But this week, Epic Games found a way to return to the iPhone, and with the help of a notable partner, too. This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.ĭo you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: /newsletters Top Stories Fortnite finds its way back to iOSĮpic Games’ battle with Apple has seen its mobile gaming title Fortnite banned from the App Store ever since Epic broke Apple’s rules around in-app purchases, then used its ban to wage a legal fight over antitrust issues. In 2020, investors poured $73 billion in capital into mobile companies - a figure that was up 27% year-over-year. In 2019, mobile-first companies had a combined $544 billion valuation, 6.5x higher than those without a mobile focus.
Consumers also downloaded 10 billion more apps this year than in 2020, reaching nearly 140 billion in new installs, it found.Īpps aren’t just a way to pass idle hours - they’re also a big business.
Data.ai (formerly App Annie) says global spending across iOS and Google Play is up to $135 billion in 2021, and that figure will likely be higher when its annual report, including third-party app stores in China, is released next year. The app industry continues to grow, with a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports.
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy.