Apple’s App Store revenues climbed to an eye-watering $18 billion in the third quarter of 2020, representing an increase of more than 31% year-over-year, according to App Annie.
App Annie’s analysis differs from Sensor Tower’s, which reported that the company earned $19 billion in the same period, a 31% increase over last year.
However, both firms agree that Apple had its best quarter on record, fueled by the coronavirus pandemic as consumers looked for more entertainment and business-related products on the App Store.
Data from App Annie suggests that consumers in the third quarter downloaded 33 billion new apps, spending $28 billion in the process. That’s a 20% increase year-over-year.
Users also spent more than 180 billion collective hours in each month of July, August and September 2020 using apps – that’s an increase of more than 25% year-over-year.
What’s interesting to note is that Android saw more app downloads, but Apple saw greater revenues from its App Store. Google Play reported downloads 10% higher year-over-year, accounting for 25 billion of the total 33 billion new downloads in the quarter.
iOS, on the other hand, accounted for 9 billion downloads in the period – that’s a 20% increase this year.
Despite the differences in download statistics, the App Store generated $18 billion compared with $10 billion in revenue for the Google Play Store, demonstrating Apple’s value.
Although TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent months, Facebook is still at the top of the charts, claiming positions one, two, three, and four with its Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram apps. Other players in the top ten include Twitter, TikTok, Telegram, and Amazon.
Are you pleased to see Apple come out on top? Are you surprised by this data? Let us know and check back soon for more news on the App Store and iOS, as and when we get it.
