App Store nets devs twice as much money as Google Play

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App-Store-iPhone
App Store still on top, despite half as many downloads.
Photo: Apple

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.

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