Worldwide consumer spending hit $112 billion this year across both Google Play and the App Store, according to data provided by App Annie.

The staggering figure represents an increase of 25 per cent year-on-year. Moreover, Japan, the UK and the US were among the top markets to drive growth on iOS.

Meanwhile, app and games downloads are set to hit 130 billion before the end of 2020, across the App Store and Google Play. Overall, installs have grown 10 per cent year-on-year, though downloads on Android devices outnumbered those of iOS by 160 per cent.

However, 40 per cent of all downloads were made of mobile games across the storefronts. The App Store saw 11 billion installs, but the Android storefront had 42 billion.

Furthermore, of the $112 billion generated on mobile, $81 billion was earned through games. On iOS, $46 billion was made, while $35 billion came from Google Play.

Games!

In 2020, mobile games – and gaming in general – became more popular as COVID-19 struck the world, and people turned to games as a means of entertainment. This year, have been some breakout stars among smartphone titles.

One of which was Among Us by InnerSloth. The social deduction game took the world by storm, with a surge in downloads between August and September.

Meanwhile, as the eighth most downloaded game of 2020, My Talking Tom friends has performed well too. Outfit7's game combines the Tamagotchi style with casual and simulation. Within two weeks of launch, My Talking Tom Friends racked up 60 million installs.

Roblox is also a notable app this year, as it is in the top 10 for player spending. In 2020, the platform hosted different music artists, one of which was Ava Max.

Next, Call of Duty: Mobile has continued to be popular, having turned one in October. That same month, the shooter hit 300 million downloads. In terms of monthly active users, Activision's title has come in at No.4.