Android might have more apps and a lot more users than iOS these days, but it’s still trailing far behind when it comes to making money for developers. Last quarter, the App Store made twice as much money than Google Play for app makers.
Android has long had a problem generating good money for app developers. Many users would sooner look at ads than cough up for premium titles, and thanks to the ability to side-load software package, piracy is a massive issue.
This hasn’t really gotten any better as Android has grown into the behemoth it is today. Despite more than twice as much market share as iOS, Google’s platform continues to be a disappointment for app and game creators.
According to the latest statistics from mobile analytics firm App Annie, Google Play served up twice as many downloads as the App Store in Q2 2016 — yet iOS developers earned twice as much money on average. It seems China could be playing a big part in this.
China has now overtaken the U.S. as the biggest market for mobile apps and games. This is being attributed to that massive rise in demand for online multiplayer games, which could explain why the Games category accounted for 75 percent of the revenue generated on iOS.
Meanwhile, Google still cannot offer the Play Store in China due to local restrictions, so Android apps and games are generating no revenue there at all.
Until this changes, and Google fixes Android’s piracy problem, it seems highly unlikely we will see the Play Store coming anywhere close to App Store revenue in the coming years. And this is why iOS continues to be the first choice for most developers.
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
3 responses to “App Store nets devs twice as much money as Google Play”
This is news still? Android users don’t pay for anything, iPhone users do.
This is a known fact. Studies have even showed that iPhone users make more money than Android users. With all the time they spend talking crap about iPhone users. A bunch of Android goats should focus on actually getting off welfare.
It is even harder for indie developers to monetize both In-App and outside the app on Android specially without access to data intelligence and tools the big app publishers have.
I have one question. Apple reported they have cumulatively paid $50 Billion to app developers. Would you estimate the equivalent total to be 20-25 Billion for Google Play?