Record 3.8 trillion hours spent on mobile apps in 2021 in another blockbuster year for the digital economy
Topline
People spent more time than ever on mobile apps in 2021, according to a new report from app analytics firm App Annie, consuming an average of a third of Americans’ waking hours in another year. stellar for the digital economy as people spend more time online during the pandemic.
Mobile app usage has skyrocketed during the pandemic
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Highlights
In the top ten countries analyzed in App Annie’s State of Mobile study, the average person spent 4.8 hours a day on their mobile phone last year, which covers a third of waking hours and a 30% increase compared to 2019.
Users in Brazil, Indonesia and South Korea spent the most time on their phones, exceeding five hours a day, followed closely by users in Mexico, India and Japan.
Americans spent an average of 4.1 hours a day on mobile devices last year, more time than they spent watching TV (3.1 hours a day, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics ).
Social, photo and video apps like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube were by far the most popular mobile apps, the company found, accounting for 7 out of 10 minutes spent on mobile devices last year.
TikTok has been a smash hit, App Annie noted, with time spent in the app increasing 90% globally last year in markets outside of China.
Large number
$170 billion. That’s how much consumers spent on apps last year, according to App Annie, up nearly 20% from last year. The vast majority of that $116 billion comes from mobile games and a number of high-performance apps. Last year, 233 apps and games each generated more than $100 million in consumer spending, 13 of which exceeded $1 billion. That’s a one-fifth increase from 2020, when consumers spent more than $100 million on 193 apps and games, only eight of which topped $1 billion.
Tangent
Throughout the pandemic, the mobile ecosystem has remained healthy, App Annie found. Publishers released 2 million new games and apps in 2021, and ad spend rose 23% year-on-year to $295 billion.
Further reading
Video and live streaming apps are fueling a new social media boom (Forbes)
