App Annie Market Index Q2 2014: Google Play Widens Lead in App Downloads; China & Japan Primary Drivers of Continued iOS Revenue Dominance

SAN FRANCISCO, July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- App Annie, the leading provider of app analytics and market data, today released the App Annie Market Index for Q2 2014, which covers macro trends emerging in mobile app ecosystems across stores, countries and categories. The quarterly report is based on worldwide data representing more than 150 countries across the iOS App Store and Google Play, sourced from App Annie's premium platform, App Annie Intelligence. According to Intelligence estimates, Google Play downloads exceeded iOS App Store downloads by around 60 percent this quarter, while the iOS App Store earned about 80 percent more revenue.

Growth in emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam are the driving force behind these trends in the app stores. India climbed two spots to number three in Google Play downloads for Q2 2014, as a large number of consumers switched from feature phones to smartphones. While China and Japan were the main drivers of revenue growth, Taiwan, Kuwait and Turkey contributed significantly to iOS App Store revenue, as each country's revenue grew by 30 percent quarter-over-quarter.

Also of note this quarter, Brazil's market share in Google Play downloads doubled in the Sports category from Q1, thanks to the country's hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The country is also of interest to Apple, which opened its first retail store in Rio de Janeiro in February. The World Cup's impact on the Sports category wasn't limited only to Brazil. The entire category experienced 20 percent quarterly growth, with notable increases in Germany, Argentina and the United States. FIFA's official app took off across the world.

"One of the most striking trends from this quarter's Index is the skyrocketing growth across Asia on both Google Play and iOS," said App Annie CEO Bertrand Schmitt. "Japan and China continue to thrive, but the growth in India - where only 10 percent of today's population is smartphone-enabled - is hugely significant for publishers as they look for new markets to explore."

Select highlights from the report below. For the full analysis of Q2 2014 trends, including top country and category charts, please visit:  http://hub.am/1nFLkmx.

 Overall iOS & Google Play Highlights

• Google Play worldwide quarterly downloads exceeded iOS App Store downloads by around 60 percent in Q2 2014, up from about 45 percent last quarter, with explosive growth driven by emerging markets including Brazil, Thailand and India.
• In Q2 2014, the iOS App Store provided around 80 percent more revenue than Google Play, down from 85% the previous quarter. Mobile powerhouses China and Japan were the primary drivers of iOS revenue for Q2 2014. Taiwan, Kuwait, and Turkey also contributed significantly to iOS revenue, each growing more than 30 percent quarter-over-quarter.
• In the Q1 2014 Market Index, China saw massive gains in the iOS App Store following Apple's long-awaited deal with China Mobile. While growth has slowed since the initial launch, iOS revenue in China is still on a strong upward trajectory, increasing 20 percent from Q1 to Q2 of 2014.

Emerging Markets & Categories

• India climbed two spots to become the #3 country in Google Play downloads for Q2 2014. The large number of consumers switching from feature phones to smartphones likely contributed to India's success on Google Play.
• In Q2 2014, Brazil firmly established itself as a dominant contributor to worldwide Google Play downloads. After reaching the #2 spot in Google Play downloads last quarter, Brazil solidified its foothold by finishing Q2 2014 as the top-ranked country in Google Play downloads by increase in percent market share.
• The World Cup's impact on the Sports category wasn't limited only to Brazil; the entire category experienced 20 percent quarterly growth, with notable increases in football-crazy nations such as Germany, Argentina and, at least briefly, the United States. FIFA's official app took off across the world in Q2 2014.

To download the full report please visit:  http://hub.am/1nFLkmx.

About App Annie
App Annie is the industry standard for analytics and market data in the apps and digital content economy. The App Annie platform helps app business owners, marketers and investors understand both their own app business and app market trends so that they can make better business decisions in product, international, marketing, and investment strategy. App Annie is used by over 90 percent of the Top 100 publishers with nearly 600,000 apps relying on App Annie Analytics to track their downloads, revenues, and rankings and reviews, making it the leading innovator in the app analytics and market data space. The company has tracked over 62 billion downloads and more than US $17 billion in revenues to date. App Annie is a privately held global company of more than 250 employees headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New York, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo. For more information, please visit:www.appannie.com.

SOURCE App Annie