As reports suggest, this year, people are spending more time than ever using their mobile devices, using various popular apps. But how much time, exactly, are people spending on their phones and which apps are seeing the most attention?

That’s where the latest report from app analytics firm App Annie comes in. App Annie has this week published its ‘Mobile App Evolution‘ report, which looks at mobile usage trends around the world, based on the company’s database of more than 8 million apps. And while most of the broader datasets only cover up to 2019, we can see from the existing trends leading into this year where attention is focused, which could help in your planning.  

You can download the full report here, but in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the key notes.

First off, as noted, time spent in apps is increasing – though interestingly the trend suggests that the rising app usage is largely in line with established trends going back to 2015.

Again, you would expect 2020 to be higher again, and that may be somewhat artificial, or temporary at least, due to COVID-19. But even so, the trends suggest that apps are increasingly becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives, and where more and more people are spending more of their time, year-by-year. 

The expanding mobile ecosystem has lead to an overall increase in app downloads, which hit a new record high again in 2019.

As you can see, the growth in app downloads is largely lead by developing regions, but even in markets which see high mobile penetration rates, people are still seeking out new apps, which points to ongoing opportunities.

The App Annie team also shares some interesting insight into app usage overlap, which may reflect evolving user habits, particularly as users grow up and look to expand their consumption habits.

Interesting, too, to note the rise of TikTok in this chart, with more Snapchat users also becoming TikTok fans. 

TikTok’s growth actually gets its own, separate chart in the App Annie report – and while there’s no doubting the rising popularity of the app, it’s future remains unclear amid various challenges.

The report also outlines regional app trends and shifts in detail, while there are also notes on gaming apps, incorporated usage trends, overall rankings and more.

There’s also an interesting note about the value of unique content, introduced over time, as demonstrated in this chart on the performance of Disney+.

Of course, that’s no surprise – when major new releases are added, Disney+ sees a spike, but it’s interesting to note, from the content marketing perspective, that even if you have a large backlog of valuable content, and are regularly updating it with new posts, adding in big, highlight material can help to boost appeal, and maximize reach.

There are a heap more interesting insights in the full App Annie report, which you can download here. Worth a look for your weekend digital marketing reading.