more than 2 billion. India contributed more than a quarter of the platforms installs in Q4 2020, up from 22 percent a year prior.

Brazil and Indonesia also saw strong growth in Q4 2020. Indonesia passed the U.S. and expanded the gap in 2020.

2020 Year in Review

Market Overview: 2020 Worldwide Download Growth

143 Billion App Store + Google Play Downloads

34.4 Billion App Store Downloads

108.6 Billion Google Play Downloads

Worldwide App Store and Google Play Downloads

0

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75B

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2018 2019 2020

143.0B115.5B105.5B

+9.4%

Worldwide App Store Downloads

0

25B

50B

75B

100B

125B

150B

2018 2019 2020

34.4B30.7B30.0B

Worldwide Google Play Downloads

0

25B

50B

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100B

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2018 2019 2020

108.6B84.8B75.5B

+23.8%

+2.2% +12.3%

+12.2%

+28%

44


TikTok .

WhatsApp .

Facebook .

Zoom .

Instagram .

Messenger .

Snapchat .

Google Meet .

Telegram .

Netflix .

Likee .

YouTube .

Spotify .

Snack Video .

Pinterest .

Twitter .

Microsoft Teams .

PicsArt .

Amazon .

InShot .

0 100M 200M 300M 400M 500M 600M 700M 800M 900M 1.0B


Top Apps

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.

2020 Apps by Worldwide Downloads 45


TikTok’s meteoric rise resulted in it taking the top spot in 2020, surpassing WhatsApp, the top app in 2019. TikTok had nearly 987 million downloads in 2020, an increase of 37 percent Y/Y.

Zoom was a new entrant to the top list, ranking at No. 4 in 2020. Zoom’s popularity soared following office and school closures during the pandemic, and its downloads grew nearly 25x Y/Y.

Among Us .

Garena Free Fire .

Subway Surfers .

PUBG Mobile .

Hunter Assassin .

Gardenscapes .

Brain Out .

Ludo King .

Tiles Hop .

Homescapes .

Roblox .

Candy Crush .

Join Clash 3D .

My Talking Tom 2 .

Save The Girl .

Brain Test .


Magic Tiles 3 .

Fishdom .

Sniper 3D .

0 50M 100M 150M 200M 250M 300M


Top Games

2020 Games by Worldwide Downloads


46


Among Us emerged as the top mobile game in 2020 with 282 million downloads across the App Store and Google Play. It only had 14.5 million all-time downloads entering 2020 before it became a viral hit in the second half of the year.

The No. 2 and 3 games were the same as in 2019, with Garena Free Fire and Subway Surfers rounding out the top 3. PUBG Mobile from Tencent, the top game in 2019, fell to No. 4 this year.

Google .

Facebook .

Voodoo .

ByteDance .

AppLovin .

Outfit7 Limited .

Microsoft .

Tencent .

Crazy Labs .

Say Games .

BabyBus .

Playgendary .

Miniclip .

Azur Interactive .

Zoom .

Alibaba Group .

Amazon .

Good Job Games .

InShot .

Playrix .

0 500M 1.0B 1.5B 2.0B 2.5B 3.0B 3.5B 4.0B


Top Publishers

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores.

2020 Publishers by Worldwide Downloads 47


Google passed Facebook to become the top publisher for the first time. Facebook had held the top spot for at least the past six years, with Google ranking as the No. 2 publisher each year.

The success of business apps in 2020 helped Microsoft move up from No. 14 in 2019 to No. 7 in 2020. Microsoft’s downloads grew 69 percent Y/Y, led by chat and video conferencing app Microsoft Teams at nearly 200 million installs in 2020.

Aarogya Setu .

MX TakaTak .

Josh .

Moj .

CapCut .

CAIXA Tem .

Beat.ly .

SHARE Karo India .

One Security .

Tube Music Downloader .

Widgetsmith .

Avatoon .

Life At Home .

CAIXA Auxílio Emergencial .

Toca Hair Salon 4 .

Vido .

FileMaster .

Watched .

