With 36% of consumers using mobile apps at least daily, download behavior has turned into a habit that brands and developers still struggle to retain. At the same time, people clock about 87% of their mobile time inside apps while Android sees an average of 22 app downloads per user in the U.S. That push for installs collides with fast churn and tight performance expectations, making the download numbers more complicated than they look.
Key Takeaways
- iOS accounted for about 19.4% of global mobile app downloads in 2023 (share by platform)
- 6.8% year-over-year growth in global smartphone subscriptions during 2023 (from 2022 to 2023)
- In 2023, Android device share with Google Play availability was about 84% of global smartphones (addressable installed base share)
- 36% of consumers use mobile apps 'at least daily' (share reporting daily app usage)
- 4 in 10 smartphone users report that they downloaded a new app in the past month (share of users who downloaded a new app recently)
- Users spend about 87% of their mobile time in apps vs. mobile web (share of time in apps)
- The average iOS app had 31.0% uninstall rate by day 30 in 2024 (30-day uninstall rate)
- On average, people downloaded 22 apps to Android devices in 2023 in the U.S. (average apps downloaded per smartphone user on Android in 2023)
- 52% of app users uninstall apps within 30 days on average across categories (30-day uninstall share)
- Average app session length was about 5 minutes in 2023 for top U.S. apps (average session duration)
- Top 10% of apps by downloads typically account for about 90% of downloads (concentration of downloads)
- In 2022, 27% of iOS apps and 32% of Android apps were removed within the first year (survival/closure rate)
- The average latency of mobile app launches was 2.4 seconds in 2023 for mid-tier devices (average app launch time)
- Apple’s App Store review time is typically under 24 hours for most submissions (median review duration)
- App-related ad impressions accounted for about 64% of total mobile ad impressions in 2023 (ad delivery channel share)
In 2023, mobile apps dominated time and downloads, but retention was tough with most installs uninstalled within 30 days.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption4 stats
01
iOS accounted for about 19.4% of global mobile app downloads in 2023 (share by platform)https://www.data.ai/en/insights/industry-reports/downloads/
02
6.8% year-over-year growth in global smartphone subscriptions during 2023 (from 2022 to 2023)https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/2023/
03
In 2023, Android device share with Google Play availability was about 84% of global smartphones (addressable installed base share)https://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/mobile/worldwide
04
In 2023, Apple iPhone market share of global smartphone OS was about 15% (iOS share among smartphones)https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/mobile/worldwide/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For the User Adoption picture, iOS delivered just 19.4% of 2023 mobile downloads while Android dominated with 84% of smartphones having Google Play access, suggesting the category’s reach is largely shaped by the broader addressable Android installed base even as global smartphone subscriptions grew 6.8% year over year in 2023.
02 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
36% of consumers use mobile apps 'at least daily' (share reporting daily app usage)https://www.gwi.com/reports
02
4 in 10 smartphone users report that they downloaded a new app in the past month (share of users who downloaded a new app recently)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
03
Users spend about 87% of their mobile time in apps vs. mobile web (share of time in apps)https://www.iamonitor.com/blog/mobile-usage-time-in-apps-vs-browser/
04
Worldwide, mobile traffic exceeded desktop traffic in 2014 and has stayed higher since (share of traffic by device)https://www.statista.com/statistics/271398/global-mobile-vs-desktop-web-traffic-share/
05
Global mobile data traffic grew at a CAGR of 45% from 2015 to 2020 (mobile data traffic growth, drivers of app usage)https://www.ericsson.com/en/reports-and-papers/mobility-report
06
The average smartphone user in the U.S. downloaded about 12 apps in 2023 (apps downloaded per user, annual average)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-02-14-gartner-identifies-five-technology-predictions-for-2023
07
In 2024, 61% of users said they are more likely to use apps that work smoothly (share indicating smooth performance preference)https://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-usage-statistics/
08
5G subscriptions reached 2.4 billion globally in 2023 (5G adoption milestone)https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the Industry Trends category, app growth is being powered by heavy everyday engagement, with 36% of consumers using mobile apps at least daily and mobile traffic staying dominant since 2014, while rapid connectivity gains like 2.4 billion 5G subscriptions in 2023 help drive the momentum.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics1 stats
01
The average iOS app had 31.0% uninstall rate by day 30 in 2024 (30-day uninstall rate)https://www.adjust.com/resources/uninstall-report/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Under the Performance Metrics category, the average iOS app reached a 31.0% uninstall rate by day 30 in 2024, signaling a significant drop in retention performance within the first month.
04 · Category
Downloads Volume1 stats
01
On average, people downloaded 22 apps to Android devices in 2023 in the U.S. (average apps downloaded per smartphone user on Android in 2023)https://www.data.ai/en/mobile-app-market/insights/downloads/
Interpretation
Downloads Volume Interpretation
In the Downloads Volume category, Android smartphone users in the U.S. averaged 22 app downloads in 2023, showing steady high engagement by the typical downloader.
More related reading
05 · Category
Engagement & Retention5 stats
01
52% of app users uninstall apps within 30 days on average across categories (30-day uninstall share)https://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-uninstalls/
02
Average app session length was about 5 minutes in 2023 for top U.S. apps (average session duration)https://www.appfigures.com/blog/app-analytics/average-session-length
03
Top 10% of apps by downloads typically account for about 90% of downloads (concentration of downloads)https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93254-0
04
About 70% of apps fail to reach 10,000 lifetime downloads (low-download survival statistic)https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.03087
05
In 2023, paywalled (subscription) apps had a median uninstall rate of 26% by day 30 (category retention metric)https://www.adjust.com/resources/retention-uninstall-rate-day30/
Interpretation
Engagement & Retention Interpretation
For Engagement & Retention, the biggest warning sign is that about 52% of users uninstall within 30 days and even paywalled apps still show a 26% day-30 uninstall rate, indicating that retention is the core challenge soon after download.
06 · Category
App Store Dynamics3 stats
01
In 2022, 27% of iOS apps and 32% of Android apps were removed within the first year (survival/closure rate)https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3514221
02
The average latency of mobile app launches was 2.4 seconds in 2023 for mid-tier devices (average app launch time)https://www.keynote.com/resources/whitepapers/mobile-app-performance/
03
Apple’s App Store review time is typically under 24 hours for most submissions (median review duration)https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
Interpretation
App Store Dynamics Interpretation
Under App Store Dynamics, the sharp reality that 27% of iOS and 32% of Android apps are removed within their first year signals a highly volatile marketplace where even factors like a 2.4 second average launch time and sub 24 hour median review turnaround cannot fully offset early app survival challenges.
07 · Category
Monetization1 stats
01
App-related ad impressions accounted for about 64% of total mobile ad impressions in 2023 (ad delivery channel share)https://www.iab.com/insights/
Interpretation
Monetization Interpretation
In the Monetization category, app-related ad impressions drove 64% of all mobile ad impressions in 2023, showing that monetization is heavily reliant on ads served directly through apps.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). App Downloads Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/app-downloads-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "App Downloads Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/app-downloads-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "App Downloads Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/app-downloads-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)