The app ecosystem’s nonstop growth finally slipped this past year. An annual review of the app economy by mobile analytics firm data.ai (previously App Annie) found that consumer spending on mobile apps declined for the first time in 2022 after seeing 19% year-over-year growth the year prior. Consumer spending dropped by 2% in 2022, the report said, reaching $167 billion. Meanwhile, downloads grew by 11% year-over-year to 255 billion while hours spent in Android app apps alone grew 9% to reach 4.1 trillion.
The new analysis, found in the firm’s annual “State of Mobile” report is based on consumer spending across all app stores, including third-party Android app stores in China. It shows the impact of a down economy on what, until now, has largely bee...