Logo Esport Maker .

Corona-Warn-App .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M 160M


Top New Apps


2020 New Apps by Worldwide Downloads 48


Aarogya Setu, a COVID-19 contact tracing app in India, was the top new app launched in 2020. Its 148 million installs were well above the next app, MX TakaTak.

The next three new apps also received nearly all of their downloads from India. MX TakaTak, Josh, and Moj launched as “made in India” alternatives to TikTok following the Chinese app’s ban.


Cube Surfer .

Draw Climber .

Perfect Cream .

Spiral Roll .

Scribble Rider .

Tangle Master 3D .

Stack Colors .

Epic Race 3D .

Slap Kings .

Cover Strike .

Tie Dye .

Puppy Town .

ASMR Slicing .

Pull the Pin .

Pull Him Out .

Draw Joust .

Shortcut Run .

Easy Game .

Cut and Paint .

0 20M 40M 60M 80M 100M 120M 140M 160M


Top New Games

2020 New Games by Worldwide Downloads


49


Among hypercasual games, My Talking Tom Friends from Outfit7 Limited emerged as the top new game in 2020. It had nearly 37 million downloads in June alone following its launch earlier that month.

No new games reached 150 million installs in 2020 after six new games achieved that milestone in 2019. One notable trend in 2020 was a drop in hypercasual game installs, particularly among the top games, as commuting was reduced due to COVID-19.

Stories of the Year


Stories of the Year: 1. Rise of Remote Work

Rise of Remote Work 51


The spread of COVID-19 in early 2020 transformed the app space. No category felt the impact more than business apps, as consumers looked for new tools to help them adjust to working from home. Zoom was the biggest riser of 2020, leading the charge from top video conferencing apps.

● Worldwide Business app downloads grew 134 percent Y/Y in 2020 across the App Store and Google Play, more than double the growth of any other category.

● Zoom’s 681M downloads in 2020 ranked it No. 4, only behind TikTok from ByteDance and Facebook’s WhatsApp and Facebook.

● Between 2016 and 2019, no Business apps ever achieved 100M downloads in a year. Four apps surpassed 160M in 2020, including Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WhatsApp Business.

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Business

Medical

Health & Fitness

Education

Books

Games

Lifestyle

Finance

Productivity

Food & Drink

Photo & Video

Shopping

Weather

Utilities

Sports

Social Networking

Entertainment

Music

News

Navigation

Travel

-25% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% 125% 150%

134%

-21%

-16%

6%

7%

13%

14%

17%

19%

19%

20%

20%

21%

24%

25%

26%

33%

35%

41%

50%

66%

Category Growth in 2020

App Store and Google Play

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.

52


Most app categories experienced strong growth following the spread of COVID-19, led by Business apps at 134 percent Y/Y. Medical was second at 66 percent, followed by Health & Fitness and Education which benefitted from gym and school closures.

Only two categories saw downloads decline in 2020, Travel and Navigation. This reflected the impact of lockdowns and stay-at-home orders as countries attempted to limit the spread of COVID-19.

-50%

0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

250%

300%

350%

Jul-1

9

Aug-1

9

Sep-1

9

Oct-1

9

Nov-1

9

Dec-1

9

Jan-2

0

Feb-2

0

Mar-2

0

Apr-2

0

May-2

0

Jun-2

0Ju

l-20

Aug-2

0

Sep-2

0

Oct-2

0

Nov-2

0

Dec-2

0

India South Korea Japan U.S. China

Business Download Growth

Monthly Download Growth by Country 53


The effects of COVID-19 varied significantly by county. China, the first country to experience COVID-19, saw a surge in business app downloads in February. By October, however, business app downloads were back near pre-pandemic levels.

Business app downloads in other large markets stayed high throughout 2020. Expect demand to remain elevated until countries gain more control of the pandemic and begin to re-open offices.

Note Regarding Growth Estimates Growth for each country is calculated vs. the country’s average monthly downloads for the category in 2019. China data is App Store only, while all other countries include App Store and Google Play.

