Mobile Apps Overtake Games as AI Dominates Revenue
AI
Mobile Apps
Generative AI
Sensor Tower
Tech Trends
Market Share
Consumer Spending
9
AI Ascendancy
Media Hype
8/10
Real Impact
9/10
What is the Viqus Verdict?
We evaluate each news story based on its real impact versus its media hype to offer a clear and objective perspective.
AI Analysis:
While AI hype is currently high, the underlying trend – the monetization of AI apps – is undeniably a long-term structural shift, deserving of significant investment attention.
Article Summary
Sensor Tower’s annual ‘State of Mobile’ report reveals a seismic shift in the mobile app market. For the first time, consumers spent more on non-game mobile apps than on games, with a total of approximately $85 billion invested in apps globally in 2025. This surge was largely fueled by the rapid adoption of generative AI, which accounted for over $5 billion in revenue, driven by AI assistant apps like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and DeepSeek. Downloads of these AI apps doubled year-over-year to 3.8 billion, demonstrating the growing consumer interest. The segment’s growth was bolstered by big tech companies’ heavy investment in AI assistants, along with popular apps like Suno (AI music generation), Jimeng AI (text-to-video), and Character.ai. Furthermore, the report highlighted the increasing role of mobile devices in accessing these AI services, with over 200 million users in the U.S. utilizing AI assistants exclusively on mobile. This shift underscores the evolving landscape of app monetization and consumer engagement.Key Points
- Consumer spending on non-game mobile apps surpassed game spending for the first time in 2025.
- Generative AI apps, particularly AI assistants, drove over $5 billion in revenue in 2025.
- Downloads of AI apps doubled year-over-year, reflecting strong consumer interest.