Google Play Store Statistics By Engagement Metrics, Application, Distribution, Categories And Spending

Introduction

Google Play Store Statistics: Google Play is an online store where millions of apps are available in different categories. These apps provide services digitally. Just like physical stores where you can buy everything in one place, Google Play offers a range of services all in one spot.

The two major platforms for downloading apps are the App Store for iOS and the Play Store for Android, and they are essential for getting apps on smartphones. Nowadays, you can find everything from learning ABCs to playing games about building and decorating homes on these apps.

Let’s take a look at the latest Google Play Store Statistics about how Google Play is used around the world.

Editor’s Choice

• As of June 2023, there were 2,597,819 apps available on the Google Play Store, including both paid and free apps. This was a small decrease from March 2023, when there were 2,673,292 apps.
• In November 2023, the Google Play website had 2.29 billion visitors worldwide, down from 2.41 billion in October, showing a 4.79% drop in traffic.
• In 2023, about 3,739 new apps were added every day on Google Play.
• The total number of downloads in 2022 reached 110 billion, which was more than the iOS App Store.
• In 2023, user spending on Google Play reached $96 billion, compared to $60 billion on the App Store.
• Google Play Store Statistics stated that over the past 5 years, spending on Google Play has consistently been higher than on iOS.
• As of March 2023, 97% of apps on Google Play were free to download. Most users of Google Play are male (51%), while 49% are female.
• Google Play has removed over 700,000 outdated apps. In Q3 of 2022, there were about 490,000 gaming apps available. By 2023, the platform had 1.149 million app publishers across all categories.
• In 2023, 87.12% of apps on Google Play were from other categories, and 12.88% were games. That makes 3,099,626 apps in other categories and 458,261 games.
• In December 2023, the fastest-growing app categories on Google Play were News & Magazines (79.46%), Weather (11.1%), Dating (8.19%), Parenting (3.28%), and Shopping (2.64%). The categories with the biggest declines were Art & Design (-13.71%), Communication (-13.86%), Business (-19.07%), Libraries & Demo (-35.02%), and Comics (-63.12%).
• In 2023, the conversion rate for app downloads on Google Play in the U.S. was 31.3%.

What is Google Play Store?

The Google Play Store is an online shop where Android users can search for, download, and install different apps. It offers a wide range of apps for entertainment, productivity, gaming, and more. Users can easily find and download apps through web browsers or directly on their Android phones.

The Play Store has a simple design that makes it easy to find and download apps based on what you need or like, whether it’s for work, fun, or other purposes. Its convenience and variety make it a must-have tool for Android users everywhere.

General Google Play Store Statistics

• In 2023, people spent $47 billion on apps and games from Google Play.
• Google Play Store Statistics stated that over 113 billion apps and games were downloaded from the store last year.
• Now, 2.61 billion apps and games are available for download on Google Play.
• The highest-earning app of 2023 was Google One, a cloud storage service.
• Instagram was the most downloaded app, with 521 million downloads.
• In 2022, Google Play had 110 billion app downloads, more than the iOS App Store.
• 5 In March 2023, there were around 2,136,954 apps on Google Play with no ratings, while only 126,953 apps had ratings of 4.5 stars or higher.
• As of October 2023, 96.95% of apps on Google Play were free, while 94.95% of apps on iOS were free. iOS had 5.05% paid apps, while Google Play had 3.05% paid apps.
• In the last quarter of 2022, Google Play had 27.5 billion app downloads worldwide, compared to just 8.1 billion on the iOS App Store.
• In October 2023, the most common price for apps on Google Play was under $1, with 38,039 apps priced this way.

