Global consumer spending on mobile exceeds $36 billion in Q2 2024

According to Sensor Tower’s newly released report, consumer spending on iOS and Google Play reached over $36 billion in the second quarter of 2024, marking a robust increase of 11.7% compared to the same period in 2023 and a modest rise from the previous quarter. Mobile apps have led the charge in this spending surge, experiencing a notable 22% year-over-year growth. Notably, non-gaming apps are on track to eclipse mobile games in terms of consumer spend, accounting for 46% of the total spending in Q2 2024, up from 42% the previous year.

In the second quarter of 2024, iOS continued to widen its lead over Google Play, achieving a 13% year-over-year increase in consumer spending to surpass $25 billion. Despite this, Google Play saw a higher growth rate in non-gaming apps, with a 27% rise compared to iOS’s 19%, indicating that in-app purchases are monetizing more effectively on Apple’s platform.

Additionally, iOS experienced a growth spurt in consumer spending on mobile games, with a 7% year-over-year increase. In contrast, spending on games declined by 2% on Google Play, highlighting a stronger performance in gaming revenue for iOS.

According to the report, global app downloads (excluding games) experienced a modest increase of 1% year-over-year. In contrast, mobile game downloads fell by 6%, reaching their lowest level since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these recent declines, both categories have retained substantial growth from the pandemic era. Compared to Q2 2019, app downloads are up by 15%, while game downloads have surged by 21% over the same period.

In Q2 2024, iOS achieved a modest increase in download growth, rising by 3.1% year-over-year. The major iOS markets—China, the US, and Japan—contributed to a 1% growth, significantly lower compared to the over 5% growth seen in the rest of the world.

Conversely, Google Play experienced a decline of 3.6% year-over-year in the same period. Despite this drop, it’s important to note that Google Play had a substantial boost in downloads during the pandemic and continues to dominate the market, accounting for three out of every four downloads between the two app stores.

In the quarter, the United States once again led the way in consumer spend growth, adding $2 billion compared to the same period in 2023. This increase surpassed the combined growth of the rest of the world, which saw an additional $1.7 billion in consumer spending.

Europe also demonstrated notable growth, with three of the top five markets by consumer spend growth located within the region. Overall, consumer spending in Europe rose by 23% year-over-year, highlighting a strong and widespread increase across the continent.

In the second quarter, TikTok set a new benchmark for global consumer spending, exceeding $1.3 billion for the quarter. This achievement makes TikTok the second app ever to surpass $14 billion in all-time consumer spend, trailing only the mobile game Honor of Kings. No other non-gaming app has reached $1 billion in a single quarter. Alongside TikTok, Google One and YouTube were among the few apps to surpass $500 million in consumer spend during Q2.

Additionally, TikTok reclaimed the top position in the global download charts. Meta also maintained its strong presence, with half of the top ten most downloaded apps in Q2 2024 being its products—Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp Messenger, Messenger, and WhatsApp Business.

In Q2 2024, the top five games by consumer spend remained unchanged from the previous quarter, with MONOPOLY GO leading the pack. Although its spending slightly declined from the record highs of Q1 2024, it still marked the third highest consumer spend for a mobile game in history.

The quarter also saw two major new releases making significant impacts. Dungeon & Fighter, which debuted on iOS in China in May, secured the #7 spot in consumer spend, with nearly all its revenue coming from China and a small portion from South Korea. Additionally, Supercell’s Squad Busters, which launched globally at the end of May 2024, achieved the #6 position in downloads.

Per the report, when it comes to digital advertising, digital ad spend in the US across mobile, desktop, and OTT platforms exceeded $27 billion, generating a total of 3.3 trillion impressions. Globally, other markets also experienced robust growth in digital ad spending, with double-digit increases across all regions. Australia led with a significant 21% year-over-year growth, followed closely by Italy and New Zealand, both achieving a 19% increase. It’s important to note that the types of advertising channels included in these figures vary by market.

Social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, captured over 76% of digital ad spend in the US, marking a slight increase from the previous quarter. Facebook and Instagram alone contributed nearly 50% of the total ad expenditure. Following social media, video advertising accounted for close to 17% of the spending, with over-the-top (OTT) platforms being the primary driver behind this category.