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Downloads Down, Revenue Up - The State of Mobile Apps in December 2025
December saw a curious split: downloads dropped 2% while revenue sat at $1.3B. ChatGPT and TikTok dominated both charts as the mobile industry enters a new maturity phase.
Polymarket's Downloads Explode as Wall Street Bets $2B on Prediction Markets
Wall Street bet $2 billion on Polymarket, and downloads surged 1,172% in December. The prediction market banned in 2022 is now where Wall Street looks for signals.
X's Revenue Doubled When It Split Grok Into Its Own App
X took its fastest-growing feature and gave it its own app. The result? Combined December revenue of $46M, proving that sometimes unbundling beats bundling.
BambuLab Hit 2M App Downloads by Thinking Like Apple
BambuLab hit 2M app downloads in 2025 by building more than printers. Their ecosystem strategy has lessons for any app developer.
This Week in Apps - A New Kind of Bet
#265 - Polymarket's 1,172% download surge, December's revenue records despite download declines, mobile games' mixed holiday results, and how X doubled revenue by splitting Grok.
Games Unwrapped More Downloads, Fewer Dollars in December – The Top Mobile Games in the World
The highest-earning titles made $32M less than in November, but first-time downloads were up 16M during the gift-giving season. Read what other factors impacted the games category in the final month of 2025.
Is Your ASO Ready for 2026? App Store Optimization Q&A
Deep-dive ASO Q&A with Ariel covering 2026 algorithms, keyword focus, localizations, Apple Search Ads, ratings, and category strategy.
Meta's Mega Acquisition of Manus AI Isn't Just About The Tech
Meta didn't buy Manus AI for the tech. They bought the competitive moat money can't replicate.
ChatGPT Crosses $3 Billion in Mobile Revenue, Cementing AI's Paid Future
Less than 3 years after launching its mobile apps, ChatGPT has reached $3B in consumer spending. Here's how OpenAI turned curiosity into commerce.
Game Revenue Growth Reversed in November - The Highest Earning Mobile Games in the World
Mobile game revenue fell $100M in November as top earners took a hit, but the long tail grew $45M. See which games dominated earnings and what's driving the shift.
Top Game Downloads Rose 9% in November - The Most Downloaded Mobile Games in the World
Block Blast topped mobile game downloads in November as the rest of the chart saw heavy movement.
This Week in Apps - AI Is Everywhere
#264 - ChatGPT and Gemini dominate app downloads while top earners stay sticky. Plus: ByteDance's Hypic threatens photo editors and more.
The Battle for AI Supremacy - The Most Downloaded Apps in November
I crunched the numbers and ranked the most downloaded mobile apps in the world. November's ranks didn't change who's on ...
Oh So Sticky! The Highest Earning Apps in November
November was an interesting month in terms of earnings. Almost unique. It's not because a new name came out of nowhere t...
ByteDance's Hypic Is Coming for the Photo Editing Market
By now, everyone knows about CapCut, the video editing app from TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, that became the lead...
React Native's New Rival Is Quietly Eating Its Lunch
I keep writing about AI because it's pretty much everywhere at this point, so let me look at something else that's also ...
Snapchat Cracked the Code: How It's Making More With Fewer Users
Looking at Snapchat's revenue trend, it's very clear something snapped (pun intended), and Snap really figured out monet...
This Week in Apps - A New Era for Shopping Apps
#263 - Whatnot's 541% Black Friday surge, App Store's biggest year for shipping in nearly a decade, LinkedIn's $1B milestone, X's revenue stall, and Home Assistant's explosive US growth.
Black Friday Download Trends Signal a New Era in Mobile Shopping
Black Friday felt different this year. Not bad, with US downloads in the Shopping category rising 10 in November vs. las...
The App Store Just Logged Its Biggest Release Year in Nearly a Decade
After years of decline, 2025 marks a dramatic reversal: the App Store is experiencing its biggest wave of new app releas...
LinkedIn Leaps Towards a $1B Year
While most social media platforms chase engagement metrics and struggle with monetization, LinkedIn has quietly become t...
X's App Revenue Rose 48% in 2025 Despite Growth Challenges
It's time for my monthly check-in on (https://appfigures.com/reports/app-profile?iduazG5Ecw)[X]'s mobile revenue, and th...
The App That's Leading The DIY Smart Home Revolution
While tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Apple dominate the smart home market with closed ecosystems, an open-source a...
AI Tactics Top Subscription Apps Use for Growth w/ Phil Carter
Deep dive with Ariel and Phil Carter into how top subscription apps use AI for value creation, delivery, and capture to grow revenue.
How to Steal Your Competitor’s App Strategy (Legally)
Learn how to legally reverse-engineer your competitors’ app strategies using real data: performance, audience, keywords, tech stack, and more.
This Week in Apps - The Battle for Your AI Subscription
#262 - ChatGPT's continued dominance, AI revenue records, music streaming's quiet revolution, and why paid apps are dead in 2026.
