Finally, we’ve reached the middle of the year – 2022. And, in this post-pandemic situation, enterprises are still recouping losses sustained in 2020. Because of digital-first technology, multinational enterprises can operate remotely and maintain existing business operations by shifting to digital mobile-first and cloud-based cross-platform app development solutions.

This fast-increasing acceptance rate of digital-first enterprise mobility solutions encourages IT leaders to innovate in mobile technology. And this will undoubtedly open up several chances for enterprises to excel in market rivalry.

Businesses must consider moving their services to mobile-first software solutions, especially since users prefer to utilize mobile devices over traditional systems.

As IT mobility trends evolve, let us see what breakthroughs they will offer in the remaining months of 2022, the coming year 2023, and beyond.

Why Does it Have to be Mobile App Development?

With the growing need for mobility solutions and having everything at their fingertips, the mobile app development industry has skyrocketed. The following statistics demonstrate the need for innovation in the mobile app business.

User Base for Smartphones

According to one survey, the number of smartphone users has increased by between 0.3-0.6 billion every year since the smartphone’s inception. The smartphone user count began with 3.6 billion users in 2016 and is currently (in 2022) recorded with 6.6 billion smartphone subscriptions, with 7.7 billion subscribers projected by 2027. If we only look at smartphone user growth from 2016 to 2022, we can definitely observe a 10.4% yearly increase.

• Android versus iOS Mobile Device Users Global Marketplace: When it comes to the rivalry between Android and iOS mobile phones, Android mobile users unquestionably dominate the market with 72.2% of the market share internationally.

• US Market: When comparing Android versus iOS mobile device users in the US, the iOS mobile market has the upper hand with 57% of the iOS mobile user base.

• UK Market: In the case of the UK mobile market, both the iOS and Android marketplaces are very competitive. In the Q3 2020 survey, Android mobile users led the market with 53% of the user base, however, in the Q3 2021 survey, iOS mobile users had 51.6% of the user base and Android users had 47.8%.

With such projections, it makes sense for businesses to develop a mobile application in order to reach the greatest number of prospective consumers. Furthermore, global tablet users have increased by 36% in the last six years, with estimates approaching 1.14 billion, indicating a need for cross-platform app development.

Smartphone Utilization

When you watch your surroundings in public, you will see that they are all intently engaged in mobile activities.

According to one survey, in 2021, the typical individual spent 4 hours and 23 minutes every day checking their cell phones. However, as mobile applications become more prevalent, their usage duration is predicted to increase by 4 hours and 35 minutes by 2023.

Furthermore, an average smartphone addict examines the screen 262-250 times every day, which is less than 5 minutes.

The digitization of financial, commerce, and management services, as well as the ready availability of entertainment content, is driving this surge in intense smartphone usage.

Businesses may create $935 billion in revenue by giving services through the cutting-edge mobile app solution, thanks to the intense consumers’ attention to their smartphone usage.

Statistics on Mobile App Development and Downloads

When addressing mobile app development and download statistics, the Android and iOS app ideas, as well as the Google Play Store and App Store, must be included.

Play Store by Google

Google is the most trusted and widely utilized platform on a regular basis by the worldwide audience base for even the most basic query search. The community reported approximately 2.65 million android applications with 494K+ producers in the Google Play Store alone in 2022’s first quarter survey.

Despite the fact that Google Play Market is eliminating low-quality and spamming apps, the number of applications on the store is increasing every day. Every day, the Google Play Store is updated with over 3,739 new mobile apps! Because of the growing amount of apps, Google Play has become the world’s largest mobile app store. 

With such rising Google Play Store app counts, the newest app download rate was roughly 111.3 billion, representing a 50% rise over the 2016 app download rate.

The SensorTower predicts that app expenditure on the Google Play Store would increase from $53 billion in 2022 to $60 billion in 2023.

