Android app industry likely to surpass iOS App Store

Fariha Khan
March 30, 2017
2,513

App Annie, Mobile app analytics firm, came up with its latest report that provides us with some interesting news. Like always, the data shows that Apple’s App Store has a considerable lead with regard to revenue compared to Google Play, but there is a difference as well. App Annie estimates that Android will overtake iOS with regard to app revenue in 2017.

A vital factor here is that the firm is saying that Google Play, together with third-party Android app stores from device manufacturers, will surpass Apple’s own App Store. As for when Google Play Store by itself is likely to surpass the Apple App Store, the firm anticipates that the App Store will maintain its lead through 2021.

The iOS App Store is likely to remain the single most profitable app store during the forecast time, generating over $60 billion in gross consumer spend in the year 2021. But, the collective consumer spend on Google Play and third-party Android stores is likely to overtake it this year due to their prevailing smart device market share and solid installed base growth.

The third-party Android app stores brought in $10 billion in revenue last year but the app analytics firm expects that number to double to $20 billion in 2017. Those app stores entail offerings from Huawei, Xiaomi, Tencent and Baidu.

A reason for the rise of third-party app stores on Android is due to the platform’s increase in China and other emerging markets like Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico. With regard to revenue, the US, China, Japan, South Korea, and UK are likely to make for 85 percent of revenue during 2021, up from 75 percent in the year 2016.

When it comes to downloads, China, India, U.S., Brazil, and Indonesia accounted for 54 percent of downloads last year and that figure is expected to stay constant about the same through 2021.

The analytics firm predicts that worldwide app downloads will surpass 352 billion in 2021, while consumer spending across all platforms will crack $139 billion. According to App Annie’s estimates, the App Store is likely to account for a hefty fraction of that spending, bringing in more than $60 billion during 2021.