Summary:
-
Mobile app spending in 2025 saw non-game apps surpass games for the first time, reaching $85 billion.
-
Social media topped in-app purchase revenue with platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat leading the category.
-
AI apps drove engagement up eightfold in 2025, reshaping mobile behavior and challenging gaming’s dominance in the app economy.
Mobile app spending reached a turning point in 2025, with consumer spending on non-game apps surpassing games for the first time, according to the 2026 State of Mobile report from the market intelligence firm.
Consumers spent approximately $85 billion on apps in 2025, marking a 20% year-over-year increase and nearly three times the amount spent five years earlier, the report said.
Social media ranked as the top app genre by in-app purchase revenue, growing 13% to nearly $5 billion in 2025. TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat led the category, underscoring how creator-driven platforms continue to dominate consumer spending.
Artificial intelligence apps also emerged as a major engagement driver. Sensor Tower said AI chatbots’ focus on keeping users within their ecosystems helped push time spent up eightfold in 2025 from 2023 to 40 billion hours, as new features expanded use cases and daily reliance.
The findings reflect a broader shift in mobile behavior, with AI and social platforms reshaping how users spend time and money on their phones, and challenging gaming’s long-held dominance in the app economy.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sensor Tower said the 2026 State of Mobile report examines trends across AI, retail, gaming, streaming and finance, and is based on analysis of consumer behavior across mobile apps and digital platforms worldwide.