(Reference: statista.com)

• In November 2023, the Google Play website had 2.29 billion visitors, down from 2.41 billion in October, showing a 4.79% decrease in traffic.
• Overall, apps on Google Play had received over 32.7 billion ratings. In 2022, around 3,739 new apps were added to the platform every day.
• By 2025, about 85% of Americans were familiar with Google Play, but only 20% used it, and 15% were regular users. Around 23% of users thought the platform was popular.
• As for mobile traffic, 95.01% (2 billion) came from mobile devices, while just 4.99% (1 million) came from desktops.
• In the last quarter of 2023, Google Play saw 27.5 billion app downloads, while the App Store had only 8.1 billion.
• Google Play Store Statistics stated that apps on Google Play have received over 32.7 billion ratings in total. The platform is available in over 190 countries and had more than 140 billion downloads in 2022 across all categories.
• On average, over 2.5 billion people use Google Play every month. The platform has over 2 million apps and games, earning a total of $120 billion for developers.
• In 2024, the number of apps released on Google Play grew by 28%.
• In February 2023, about 2,796 apps were released every day, meaning nearly 12,987 new apps were added each month.

Google Play Store Statistics User Engagement Metrics

• User engagement metrics are key measurements that help app developers understand how people use their apps and how much they are involved.
• By tracking these numbers, developers can figure out if their app is good at keeping users interested and active.
• These metrics give important insights into what users like, how they behave, and how often they use the app.
• With this information, developers can make smart decisions to improve the app and keep users happy.
• By 2024, people will spend an average of 4.37 hours a day on their smartphones. This shows how important smartphones and apps have become in our everyday lives.
• The time people spend on their phones can be different in each country. In some places, people use their phones for up to six hours a day.
• Mobile apps are key for many people around the world, and they include social media, shopping, entertainment, and communication.
• By 2024, around 5% of users are expected to make purchases inside apps. These are the users who buy extra features, content, or subscriptions in apps.
• Google Play Store Statistics stated that most of these users live in places like Europe, North America, and Asia.
• 48.2% of all mobile app revenue comes from in-app purchases. This shows how important in-app purchases are for app developers and companies to make money.

(Reference: statista.com)

• App retention rates are important for understanding how long users stay engaged with an app. Here’s a summary of app retention rates by category as of the third quarter of 2023:

#1. News and Magazines: These apps keep more than 9% of users after 30 days.

#2. Educational Apps: These apps keep less than 2% of users after 30 days.

#3. Entertainment Apps: These apps keep around 3% of users after 30 days.

#4. Shopping Apps: These apps keep 4% of users one month after being installed.

• Overall, app retention is low, with more than 90% of users abandoning an app before it reaches 30 days. However, popular apps and games tend to have higher retention rates because they offer interesting content and regular updates.
• For Android apps, the average retention rate was 21.1% on the first day, but it dropped to 2.1% by day 30.
• On iOS, the first-day retention rate was 23.9%, dropping to 3.7% by day 30.
• This shows how difficult it is for developers to keep users interested, making it important to create engaging content that encourages users to return.
• Android devices are far more popular for downloading apps than other platforms. Here are some key points about Android’s popularity:

#1. Global Reach: Android is the world’s most popular operating system, with over three billion active users across 190 countries.

#2. Market Share: Android has more than 90% of the industry share in nations like India, Brazil, Iran, Indonesia, and Turkey.

#3. App Downloads: Android users download over 2.8 million apps every day, more than double the number of downloads on iPhones.

#4. Google Play Store: The Google Play Store is the biggest app store, with almost 2.6 million apps available for download.

Free Android Application on Google Play Store Statistics

(Reference: statista.com)

• As per Google Play Store Statistics, in March 2024, almost 97%of the Android applications were already free, with the remaining 3% of the needed payment.
• Therefore, throughout the whole period, the number of free applications on the Google Play Store consistently increased that of the paid advertisements.

Total Applications Available and Downloaded  on Google Play Store Statistics

(Reference: bigohtech.com)

(Reference: bigohtech.com)

Distribution of Android OS Version Among The User’s statistics

(Source: hyscaler.com)

As of February 2024, here is how Android OS versions are shared among users globally:

• Android 13 is the most popular, accounting for 29.16% of the market.
•  Android 12 follows with 17.17% of users.
• Android 11 comes next, with 16.64% of users.
• Android 14: In the United States, Android 14 has become more popular than older versions, making up over 37.2% of all Android devices.

