Google Play topped the Apple App store in the number of Q4 downloads

Thanks to Android users in markets like India, Indonesia, and Brazil, the Google Play Store set a record with more than 19 billion apps downloaded globally during the fourth quarter of 2017. This figure includes only new installations; re-installs and app updates do not count. The data, compiled by App Annie, shows that downloads from the Google Play Store out numbered downloads from the App Store by 145% during the three months from October through December. Games, Finance and Personalization were the categories with the biggest growth on the Google Play Store year-over-year. Shopping and Finance apps lead the way in the app store.

While Google Play users downloaded a record number of apps, App Store users outspent their Android counterparts by 95% in Q4 2017. The latter shelled out $11.5 billion for paid apps during the last three months of the year. The U.S. saw the largest growth in spending on apps, compared with the same period during 2016. Chinese and Japanese smartphone users had the most apps installed on their phones, with handset owners in both countries averaging over 100 on each handset. However, India led in the number of apps actually used by an average smartphone owner with an average in the low 40's.

The Chinese love using apps, according to the report. During the fourth quarter of 2017, Android users in the country spent over 200 billion hours using apps on Android flavored phones. To put that in perspective, India was second with a total just shy of 50 billion hours of Android app usage.

Between the App Store and Google Play Store, a record 27 million apps were installed during the fourth quarter of 2017. This represents a year-over-year gain of 7%. For all of 2017, the top grossing app in the U.S. was music streamer Pandora followed by Netflix, HBO Now, Tinder and YouTube. The top five revenue producing games were Candy Crush Saga, Clash Royale, Game of War-Fire Age, Clash of Clans and Mobile Strike.


source: AppAnnie