Customers spent almost $279 million in the App Store over Christmas

It’s been a great, record-busting year for mobile apps — and, unsurprisingly, that translated to a strong Christmas as well.

According to app analytics platform Sensor Tower, customers spent a total of $407.6 million across both the iOS App Store and Google Play over Christmas. This represents a massive 34.5% increase from the $303 million spent this time last year.

Of that, the App Store represented 68.4% of all spending — or $278.6 million in total.

The report notes:

“Mobile spending on Christmas comprised 4.5 percent of the month’s total spending so far, which reached approximately $9 billion globally from December 1 to December 27. The majority of the holiday spending was on mobile games, which climbed 27 percent from $232.4 million on Christmas 2019 to $295.6 million this year.”

In the App Store, entertainment apps pulled in $19.3 million, or 21.8% of non-game spending. Disney+ and TikTok were two of the top apps in terms of raking in revenue. Meanwhile, Honor of Kings and Roblox were two of the top games.

2020: A significant year for the App Store

On one level, it’s been a record year for the App Store, with apps like TikTok setting records in 2020. (TikTok enjoyed the best three-month runs of any app in history this year.) At a time when the world has been going through, well, 2020, the App Store has proven to be a jewel in Apple’s crown.

At the same time, scrutiny of the App Store intensified this year. Cupertino’s tight control of the App Store caught the eye of Congress during an antitrust probe examining tech giants. Apple closed the year out by slashing fees in half for many developers, possibly to help ward off criticism.

What was your pick of app of the year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Sensor Tower