The App Store

Apple App Store is the second largest and a close rival to Google App Store, having a regionally diverse user base. You may find the information in the section above under “Android versus iOS Mobile Device Users.”

There are now 2.11 million iOS mobile applications accessible in the App Store, with 724K+ producers worldwide. There are around 221,666 games in the entire App Store iOS applications, with the remainder being non-gaming apps. 

According to Statista’s most recent poll, 36 thousand iOS mobile apps will be launched in the App Store globally in June 2022.

With its expanding popularity and user base worldwide, the App Store expects revenue to increase to roughly $96 billion by 2023, up from $88 billion in the first quarter of 2022. And this growth by region wise is shown below:

Now we’ll look at mobile app retention rates depending on different app categories, which demonstrate consumers’ dedication to the program they download.

Statistics on Mobile App Retention

The user retention rate should be the primary priority while building a mobile app. We acknowledge that it is more difficult to maintain improved user retention rates all of the time, but it is necessary to attempt alternative techniques.

First, let us define the mobile app retention rate.

The mobile app retention rate is estimated using the measurements that consumers continue to use the application after it has been installed. The greater the number of users who continue to use the application, the higher the mobile app user retention rate. Essentially, mobile app user retention is assessed in a 30-day cycle after a user installs the app on his or her mobile device.

The mobile developer community offers the following average 30-day mobile app retention rate:

When it comes to mobile app development type and genre, the user retention rate varies based on the kind. The following are the average mobile app retention rates by industry type:

So, in order to maintain a higher rate of mobile app user retention, you must examine the elements that contribute to greater mobile app growth, as stated in the article below.

Factors Influencing Mobile App Growth in 2023

You are now aware that mobile apps consume around 90% of smartphone users’ time. You’d also like to know what variables motivate smartphone users to remain with their preferred mobile app. This research will provide you with recommendations for improving the productivity of your mobile app solution.

Features and functionalities of mobile apps

1. Appealing UI/UX Designs for Mobile Apps

Mobile UI/UX design trends are the most volatile. Mobile UI/UX designs have improved significantly in recent years and are now a vital component in the success of your mobile apps. As a result, market rivalry for the finest mobile app UI/UX to achieve maximum user retention is increasing significantly.

2. Outstanding Performance

The finest performance in terms of speedier and crash-free operations is critical for the success of any mobile application. In today’s fast-paced world, mobile app customers need applications that regularly provide new updates, give a gratifying app user experience, and suit their every requirement. 

When there is so much competition in the mobile app industry, your mobile app performance and flutter app development company  is the only thing that can help businesses scale up effectively.

• 30% of mobile app users prefer that their preferred app load in a matter of seconds.
• 49% of mobile app users are willing to wait 2-3 seconds or up to 5 seconds for an app to launch.

Failure to reach such app loading speeds may result in the loss of prospective loyal mobile app users.

According to Forrester Research, the typical mobile user utilizes 25 applications per month, whereas 80% of users only use 5 mobile apps per month.

3. Platform-Specific Audience

You are well aware that the Android and iOS platforms have the highest audience count by area due to their successful user base retention percentage. As a result, it is critical to select your app development type properly. You are also aware of the mobile app development costs for Android and iOS apps, with iOS app development rates being slightly higher.

On the plus side, you have the possibility of developing cross-platform or hybrid mobile apps for fantastic income generation. This method is less expensive than native app development and allows you to earn money from any app hosting site.

Follow the Success Trends of Mobile App Development Solutions

You may be inspired to create your own mobile application after learning about mobile app development and company income creation. Do you have any concept regarding the sort of app development? Simply said, “what type of mobile app do you want to build?” Read on to make your research easier.

You may create the greatest revenue-generating app by following these mobile app concepts and industry categories. Refer to the mobile app statistics and development suggestions below for further information.

1. Social media apps: 

Starting with Facebook, social media applications have become well-known. Social media platforms become an essential aspect of our lives for entertainment, networking, and marketing. Did you realize that nine out of ten adults spend 4-5 hours every day reading on social media?

