Alright, tech enthusiasts, let's talk about something interesting. It seems like the world of mobile apps is shifting. According to a recent report, 2025 was the year when consumers spent more on non-game apps than on games. Yes, you read that right! This isn't just a small market trend; it's happening globally.

The numbers are pretty impressive. We're talking about roughly $85 billion spent on apps in the last year. That's a 21% increase compared to the year before! Just five years ago, this figure was nearly 2.8 times smaller. It's like watching a rocket take off – the growth is explosive.

The AI Factor

So, what's driving this change? Well, generative AI seems to be the key player. The report says that in-app purchase revenue for AI apps more than tripled, hitting over $5 billion in 2025. It's kind of wild to think that AI, which seemed like a distant dream a few years ago, is now a major force in the app market.

Downloads of AI apps have also doubled, reaching 3.8 billion. And who's leading the charge? AI assistants like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and DeepSeek are super popular. ChatGPT alone raked in $3.4 billion in global in-app purchase revenue. That's a lot of virtual money!

People are spending a lot of time using these AI apps, too. In 2025, users spent 48 billion hours in generative AI apps, which is 3.6 times more than in 2024. The number of times people opened and used these apps (session volume) surpassed one trillion. What I find particularly interesting is that engagement is growing faster than the number of downloads. This suggests that people who are already using these apps are finding them incredibly useful and engaging and diving deep on it, while more users jump on board.

Big tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and X are also pushing their AI assistants. They've been adding new features rapidly, improving things like coding assistance, content generation, and accuracy. I think that competition is a great thing, as it pushes everyone to innovate faster and better.

Of course, it's not just AI assistants that are popular. AI music generation apps like Suno, text-to-video apps like Jimeng AI, and AI companion apps like Character.ai are also gaining traction. It's clear that AI is finding its way into all sorts of different apps and use cases.

Beyond AI

However, AI isn't the only thing driving revenue growth. Social media, video streaming, and productivity apps are still important. For example, people are spending an average of 90 minutes per day on social media apps. That's a lot of scrolling and liking!

In conclusion, the app market is evolving, with AI playing a bigger role than ever before. It's exciting to see how these technologies are changing the way we interact with our devices and each other.