Consumers spent more on mobile apps than games in 2025, driven by AI app adoption | TechCrunch

"In 2025, consumers spent more money on non-game mobile apps than they did on games for the first time, according to the findings from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower's annual "State of Mobile" report. While this milestone had been seen in particular markets, like the U.S., or during certain quarters, 2025 marked the first time it occurred globally. Worldwide, consumers spent approximately $85 billion on apps last year, representing a 21% year-over-year increase."

"In 2025, consumers spent 48 billion hours in generative AI apps, or 3.6x the total time spent in 2024 and 10x the level seen in 2023. Session volume, meaning the number of times users opened and used an app, topped one trillion in 2025. Of note, this figure was growing faster than downloads, suggesting that existing users were deepening their engagement faster than the apps were adding new users."

"The segment's growth can be attributed to several factors. For one, the popularity of AI assistants among consumers was a large driver, with all of the top 10 apps by downloads being AI assistants. This group was led by OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and DeepSeek. ChatGPT alone generated $3.4 billion in global in-app purchase (IAP) revenue - a figure that we reported on late last year."

Consumers globally spent about $85 billion on mobile apps in 2025, a 21% year-over-year increase and nearly 2.8x the amount five years earlier. Non-game apps surpassed games in consumer spending worldwide for the first time. Generative AI led revenue growth, with in-app purchase revenue in that category more than tripling to over $5 billion and downloads doubling to 3.8 billion. AI assistants dominated downloads, led by ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and DeepSeek; ChatGPT generated $3.4 billion in in-app purchase revenue. Users spent 48 billion hours in generative AI apps, session volume topped one trillion, and sessions grew faster than downloads as engagement deepened. Major technology companies increased investment and rapidly added capabilities to their AI assistants, boosting adoption and monetization.

Read at TechCrunch