India

South Korea

Japan

U.S.

China

-50%

0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

250%

300%

350%

400%

450%

500%

550%

600%

Jul-1

9

Aug-1

9

Sep-1

9

Oct-1

9

Nov-1

9

Dec-1

9

Jan-2

0

Feb-2

0

Mar-2

0

Apr-2

0

May-2

0

Jun-2

0Ju

l-20

Aug-2

0

Sep-2

0

Oct-2

0

Nov-2

0

Dec-2

0

Europe Italy Germany Russia France U.K.

54


Business app trends in Europe also reflected the state of the pandemic there. Download growth fell during the summer months as countries began limited re-openings, but surged again along with cases in the winter months.

Italy and Germany in particular had high growth, with December totals more than 3.5X the 2019 monthly average. Growth in Russia, France, and the U.K. was more muted.

Italy

Europe

Business Growth in Europe

Monthly Download Growth by Country

Germany

Russia

France

U.K.

Note Regarding Growth Estimates Growth for each country is calculated vs. the country’s average monthly downloads for the category in 2019. China data is App Store only, while all other countries include App Store and Google Play.

Zoom

Google Meet

Microsoft Teams

WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business

Adobe Acrobat Reader


Cisco Webex Meetings


LinkedIn

0 100M 200M 300M 400M 500M 600M 700M

60M

64M

68M

99M

65M

83M

166M

200M

331M

681M

2020 Pre-2020

Top Business Apps by Year

Worldwide Downloads 55


Entering 2020, no business app had ever reached 100 million downloads in a year. Four apps easily surpassed that threshold in 2020, led by video conferencing standouts Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

Zoom’s 681 million downloads were enough to rank No. 4 among apps by worldwide downloads. Google Meet was also among the top 10 with 331 million downloads.

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Android estimates do not include third-party stores.

Zoom 2020

Google Meet 2020

Microsoft Teams 2020

WhatsApp Business 2020

WhatsApp Business 2019

Adobe Acrobat Reader 2020


Cisco Webex Meetings 2020


LinkedIn 2019

Zoom

Snapchat

TikTok

YouTube Music

Google Meet

Bitmoji

Bitmoji

Microsoft Teams

TikTok

DoorDash

0 10M 20M 30M 40M 50M 60M 70M 80M 90M 100M

16.7M

17.3M

20.0M

28.4M

29.4M

38.9M

19.6M

28.9M

34.7M

95.6M

2020 Pre-2020

Top Apps by U.S. Growth

Y/Y U.S. Download Growth 56


COVID-19 shook up even relatively well-established and stable markets like the U.S. Zoom’s downloads increased by more than 95 million between 2019 and 2020, far above the year-over-year growth experienced by any other non-game app since 2016.

DoorDash was the top app by U.S. download growth in 2019 at 16.7 million. Four apps exceeded that total in 2020, including three video conferencing apps.

Zoom 2020

Snapchat 2016

TikTok 2020

YouTube Music 2016

Google Meet 2020

Bitmoji 2016

Bitmoji 2017

Microsoft Teams 2020

TikTok 2018

DoorDash 2019

Note Regarding Growth Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2020. Year-over-year growth measures the increase in downloads over the previous year. Data includes growth estimates since 2016. Newly launched apps and games are excluded.


Stories of the Year: 2. Mobile Games Soar to New Highs

Mobile Games Soar to New Highs 57


Mobile games provided safe entertainment and a way for consumers to stay connected during the pandemic. While games with a strong social component like Among Us from InnerSloth and Roblox did particularly well, nearly all game genres made huge strides in the middle of 2020.

● Worldwide game revenue surpassed $21 billion in Q4 2020, up 28 percent year-over-year. U.S game revenue peaked at more than $6 billion in Q2 2020.

● Top game genres all saw U.S. revenue increase following COVID-19. On the download side, genres popular among commuters like Hypercasual and Arcade took a hit.

● The decrease in downloads for top hypercasual games was more than made up by increases among other genres. Seven different genres were represented in the top 10 games by U.S. downloads in 2020.

