Tech

Android App Downloads Are Leaving Apple's App Store Behind

By Rob Price
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Apple may have had a phenomenally, record-breakingly successful year in 2014, but Android still remains the dominant operating system (OS) on smartphones worldwide. New figures published by analytics company App Annie say that app installation on Google's Androids is increasing at a faster rate than those on Apple's iOS platform. However, as re/code notes, this hasn't translated into greater revenues for Android — yet.

Throughout 2014, Google Play saw 60% more downloads than the Apple App Store, with downloads at the former increasing faster. It's best illustrated below:

app annie google android iOS data downloads
App Annie
app annie android iOS revenues 2014
App Annie

Despite this, however, iOS saw far more revenues from paid downloads and in-app purchases — 70% more, in fact.

It's a reinforcement of the classic wisdom that the iPhone is the phone for rich people. Android may get the mass market share, by iOS users will earn more, spend more on apps and in-app purchases, and advertising rates on the platform will be higher.

This may not be the case forever, however. Other figures recently published by gaming marketing company DAU-UP suggests that Android users are spending more than ever before, and when combined with the lower associated costs of Google's platforms, some Android games are becoming as profitable (or even more profitable) than their iOS equivalents.

The data is limited — it only refers to mobile games, for one. And as Apple continues to destroy Samsung and mop up the luxury smartphone market, the combined purchasing power of Android users may drop relative to iOS.

But as The Guardian points out, the Google Play store isn't the only avenue for acquiring apps on Android. There are also offerings from Samsung, Apple, and dozens of others in emerging markets like China. By focusing on the Google Play store, you fail to get a complete picture of the market and revenue opportunities open to Android developers.

DAU-UP days they've already seen some developers make the shift to "Android-first" development models, and as Android users continue to consumer ever-more apps at ever-faster rates, more may soon follow.

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Reporter Rob Price sitting at a table
Rob Price
Rob Price was a senior correspondent at Business Insider, based in San Francisco. He wrote investigations and long-form features about platforms, people, and power in Silicon Valley.His stories variously led to attorney general investigations, large-scale internal reviews at major tech companies, high-profile personnel departures, citation by state and federal lawmakers, and the closure of a well-funded startup. His 2022 story on the Bitfinex hack is being adapted into a feature film, and in 2024 he received an SPJ NorCal Excellence in Journalism award for his reporting on AI and relationships.Rob's scoops and exclusive stories were cited by The New York Times, Bloomberg, the BBC, Associated Press, Reuters, CNBC, Politico, The Guardian, Axios, and many other national and international publications. His writing has also been published in or syndicated by The Washington Post, The Independent, Vice, Slate, and elsewhere, and he appeared on CNN, the BBC, CBS, Reuters, ABC Australia, and other broadcast media to discuss technology, business, and culture.He worked for Business Insider from 2015 to 2025. Prior to joining the features team, Rob covered Facebook and Silicon Valley, and before that wrote about tech business, policy, and the gig economy in London. Between September and October 2019, he was acting executive editor for Business Insider's UK bureau. He also sat on the board of directors for the San Francisco Press Club, the leading non-profit media advocacy group in the Bay Area, and was a volunteer crew member at the Marine Mammal Center, the world's largest animal hospital for marine mammals. You can contact Rob Price via email at robaeprice@gmail.com, or +1 650-636-6268 (Signal / WhatsApp / Cell). Selected stories:— They spoke out against their employer. Then they were hit with trade secrets suits.— The rise of 'shadow stand-ins'— App, Lover, Muse: Inside a 47-year-old Minnesota man's three-year relationship with an AI chatbot— Deel Speed: The inside story of a $12 billion HR startup's breakneck growth— Private islands, flying cars, and psychedelic parties: Inside the wild post-Google lives of Larry Page and Sergey Brin— 'I want your Instagram account': First came the threatening texts, followed by the SWAT teams. Then someone wound up dead.— Inside Iconiq: How Mark Zuckerberg's banker built a secret Silicon Valley empire and made billions— Gaia was a wildly popular yoga brand. Now it's a publicly traded Netflix rival pushing conspiracy theories while employees fear the CEO is invading their dreams— A drunken late-night assault allegation has roiled the secretive world of Mark Zuckerberg's private family office. Personal aides are speaking out about claims that household staff endured sexual harassment and racism from their colleagues.
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