App Store on iPhoneSource: iMore

What you need to know

  • Consumers spend $32 billion in the App Store and Play Store last quarter.
  • The app stores experienced 40% growth when compared to Q1 2020.

Spending on Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store continues to grow and accelerate.

App Annie, an app analytics company, has published a new report that details the amount that consumers spent on each respective app store in the first quarter of 2021. According to the data, consumers spent $32 billion in Q1, a 40% increase from Q1 2020.

New App Annie data reveals that consumers spent $32 billion on in-app purchases across iOS and Google Play globally in Q1 2021. It's the biggest quarter since records began – and the figure is 40% up on the same quarter for 2020.

The numbers illustrate the remarkable impact that the pandemic has had on the app market. Q1 2020 was the first period of global lockdowns. Stay at home orders forced consumers to seek out indoor stimulation, and they found it on their smartphones, through games and other highly engaging apps such as video streaming and social sharing platforms.

As a result, the market grew at unprecedented speed. Smartphone users spent around $9 billion more on apps and games in Q1 2021 than they did in Q1 2020.

As the graphic below shows, both app stores have experienced major growth over the last year, but the App Store continues to dominate the Play Store when it comes to the amount of money spent on its platform.

App Annie Q1 2021 App Store SpendSource: App Annie

It also appears that gaming continues to grow its share across each app store. Mobile gaming, as the graphic shows, continues to hold the lion's share of spending from consumers.