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$0

$5B

$10B

$15B

$20B

$25B

Q1 20

18

Q2 20

18

Q3 20

18

Q4 20

18

Q1 20

19

Q2 20

19

Q3 20

19

Q4 20

19

Q1 20

20

Q2 20

20

Q3 20

20

Q4 20

20

$2.3B$2.1B

$2.7B$127M

$18.7B$18.7B$17.4B$17.6B

$16.4B$16.5B$15.2B$15.1B

$14.1B$13.6B$13.1B$13B

Baseline Estimated Impact of COVID-19

During COVID-19

Worldwide Game Revenue

Quarterly Worldwide Revenue

Note Regarding Revenue Estimates Our estimates include worldwide revenue for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2020. We report gross revenue (including the cut for Apple or Google). Android estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.

58


Worldwide game spending surged following the spread of COVID-19, rising from $16.4 billion in Q4 2019 to more than $21 billion in Q4 2020. Mobile games provided a way for consumers to socialize with friends during the pandemic.

The boost from COVID-19 persisted throughout 2020, with spending up by an estimated $2.3 billion in Q4 2020. This was only down slightly from the estimated impact of COVID-19 in Q2 2020.

$127M

0

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14B

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18B

Q1 20

18

Q2 20

18

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Q1 20

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Q2 20

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Q3 20

19

Q4 20

19

Q1 20

20

Q2 20

20

Q3 20

20

Q4 20

20

1.5B2.0B3.6B

2.8B

12.1B12.1B11.4B

10.7B11.1B11.1B10.4B9.6B9.3B9.5B

10.0B9.6B


During COVID-19

Worldwide Game Downloads

Quarterly Worldwide Downloads


59


The download surge following COVID-19 was even more pronounced than it was for spending. Worldwide downloads peaked at 15 billion in Q2 2020, up 35 percent from the previous high of 11.1 billion back in Q3 2019.

While the impact from COVID-19 has decreased since April, it remained significant through the end of 2020. COVID-19 contributed an estimated 1.8 billion downloads in April 2020 alone, compared to around 500 million in recent months.

$0

$1B

$2B

$3B

$4B

$5B

$6B

$7B

Q1 20

18

Q2 20

18

Q3 20

18

Q4 20

18

Q1 20

19

Q2 20

19

Q3 20

19

Q4 20

19

Q1 20

20

Q2 20

20

Q3 20

20

Q4 20

20

$848M$994M$1.5B

$82M

$5B$4.8B$4.6B$4.5B$4.3B$4.2B

$3.9B$3.7B$3.6B$3.3B$3.2B

$2.9B


During COVID-19

U.S. Game Revenue

Quarterly U.S. Revenue

Note Regarding Revenue Estimates Our estimates include worldwide revenue for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2020. We report gross revenue (including the cut for Apple or Google). Android estimates do not include third-party stores. Figures represent aggregate installs of all app versions, ex: Facebook and Facebook Lite.

60


U.S. game revenue responded quickly to COVID-19, peaking at more than $6 billion in Q2 2020. While revenue fell to $5.8 billion each of next two quarters, this was still an increase of 35 percent Y/Y in Q4 2020.

Games with a strong social component did particularly well in 2020. For example, no game experienced higher Y/Y revenue growth in 2020 than Roblox, and it was the top game by U.S. revenue that year as a result.

$82M

0

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400M

600M

800M

1B

1.2B

1.4B

1.6B

Q1 20

18

Q2 20

18

Q3 20

18

Q4 20

18

Q1 20

19

Q2 20

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Q3 20

19

Q4 20

19

Q1 20

20

Q2 20

20

Q3 20

20

Q4 20

20

41M210M202M

1.3B1.3B1.2B1.2B1.3B1.3B

1.2B1.1B1.1B1.1B1.1B

1.1B


During COVID-19

U.S. Game Downloads

Quarterly U.S. Downloads


61


U.S. game downloads also received a quick boost following COVID-19, reaching an all-time high of more than 1.4 billion in Q2 2020. Downloads were particularly high in March and April immediately following stay-at-home orders and office closures.

