Google Play

Google Play revenue increases, but App Store remains leader

Ed Sutherland ∙ May 29, 2013

New details are emerging showing Google's Play store increasing its revenue, yet still lagging Apple (particularly in the United States) - and that's in spite of Android's big lead in terms of device activations and unit sales.

The report by app analytic firm Distimo indicates Google Play in April reached 27 percent of the combined revenue of the two app stores, up from 19 percent in November 2012. Although Google's store witnessed an eight percent jump in app revenue, Apple's App Store in April still brought in $5.1 million for the top 200 apps.

That compares to $1.1 million for Google Play. Still, the research highlighted some developers earning equal or more revenue from Android app sales...

After being dumped from App Store, AppGratis launches Android version

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

After great wailing and gnashing of teeth about its banishment from Apple's App Store earlier this year, AppGratis is back - for Android users. The app recommendation engine was yanked after Apple outlawed iOS apps which promoted other apps.

Now in the Google's Play store Android repository, developers claim AppGratis "is designed from the ground up" for the iOS rival. Yet, the service appears much like the AppGratis ejected from the app's first choice, the App Store...

How Apple and Google tabulate app downloads

Sébastien Page ∙ May 16, 2013

Two big numbers were coincidentally dropped yesterday. First, Google announced 48 billion applications had been downloaded from the Google Play Store. Shortly after, Apple announced that its App Store had seen 50 billion downloads so far. Big numbers indeed, but how exactly do Apple and Google count app downloads? The Next Web Managing Editor Matthew Panzarino asked both companies and this is what he found:

Both Apple and Google tabulate unique downloads of apps per user account. This means that they count only one download of an app no matter how many devices that you install that app on after you purchase it. Neither company counts updates in its app download numbers. These are purely single downloads from their stores.

Read the full article at The Next Web.

Apple vs Android: debate continues as iOS proves more lucrative

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 17, 2013

The shift to mobility has certainly hurt the ability to pick clear winners and losers. In the era of beige-box PCs, bean-counters could glance at market share data. But growth of smartphones and apps shattered such easy measurements The battle between Apple's iOS and Google's Android is more of an optical illusion where the "winner" can triumph in terms of market share, but lose when it comes to revenue.

Still, people want clear winners and losers and Time magazine is just the latest to answer the call. According to the magazine's website, the winner is - well, that really depends...

Apple claimed $3 out of each $4 top app stores made in Q1

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

In the latest sign of the importance apps play in smartphone adoption, more than thirteen billion downloads were recorded during the first three months of 2013, according to a Monday report.

The survey of the four leading app stores also found Apple, Google and others earned $2.2 billion from apps, an eleven percent increase over the final quarter of 2012.

Whereas Apple leads in terms of revenue - and by a large margin, too - Google's Play Store, thanks to a large installed base of Android devices, has the upper hand in terms of download count. Specifically, the App Store collected 74 percent of the revenue of top app stores, while Google Play led registered 51 percent of apps obtained...

Google tops Apple as leading App Store publisher

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 28, 2013

Obviously, home field advantage doesn't hold sway when it comes to app stores. That's the message from a new report showing Google the leading publisher on Apple's App Store while Facebook downloads outnumbered Google on the Mountain View, California company's own marketplace.

Although Apple led apps downloaded from its App Store in December, iOS video and mapping apps from Android's Google topped its smartphone rival during January and February. Meanwhile, a Facebook app grabbed the top spot on Google Play, reinforcing the importance of social networking downloads in generating app store revenue...

App Store and Google Play games top handheld entertainment

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Is it game over for Nintendo, Sony and other handheld entertainment companies? That's the question as a report released Thursday shows consumers spent more on games downloaded from app stores than those designed for dedicated handhelds. Indeed, during the fourth quarter of 2012, more than 20 billion games were downloaded to smartphones and tablets. Perhaps anticipating today's finding, Sony announced Wednesday its new PlayStation 4 will support used games...

Apple and Google app stores are nearing saturation point

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Making it big in mobile apps is getting tougher. That's the finding from a company which researched how many new developers reach the top level at either Apple's iOS App Store or Android's Google Play. In fact, just two percent of first-time App Store developers enter the top 250 list of publishers while only slightly more - three percent - reach that level at Google Play.

As a result, three times as many "newcomers" to the app game publish for Google Play than the iOS App Store. According to analytics firm Distimo on average six Android apps are published for every two Apple titles. And the news doesn't get much better for newbie app developers hoping to cash-in at either app store...

Facebook now sends 180 million clicks to Apple and Google app stores

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2013

The social network Facebook has become such a behemoth in that space that it's now sending an astounding 180 million clicks to Apple's App Store marketplace and Google's Play Store for Android software. That's one of the nuggets from a speech Dan Rose, Facebook VP of partnerships gave at The Wall Street Journal-sponsored D: Dive Into Media.

He also touched on Facebook's mobile strategy and the social network's future prospects as it competes for our time with other popular mobile services...

App Store income 3.5x Google Play’s in December

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 31, 2013

Examples keep appearing of how Apple is able to squeeze more revenue from its iPhone and iPad than rival Android. The latest data shows Apple's App Store earned 3.5 times more than Android's Google Play in December. Did I mention this happened despite Google Play doubling its quarterly revenue? The reason, according to App Annie, is the iPhone 5 and iPad mini - both popular holiday gifts and natural driver of App Store sales...

Google Play grows, App Store still cash king

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 20, 2012

What's better: to be taller or wealthier? Carry that debate to Apple versus Google and you have the latest on the battle between Apple's App Store and Google Play. While Google's revenue is growing, Apple's application store for iOS devices simply overwhelms the Mountain View, California firm in terms of cash, even if there's another, much darker side to app economy.

During the last four months, Google Play's combined daily revenue grew at 43 percent compared to the App Store's 21 percent, according to research firm Distimo. However, over the entire year, App Store revenue rose by 51 percent.

But wait, there's more. In November, the App Store rang up $15 million in average daily revenue. That compares to $3.5 million for Google Play during the same time...

Android apps revenue now growing quicker than iOS apps revenue

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 29, 2012

Owners of iPhones and iPads have historically pointed to the App Store's plethora of quality produce as the reason for the platform's dominance. It's always been the reason many have chosen iOS devices over those powered by Android, but things may be beginning to shift in a whole new direction.

While app developers have always suggested that getting Android users to buy apps is an exercise in futility, a new report claims that things are changing, with Android developers now finding a much improved landscape, as revenue from Android devices grows quicker than that of the App Store.

And not just by a little bit, either...