People spent more than 3.8 trillion hours on mobile in 2021: App Annie report

The last year has also been one of lockdowns and quarantines. So, much like 2020, 2021 was also spent, in the most part, in front of the screens. But there is one screen in particular that trumped all others. According to an App Annie report titled ‘State of Mobile 2022’, people spent a whopping 3.8 trillion hours on mobile in 2021.

“Mobile is the ‘Greatest of All Time’ and the go-to device of the future. The big screen is slowly dying as mobile continues to break records in virtually every category - time spent, downloads and revenue,” said Theodore Krantz, Chief Executive Officer at App Annie.

The report added that in the top 10 mobile markets globally, users spent 4.8 hours a day on mobiles. Led by TikTok (which witnessed an increase of 90 per cent globally outside of China), 7 of every 10 minutes was spent on either social, photo and/or video apps.

Consumers also spent $170 billion on apps and this figure is up 19 per cent as compared to 2020. Downloads on the mobile in 2021 reached 230 billion growing by 5 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

Additionally, the report mentions that publishers released 2 million new apps and games in 2021 bringing the cumulative total of all apps and games to 21 million. Mobile gaming grew to $116 billion in 2021, a 15 per cent rise as compared to the previous year and was particularly fuelled by a preference for hyper-casual games.

The report revealed that the worldwide consumer spends on dating apps crossed $4.2 billion, a 55 per cent increase from consumer spend in the same domain in 2019. Time spent on shopping apps touched 100 billion hours in 2020, an 18 per cent YoY increase, and this was helmed by fast fashion, social shopping, and big-box players (e-commerce apps).

Food and drinks apps also hit a new milestone by touching 194 billion sessions in 2021, a 50 per cent YoY increase. And all the talk about the metaverse pushed avatar apps forward by a massive 160 per cent YoY.

Advertising spends on apps and games crossed $295 million in 2021, a 23 per cent YoY increase. This is expected to cross $350 million over 2022. Individually, apps earning more than $100 million in consumer spending grew by 20 per cent in 2021.

“Mobile brings us closer together whether virtual or in person. The future will be based on an immersive entertainment experience you create. You won’t watch movies, you’ll star in them,” Krantz said.

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