While games are still generating higher spending in the U.S. than before COVID-19, downloads have returned towards pre-COVID-19 levels. Much of this decrease was explained by hypercasual games.

41M

$0

$50M

$100M

$150M

$200M

$250M

$300M

$350M

$400M

Jan-1

9

Feb-1

9

Mar-1

9

Apr-1

9

May-1

9

Jun-1

9Ju

l-19

Aug-1

9

Sep-1

9

Oct-1

9

Nov-1

9

Dec-1

9

Jan-2

0

Feb-2

0

Mar-2

0

Apr-2

0

May-2

0

Jun-2

0Ju

l-20

Aug-2

0

Sep-2

0

Oct-2

0

Nov-2

0

Dec-2

0

Puzzle Casino Strategy RPG Simulation Shooter

U.S. Genre Revenue Trends

Top 25 Games by Genre 62


U.S. game revenue across top genres surged in the months following the spread of COVID-19. Casino, RPG, simulation, and shooter games saw particularly strong growth.

Top games by U.S. revenue growth in 2020 included Roblox (Simulation), Coin Master (Casino), Call of Duty: Mobile (Shooter), and Gardenscapes (Puzzle). The strong revenue growth for shooter games was particularly notable given Fortnite’s removal from the U.S. app stores in August 2020.

RPG (+41%)

Casino (+45%)

Strategy (+21%)

Puzzle (+28% Y/Y)

Simulation (+62%)

Shooter (+43%)

During COVID-19

Note Regarding Revenue Estimates Our estimates include worldwide revenue for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2020. We report gross revenue (including the cut for Apple or Google). Totals include the top 25 games per genre each month by revenue. Year-over-year growth figures are calculated for 2020 vs. 2019.

0

10M

20M

30M

40M

50M

60M

70M

80M

Jan-1

9

Feb-1

9

Mar-1

9

Apr-1

9

May-1

9

Jun-1

9Ju

l-19

Aug-1

9

Sep-1

9

Oct-1

9

Nov-1

9

Dec-1

9

Jan-2

0

Feb-2

0

Mar-2

0

Apr-2

0

May-2

0

Jun-2

0Ju

l-20

Aug-2

0

Sep-2

0

Oct-2

0

Nov-2

0

Dec-2

0

Hypercasual Puzzle Lifestyle Arcade Simulation

U.S. Genre Download Trends

63


While there was a surge in hypercasual game downloads in the early months of COVID-19, the reduction in commuting took its toll on the genre. U.S. downloads for top hypercasual dipped towards the end of 2020.

Not all genres saw downloads decline following COVID-19. Lifestyle installs increased 8 percent Y/Y in 2020, and puzzle games, led by top game Among Us, saw 20 percent Y/Y growth.

Arcade (-21%)

Hypercasual (-17% Y/Y)

Lifestyle (+8%)

Puzzle (+20%)

Simulation (+4%)

During COVID-19

Note Regarding Download Estimates Our estimates include worldwide downloads for iPhone, iPad, and Google Play for Jan. 1, 2019 through Dec. 31, 2020. Apple apps and Google pre-installed apps are excluded. We report unique installs only. Totals include the top 25 games per genre each month by revenue. Year-over-year growth figures are calculated for 2020 vs. 2019.

Top 25 Games by Genre

Helix Jump

Fortnite

PUBG Mobile

Rise Up

Hole.io

Roblox

Love Balls

Happy Glass

Granny

Hello Stars

0 20M 40M 60M

30.1M

33.8M

23.1M

18.9M

18.8M

19.0M

22.6M

23.9M

26.2M

40.3M

Top U.S. Games

Yearly Top Games by Downloads 64


As overall downloads increased in 2020, it is worth noting that downloads for top games (besides Among Us) decreased compared to their 2019 counterparts. This suggests that the mobile games space has become more competitive following COVID-19.

