Global consumer spending on Apps reached $32.5B in Q1 ’22
A tradingPlatforms.com analysis concludes that In-app purchases across all niches raised $32.5B. This figure represents a 0.6% gain from the $32.3B that the sector raised in Q1 2021.
Apple’s marketplace had the lion’s share of the revenues, more than doubling Google Play’s. The App Store grew its revenues to 21.8B, a 5.8% uptick based on year-on-year (YOY) terms. Meanwhile, Google Play recorded over $10.7 billion in consumer spending, which is a decline of about 8.5% from the $11.7B it raised in 2021.
TradingPlatforms.com’s Edith Reads links the tanking of revenue in Q1 2022 to market corrections. She says, “The onset of the pandemic saw an uptick in in-app spending leading to the hyper-growth in revenues that the sector recorded. Fast forward to now, normalcy is returning after many nations eased their containment measures. Therefore people are redirecting their funds to other priority areas.”
Which were the best performing apps?
TikTok was the top-grossing non-game application overall. It also topped the charts on the App Store and amassed $821 million in sales. However, it played second fiddle to Google One on Google Play, where the latter topped with revenues of roughly $250M.
Chinese publishers contributed three of the highest-earning games overall and on the App Store. Tencent’s Honor of Kings took the top spot after generating $735.4M. PUBG Mobile was second with an income of $643M, while Geshin Impact was third after earning $551M.
NCsoft’s Lineage W was the top-earning game on Google play. Second and third places went to Coin Master and Candy Crush Saga. Mobile games reported a 7.1% fall in consumer spending YoY to stand at $21B. Both stores’ Q1 2022 revenues dropped, with Apple shedding 2.3% or $12.9B of its Q1 2021 figures. Similarly, Google play lost 13.8% or $8.1B.
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
