--- title: "Pandemic Drives App Usage Up 40% in Q2 2020, with TikTok Topping the Charts" locale: "en" language: "en-HK" published: "2020-07-12T15:42:01+08:00" updated: "2026-03-17T23:02:12.167Z" canonical: "https://accordhk.com/blog/pandemic-drives-app-usage-up-40-in-q2-2020-with-tiktok-topping-the-charts-94" --- # Pandemic Drives App Usage Up 40% in Q2 2020, with TikTok Topping the Charts According to App Annie, time spent in apps in Q2 2020 grew 35% in India, and 30%, 25% and 15% in Italy, Indonesia and the United States, compared with Q4 2019. Google Play downloads rose 10% to 25 billion and App Store downloads rose 20% to 10 billion, with business, health and fitness, and education apps growing notably. ## In brief In Q2 2020, lockdowns pushed time spent in apps sharply higher. Google Play downloads rose 10% to 25 billion and App Store downloads rose 20% to 10 billion. Consumer spending hit a record, at US$17 billion on the App Store and US$10 billion on Google Play, with TikTok the highest-grossing iOS app worldwide. According to App Annie's figures on time spent in apps, compared with Q4 2019, time spent in Q2 2020 grew 35% in India, and 30%, 25% and 15% in Italy, Indonesia and the United States respectively. The reason is that parts of these countries imposed lockdowns and discouraged people from going out, so users devoted a great deal of time to using apps. As users spent more time in apps, [Google Play]() downloads also rose 10% over the same period, reaching 25 billion downloads, while iOS App Store downloads grew even more, by 20%, reaching 10 billion downloads. Non-game categories accounted for about 55% of Google Play downloads and about 70% on iOS. On Google Play, India and Brazil were the largest markets by downloads in Q2 2020, while the fastest-growing markets were India, Brazil and Indonesia. On the iOS [App Store](), the United States and China were the largest markets by downloads, while the fastest-growing were the United States and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia hit a record high in downloads in April this year, up 100% year on year. By category, games, tools and entertainment were the largest download categories on Google Play. Although games continued to grow, business, health and fitness, and education apps also grew notably, at 115%, 75% and 50% respectively. The growth in business apps was probably due to the need for remote work during the pandemic; for example, apps such as [Zoom]() and [Google Meet]() all grew sharply, and because of remote classes, learning apps such as [Google Classroom]() and Duolingo also grew substantially. On the iOS App Store, games, photo, video and entertainment apps continued to lead in downloads. Also because of the pandemic, video conferencing apps grew by as much as 30%, fitness and health apps by 25%, and shopping and medical apps by 20%. In particular, apps related to the novel coronavirus ranked among the top downloads in many countries. ## Growth in App Spending Besides the surge in app downloads, Q2 2020 was the quarter with record-high app spending. Consumer spending on the App Store grew 15% year on year to US$17 billion, and consumer spending on Google Play grew 25% year on year to US$10 billion. On the App Store, the United States and China were the two markets with the highest spending, while the fastest growth came from the United States and Japan. Consumers spent mostly on three categories: games, entertainment, and photo and video. The photo and video category alone grew 25%. The best-performing single app was TikTok, which became the highest-grossing iOS app worldwide, because consumers buy virtual items within the app and can also spend more to obtain additional perks, which further encourages creativity and spending. On Google Play, the United States, Japan and South Korea were the three largest markets, with the United States and Japan growing fastest. Consumers spent mostly on games, social and entertainment categories; for example, [Disney+]() and [Twitch]() grew considerably. In addition, [Amazon Prime Video]() and Hulu were also major sources of spending. Original article: https://bit.ly/2OeaBa8 ## Frequently asked questions ### Why did time spent in apps rise so much in Q2 2020? Parts of countries such as India, Italy, Indonesia and the United States imposed lockdowns and discouraged people from going out, so users devoted a great deal of time to apps. Compared with Q4 2019, time spent grew 35% in India, and 30%, 25% and 15% in Italy, Indonesia and the United States respectively. ### How much did app downloads grow in Q2 2020? Google Play downloads rose 10% over the same period to 25 billion, while App Store downloads grew 20% to 10 billion. Non-game categories made up about 55% of Google Play downloads and about 70% on iOS. ### Which app categories grew fastest on Google Play? Games, tools and entertainment were the largest download categories, but business, health and fitness, and education apps grew notably, at 115%, 75% and 50% respectively. Business app growth was probably driven by remote work, and learning apps such as Google Classroom and Duolingo grew because of remote classes. ### How much did consumers spend on apps in Q2 2020, and which app earned the most on iOS? Q2 2020 was a record quarter for app spending: US$17 billion on the App Store, up 15% year on year, and US$10 billion on Google Play, up 25%. TikTok became the highest-grossing iOS app worldwide, since consumers buy virtual items in the app and can spend more to obtain extra perks.