India topped Google Play Store in 2016 in terms of the number of downloads made from the Android platform. The total Play Store downloads in the country stood at 6 billion, followed closely by the United States and Brazil, according to the ‘2016 Retrospective’ report by analyst firm App Annie.
However, in terms of revenue from downloads, India did not make it to the top 10, indicating that Indians are not willing to spend as much on apps as users in Japan, US and South Korea, who topped this list, the report said, according to The Indian Express.
“Mature markets like the US and Japan are shifting from a download growth phase to one characterised by expanding app usage and revenue growth. Meanwhile, emerging markets like India and Indonesia are still experiencing hypergrowth in app downloads,” the report said.
Data from the App Annie study shows that downloads rose by 15% in 2016, while time spent on apps grew by 25%. These improvements have boosted revenue for app store publishers by 40%.
In 2016, India had surpassed the United States in another category – it became the world’s second-largest smartphone market owing to the rise in smartphones manufactured domestically, the App Annie report said. But with India’s smartphone penetration still below 30%, the country has a long way to go in this field.
App Annie is confident that 2017 will be another landmark year for app development. “As technology and business models continue to evolve, apps will play an even greater role in transforming, disrupting and creating opportunities for companies and industries both old and new,” the firm said in the report, according to The Indian Express.
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