We can acquire that answer from ourselves and the people around us without conducting a large poll. Wherever we travel, the majority of social media users utilize apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.

2. Video streaming apps:

We all need to entertain ourselves. And why wouldn’t we want to utilize it when we can access worldwide entertainment programs, series, movies, and documentaries all in one app? When it comes to Over The Top (OTT) Services or online video streaming applications, we mostly use YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, AppleTV+, and other global platforms.

According to Statista:

• OTT marketplace revenue was last evaluated at $121.61 billion in 2019 and is predicted to reach $275.30 billion by 2022.
• And $476.60 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 11.60%. (2022-2027).
•  The user penetration ratio is expected to be about 35.7% in 2022, rising to 44.1% by 2027.

3. Financial apps (net banking, stock market, e-wallets) 

Financial apps are the most popular among worldwide mobile users, after online video streaming services that provide application statistics. According to one research, 6 out of 10 consumers prefer to manage their accounts using online finance applications. After e-transactions become more accessible and convenient, their use is projected to increase in the next years.

• To check their bank account balances and make online payments, almost 90% of smartphone users prefer to utilize online banking apps.
• Mobile banking apps are used heavily by 97% of millennials and 89% of smartphone users.
• To current revenue figures, banking app personalization may enhance mobile banking enterprises’ revenue by 15%.
• Banks employing online banking apps have an 89% success rate in retaining account customers.

With such success rates, the online personal financial app business is estimated to be valued at $1,576.86 million by 2027, growing at a 5.7% CAGR (2020-2027).

4. On-demand apps (eCommerce, booking, delivery) 

Following the COVID-19 epidemic, the user base of on-demand services offering apps rose significantly, particularly in online booking (hotel lodgings, services booking, etc.), online shopping apps, food/grocery delivery apps, and so on.

Because of the numerous uses and growing popularity of on-demand services, its income from on-demand apps will reach $335 million by 2025. (Source unknown)

According to the CBInsights analysis, US smartphone users spend around $57.6 billion per year on today’s market – on-demand services applications.

Furthermore, by 2025, European on-demand app marketplace expenditure is predicted to reach $1.8 trillion.

Furthermore, the on-demand app market presents many new business prospects for emerging entrepreneurs and assists them in making better business decisions in the next years on a worldwide scale.

5. Gaming Apps 

The mobile gaming business generated around $180.3 billion in revenue in 2021, representing a 1.4%+ rise over prior years. Every year, more users join the gaming business.

In 2021, the mobile gaming app user base expanded by 3 billion new gamers, representing a 5.3%+ rise over prior years. Furthermore, 55% of those mobile gaming app users were from the Asia-Pacific area.

• Globally, 21% of Android applications and 25% of iOS apps downloaded were solely games.
• 43% of mobile app users exclusively use their smartphones for gaming.
• 78% of game players use Android smartphones.
• Puzzle games are preferred by 57.9%=58% of game app users.

The gaming industry is evolving and has grown into a significant income generator. The incorporation of web 3.0 technology into the gaming business is altering the paradigm by introducing several new and engaging gaming features and experiences.

Final Thoughts

With the growing need for mobility, mobile app development and adoption rates will increase in the next years. The combination of traditional mobile applications with web 3.0 technologies will fundamentally alter the mobile app business in terms of user experience, performance, and security. That concludes our discussion on mobile app growth figures and trends to watch in 2023 and more.

If you want to know more about the mobile app industry and its development lifecycle, consulting an app development company is our best bet. 

Author bio– Amara works with the editorial team of DianApps, a leading company offering website development company. Exploring the latest technologies, reading about them, and writing her views have always been her passion. She seeks new opportunities to express her opinions, explore technological advancements, and document the details. You can always find her enjoying books or articles about varied topics or jotting down her ideas in a notebook.