The State of Mobile 2025 Report by Sensor Tower reveals a significant surge in mobile monetisation, with global in-app purchase (IAP) revenue across iOS and Google Play reaching $150 billion in 2024, marking a 13% year-on-year increase. This represents the highest growth rate since 2021, encompassing spending on in-app purchases, subscriptions, and paid apps and games.
Mobile users spent an astonishing 4.2 trillion hours on apps in 2024, averaging 3.5 hours per user daily. However, signs of slowing growth in mobile usage are emerging, as digital fatigue begins to take hold in certain markets. Global usage grew by 5.8% year-on-year, a decline from the 7.7% increase observed in 2023. Countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, and China saw usage plateau.
India continues to lead globally, with over 25 billion app downloads in 2023 and 2024, cementing its dominance in mobile app consumption. Meanwhile, Europe outpaced the United States in revenue growth, with IAP revenue increasing by 24% year-on-year, double the global average. Key markets like the UK, Germany, France, and Italy contributed significantly to this rise.
Social apps remained the top category for consumer engagement, with 3 trillion hours spent globally on social media and messaging apps in 2024, a 6% increase from the previous year. India played a key role, with time spent on social apps rising by 16% year-on-year. Globally, time spent on social apps surpassed 600 billion hours per quarter, with India witnessing a remarkable doubling of usage since 2021.
In the gaming sector, mobile game revenue reached $80.9 billion in 2024, driven by emerging markets such as India, Mexico, and Thailand. These countries saw spending increases of 17%, 21%, and 16%, respectively. However, North Asia faced challenges, with Japan reporting a 7% decline in mobile game revenue due to economic and currency issues.
Streaming apps experienced growth in in-app revenue and downloads but faced declining engagement in key markets, including the United States and China. While time spent on streaming apps remained steady globally, India saw pockets of growth. Consumers continue to embrace paying for streaming services on mobile devices, despite increased competition from social apps and other platforms.
As mobile trends evolve, India’s influence in app downloads, usage, and revenue underscores its growing role in the global mobile ecosystem. Social Samosa