(Reference: prioridata.com)

Device compatibility is very important for how well an app works. Here’s how it impacts app performance:

• User Experience: Testing for compatibility makes sure an app works smoothly across different devices, which is essential for giving users a consistent experience.
• Usability Issues: Finding and fixing usability problems early helps improve the app’s experience and reduces development costs.
• Performance Metrics: Proper compatibility testing improves app usage by ensuring it works across many devices and browsers.
• Developers face challenges because there are many different operating systems, interfaces, and system requirements, all of which can affect how an app works on different platforms.
• Optimization: Compatibility testing is necessary to make the app scalable, easy to use, and stable on various devices and systems.
• In short, making sure an app works well on different devices and operating systems is key to its success. This not only affects how the app performs but also how users view it, which can impact user retention and revenue.

Most Popular Google Play Store Application Categories

• You can check how successful an app category is by looking at how many Android users have it installed. According to Google Play Store Statistics, these are the app categories with the highest percentage of Android users who have them:

(Reference: bigohtech.com)

• It’s important to note that some of these categories, especially the top ones, may include apps that are already installed on most Android devices, such as communication apps.
• That said, this list shows what types of apps most Android users have installed, like WhatsApp, Snapchat, Netflix, TikTok, Spotify, and Tinder.
• However, just because an app is installed on a phone doesn’t mean people use it regularly. We’ll look into this idea more when we discuss mobile app usage statistics.

Google App Store and Google Play Spending Statistics

(Reference: appinventiv.com)

Competition woes – Developers And Regulators

• The Google Play Store has been under investigation by global and EU authorities for many years due to competition concerns.
• Complaints started in the early 2010s, arguing that Google’s preinstalled apps like Search and Chrome, along with restrictions on Android OS, were harming competition.
• This led to a fine of over $5 billion from the EU in 2018. More recently, issues around Google’s control of the Android market have been brought up again, with the Digital Market Act (DMA) in Europe and a U.S. lawsuit about the fees Google charges developers.
• As of 2024, Google Play Store charges a 30% service fee on apps and in-app purchases, the same as Apple’s App Store and Amazon’s Appstore.
• However, countries like South Korea and India have reduced fees by about 4% due to local laws.
• In 2023, South Korea was the first to force Google to let developers use third-party payment systems, and India passed a similar law in January 2023.

(Reference: appinventiv.com)

• In the above chart, we can see the global users of the Google Play Store.
• Google is also facing trouble in the U.S. In December 2023, Google agreed to a $700 million settlement with 53 U.S. state attorneys general over a 2021 lawsuit.
• Google Play Store Statistics stated that the lawsuit accused Google of limiting consumer choice and causing people to pay higher prices for digital products.
• This settlement was also meant to reimburse consumers who overpaid.
• Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice was considering whether to break up Google in 2024 to address concerns about its monopoly in search and the app store market.
• Despite these legal issues, the Google Play Store remains one of the two biggest app distribution platforms in the world. It gets millions of app downloads, especially in countries like India and Brazil.
• Even though Android apps on Google Play make less money than those on iOS, they still give developers great exposure.
• In recent years, South Korea and India have passed laws to reduce Google’s influence over developers, and the U.S. has filed several lawsuits accusing Google of unfair business practices.

Conclusion

Google Play is the main platform on all Android devices where you can download apps. You can find almost anything you need on this digital platform. Just like the App Store, Google Play offers many apps for free, and we use a lot of them every day. Looking at the current Google Play Store Statistics, this platform will continue to lead in the future, especially when it comes to the number of app downloads.

Popular apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram (where we spend hours scrolling through reels) are all downloaded from these stores. These apps have become an important part of our daily routines.