Communication and social Android apps are still the most popular in the UK, according to research.
The ‘Insights Into App Engagement: Q1 2015’ report from App Annie, examining the US, UK, Germany, Japan and South Korea, found that the two categories accounted for over 50 percent of all Android smartphone sessions in the UK.
This fell short of around 60 percent of time spent in apps in the US and Germany but exceeded the 45 percent in South Korea and Japan.
WhatsApp was found to be the most popular Android app in the UK in terms of sessions per active user, with Facebook and Google Chrome following in second and third respectively.
However, Facebook was the most used app in terms of time spent per active user.
The UK was also revealed to have the lowest game usage of the markets examined, coming in behind all four of the others. Time spent playing games in the Asian markets, Japan and South Korea, was by far the highest.
This was reflected in revenues; in Japan and South Korea, more than 90 percent of iOS and Google Play app store revenue came from games, compared to approximately 70 percent in the UK.
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"The mobile app economy continues to grow at a phenomenal pace. In 2014, revenue from app stores and in-app advertising were both around 70% higher than the previous year," says the report. "For app publishers looking to make the most of the opportunities available in the app economy, understanding the way the users interact with apps on their devices is a key component of forming an effective app strategy.
It continues: "Smartphones, as the name suggests, are primarily communication devices. Messaging apps remain the hot topic in the mobile world, and their position as the center of mobile life is highlighted by recent developments such as Facebook Messenger ‘s transition to a full messaging platform."
