Lionel Sujay Vailshery
Research expert covering cloud computing and emerging tech industries
Google Play Store - statistics & facts
Launched as the Android Market in 2008, the Google Play Store is one of the two most popular mobile application hosting and distribution platforms, as well as the most popular distribution platform for mobile Android applications. The Google Play Store is pre-installed on supporting Android devices, making it the default app hub for a large number of the mobile users worldwide, seen that the operative system holds over 70 percent of the global market.
In the same period, gaming and education apps accounted for the largest share of apps available on the platform, ranking as the most popular Google Play app categories in the second quarter of 2024. As of the third quarter of 2023, Android apps had a lower retention rate compared to iOS apps after three days of download, and the app retention rate after 30 days dropped to 2.6 percent.
As of 2024, the standard service fees for apps and in-app products sold via the Google Play Store billing system are 30 percent, as they are for the Apple App Store, and the Amazon Appstore. However, the markets of South Korea and India have been enjoying platform fees four percent lower than the regular global fees on the Google Play Store due to the countries’ local regulations. In 2021, South Korea was the first country in which Google had to allow developers to use a third-party payment system, while India passed a similar law in January 2023.
Things are not easier for the Alphabet-owned tech giant in its native U.S. market. In December 2023, a 700 million U.S. dollars settlement was announced between Google and a coalition of 53 attorneys general, because of a 2021 lawsuit for anticompetitive behavior on the app market, which lamented – among other things – having limited consumer choices. The settlement also aimed to cover extra expenses suffered by Google Play Store consumers who might have overpaid for digital products. In September 2024, the United States Department of Justice was considering breaking up Google to address the question of the company’s allegations of monopolistic approach to its search engine business and its app store segment.
The Google Play Store is one of the two most powerful app distribution systems present on the global market. Its reach in mobile-first countries such as India and Brazil generate millions of app downloads. Despite lower revenues than iOS apps, Android apps distributed by the Google Play Store provide an unmatched level of exposure for developers. In the last few years, several digital economies have been challenging Google’s role within the app market, with the notable cases of South Korea and India passing targeted pieces of legislation to limit Google's power on developers and the U.S. market launching several antitrust lawsuits to address alleged anticompetitive behaviors from the tech giant.
Google Play Store: metrics, performance, market
When compared to iOS apps on the Apple App Store, Android apps have fewer download barriers and can be obtained by users across alternative app marketplaces as well as via the open web. However, with a collection of 2.26 million available applications in the second quarter of 2024, the Google Play Store still provides the largest hub for Android app downloads and distribution.In the same period, gaming and education apps accounted for the largest share of apps available on the platform, ranking as the most popular Google Play app categories in the second quarter of 2024. As of the third quarter of 2023, Android apps had a lower retention rate compared to iOS apps after three days of download, and the app retention rate after 30 days dropped to 2.6 percent.
Competition woes: regulators and developers
The Google Play Store has been under the scrutiny of global and EU authorities for several years, with complaints being filed since the early 2010s due to competition concerns. The complaints alleged that the presence of preinstalled Google apps such as Search and Google Chrome and that the restrictions over the use of the Android OS were hurting competition and cost the tech giant a fine of over five billion U.S. dollars in 2018 in the EU. Most recently, the Digital Market Act (DMA) and a U.S. antitrust lawsuit over its Google Play Store developers’ fees have reignited the conversation over Google’s alleged monopoly in the Android marketAs of 2024, the standard service fees for apps and in-app products sold via the Google Play Store billing system are 30 percent, as they are for the Apple App Store, and the Amazon Appstore. However, the markets of South Korea and India have been enjoying platform fees four percent lower than the regular global fees on the Google Play Store due to the countries’ local regulations. In 2021, South Korea was the first country in which Google had to allow developers to use a third-party payment system, while India passed a similar law in January 2023.
Things are not easier for the Alphabet-owned tech giant in its native U.S. market. In December 2023, a 700 million U.S. dollars settlement was announced between Google and a coalition of 53 attorneys general, because of a 2021 lawsuit for anticompetitive behavior on the app market, which lamented – among other things – having limited consumer choices. The settlement also aimed to cover extra expenses suffered by Google Play Store consumers who might have overpaid for digital products. In September 2024, the United States Department of Justice was considering breaking up Google to address the question of the company’s allegations of monopolistic approach to its search engine business and its app store segment.
The Google Play Store is one of the two most powerful app distribution systems present on the global market. Its reach in mobile-first countries such as India and Brazil generate millions of app downloads. Despite lower revenues than iOS apps, Android apps distributed by the Google Play Store provide an unmatched level of exposure for developers. In the last few years, several digital economies have been challenging Google’s role within the app market, with the notable cases of South Korea and India passing targeted pieces of legislation to limit Google's power on developers and the U.S. market launching several antitrust lawsuits to address alleged anticompetitive behaviors from the tech giant.
