The mobile app boom, which began in earnest after Apple launched the App Store in 2008, may be over. At least, that’s what many reports from this past week are indicating. There seems to be an app for almost everything nowadays – of course many have been saying that for years, and new, useful apps kept popping up. But have consumers stopped buying new apps? Is the gold rush finally over for developers? In this week’s wrap, we share several news stories that analyze the current app market.
App download growth in the U.S. may have peaked as the pool of new users continues to shrink. The volume of downloads from the top 15 publishers, across iOS and Google Android devices, fell 20% year-over-year this past May. While global download growth continues to climb, the pace has slowed down considerably as of late. Uber and Snapchat are two noteworthy exceptions to the download decline, however, thanks to their younger user base.
Perhaps surprisingly to some, the average number of apps Americans have downloaded in the past several years has been close to zero. Translation: most Americans already have all the apps they need. For new developers, this means that if they want to break into the market, they are going to need some luck. That being said, millions of people are still downloading apps – but not at the rate they used to.
Internationally, three of the most popular apps saw a decrease in download growth from May 2015 to May 2016. Whatsapp, Messenger and Facebook all saw pretty significant declines. Again, the notable exceptions are Snapchat and Uber. Airbnb, Instagram and Pinterest all saw international download growth as well. In the U.S., Snapchat’s download rate actually eclipsed Facebook. But still, the truth remains: the market for apps is very saturated.
What apps have you downloaded in the past year and why? Let us know in the comments below!
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Sam Bojarski is an associate at WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at sam.bojarski@wordwritepr.com
