Mobile App Usage and Growth Statistics for 2023 and Beyond

In the post-pandemic era, we are witnessing businesses recovering from the aftereffects of the pandemic. During the pandemic, organizations were able to continue their remote work, all thanks to digital technologies. Switching from physical office work to a work from home model has become simplified and all thanks to the custom mobile apps built by mobile app development companies in India and worldwide. Remote working has become possible due to an array of communication and office apps installed on our smartphones.  

Even some best app development companies built custom smart apps for businesses within no time to combat the situation of the pandemic and the sudden shift to the work from home model. In addition to that, many cloud based cross platform solutions were developed as a result of cross platform app development services offered by the top companies. These hybrid apps also contributed to the smooth switch to the work from home model. 

There are more than 6.5 billion smartphone users worldwide. The amount of time that people spend on apps such as Zoom and Google Meet increased tremendously with work from home. From the first quarter of 2019 till the last quarter of 2020, business apps witnessed a growth of 275 percent. 

The adoption rate of mobile apps has increased tremendously across various business verticals as during the pandemic consumers were engrossed more with apps. 

Why are mobile apps becoming increasingly popular? 

Mobile solutions are witnessing a tremendous demand from businesses and users as well. 

Usage of smartphones 

When you observe people around, most of them will be with smartphones in their hands. From booking tickets to playing games, a smartphone user can use a mobile app from a top mobile app development company for various purposes. Usage statistics indicate that nearly 90% of the time users spend on smartphones is on mobile apps. The average time spent by a user on a smartphone is about 2 hours 51 minutes (171 minutes) in a day.  

As per Pew Research Centre, 35 percent of smartphone users in the US check their mobile apps more than 50 times a day. The average time spent by 219.2 million adult smartphone users increased by 8 minutes from 2020 and hit the 3 hours and 46 minutes mark. The main reason for the increase in usage of smartphones is the digitization of a number of services including finance, shopping, and communication. 

Smartphone user base 

A study indicates that since the time of smartphone evolution, the user base has been growing tremendously by 0.3-0.6 billion every year. It is forecasted that smartphone users globally will exceed 1.5 billion by 2040. By the end of 2021, there were nearly 8.2 billion mobile subscribers. On studying the graph of smartphone user base growth from 2016 to 2022, a user base growth of 10.4 percent each year can be witnessed. 

Android vs iOS app development 

Some businesses look to hire the best iOS app development company, while some go for an Android app development company. The common questions and a hot debated topics in the mobile app development world are which one is better and a preferred choice when it comes to mobile app development services. 

The global marketplace 

While comparing Android vs iOS, Android clearly wins the battle hands-on. Android apps developed by companies offering Android app development services dominate the mobile OS marketplace with nearly 71.27 percent. On the other hand, iOS apps from iOS app development companies have a market share of about 27.83 percent. 

The US marketplace 

In terms of the market share in the US, iOS beats Android. The market share of iOS in the US is 59.17%, while that of Android is 40.54%. 

The UK marketplace 

In the UK marketplace, the competition between Android and iOS is tough. As of August 2020, Android occupied a market share of 50.32, while the market share for iOS was 48.88%. 

The main reason why Android rules the global marketplace is due to the cost factor. Android devices are a preferred choice among every age group. 

Also, Google Play Store has a lot of Android apps compared to the Apple App Store. 

This type of forecasting between Android and iOS apps helps businesses to make an important decision, whether to choose native app development or cross-platform app development. The decision to hire an Android or iOS development company will depend on where the target audience is. 

Mobile app download statistics 

In 2021, the download rates were 143.6 billion. Out of these, 111.3 billion were from Google Play Store and 32.3 billion were from iOS. 

Google Play Store 

It is the biggest app store worldwide. There are nearly 3.5 million apps on Google Play Store. 

Apple App Store 

It is the second largest app store in the world after Android. There are nearly 2.2 million apps available for download on the Apple App Store. 

Amazon App Store 

Just like Google and Apple, Android has its own app store too. Till the second quarter of 2022, there were 480,174 mobile apps available. 

Factors that impact the mobile app development growth 

• UI/UX design trends 
• Use of the latest technologies like AR, AI, VR, etc. 
• Seamless functioning 
• Quick loading 
• Platform for the dedicated audience 
• Superior performance 

Most popular types of mobile apps 

• Social media apps 
• Financial apps 
• Video streaming apps 
• Gaming apps 
• On-demand apps 

One of the most important decisions for any organization towards digital success is the choice of the mobile operating system. When it comes to mobile app development companies in India, you can choose either a specialized Android app development company or iOS app development company. However, cross platform app development is also a preferred choice for many businesses.  

For any business or brand looking to establish a mobile presence in today’s digital world, it is essential to build a robust and unique mobile app that stands out from the others. 

Are you looking for help from an expert? 

Get in touch. We have years of experience in building cross platform and native mobile apps. Let’s discuss your requirements in detail.