Top games in 2020 like Among Us and Roblox revealed a preference for social interaction rather than hypercasual play. With commuting greatly reduced following COVID-19, the presence of hypercasual games among the top 10 games decreased significantly.

2018

Call of Duty: Mobile

Color Bump 3D

Aquapark.io

Mario Kart Tour

Roblox

Wordscapes

Fun Race 3D

Run Race 3D

Mr Bullet

Polysphere

0 20M 40M 60M

24.7M

20.3M

31.9M

23.4M

21.2M

20.4M

20.5M

20.9M

28.0M

30.5M

Hypercasual Puzzle Simulation Shooter Arcade Casino Lifestyle Racing

2019

Among Us

Roblox

Call of Duty: Mobile

Subway Surfers

Brain Test

Coin Master

Magic Tiles 3

Fishdom

Woodturning

Tangle Master 3D

0 20M 40M 60M

16.7M

17.9M

19.5M

22.1M

29.2M

16.6M

18.4M

48.2M

16.2M

16.5M

2020



Stories of the Year: 3. Travel Begins to Bounce Back

Travel Begins to Bounce Back 65


While most app categories performed very well in 2020, Travel and Navigation were two categories that were hit hard by COVID-19. Demand for rideshare, public transportation, and navigation plummeted as offices and other businesses closed. With the world hoping to re-open in 2021, some recent trends in Europe give some indication for how Travel and Navigation will recover this year.

● By December 2020, travel app downloads were down 20 percent compared to the average monthly downloads in 2019, while Navigation downloads were down 7 percent.

● Travel and navigation apps showed signs of recovery in late 2020. Top navigation, rideshare, and online travel agencies in the U.K. started to bounce back in the fall.

● Limited re-openings in the summer in the U.K. suggest that car travel will return before public transit and air travel.

REQUEST DEMO


-50%

-25%

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Jan-2

0

Feb-2

0

Mar-2

0

Apr-2

0

May-2

0

Jun-2

0Ju

l-20

Aug-2

0

Sep-2

0

Oct-2

0

Nov-2

0

Dec-2

0

All Categories Sports Navigation Travel

Worldwide Category Growth

Monthly Download Growth by Category 66


Travel, Navigation, and Sports were the three categories that saw downloads dip following the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020. While Sports app downloads have bounced back in H2 2020, Travel and Navigation installs remained below pre-COVID-19 levels.

India contributed a large portion on the sports app download spike in September and October with the return of the Indian Premier League (played in the U.A.E.). Many other countries also saw positive Y/Y growth as sports returned, with the U.S. as a notable exception.

Sports

Navigation

Travel

All Apps

Note Regarding Growth Estimates Growth for each category is calculated vs. the average monthly downloads in 2019.

0

10M

20M

30M

40M

50M

60M

70M

Jan-1

9

Feb-1

9

Mar-1

9

Apr-1

9

May-1

9

Jun-1

9Ju

l-19

Aug-1

9

Sep-1

9

Oct-1

9

Nov-1

9

Dec-1

9

Jan-2

0

Feb-2

0

Mar-2

0

Apr-2

0

May-2

0

Jun-2

0Ju

l-20

Aug-2

0

Sep-2

0

Oct-2

0

Nov-2

0

Dec-2

0

Business Travel / Navigation

67


The COVID-19 pandemic had opposite affects on the Business and Travel/Navigation categories. While consumers flocked towards business apps to aid their transition to working from home, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders along with reduced commuting took it’s toll on the Travel and Navigation categories.

The business app peak and rravel app trough occurred in April 2020. Travel and navigation apps partially rebounded in the summer, but fell again as COVID-19 cases surged in the winter.

Business

Travel / Navigation

U.S. Downloads by Category

Monthly Downloads by Category


Top U.S. Travel / Navigation Apps

Top Apps by U.S. Downloads

Early Pandemic (March - May 2020)

Late-Year (October - December 2020)

Mid-Year (June - September 2020)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Google Maps Google

Uber Uber

Lyft Lyft

Waze Google

Airbnb Airbnb

Google Earth Google

Southwest Airlin

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