en.Wedoany.com Reported - According to the latest report from Sensor Tower, consumer spending in India's mobile app market reached a record $345 million in the second quarter of this year, a 35% increase year-on-year. The app market intelligence firm noted that growth drivers are shifting from gaming to generative artificial intelligence, streaming, and productivity apps, with Indian consumers showing a significantly stronger willingness to pay for digital subscriptions.
This quarter's performance builds on a backdrop of continuously improving app monetization. Over the past three and a half years, revenue per download in the Indian market has more than doubled, while quarterly app downloads have stabilized at around 6.3 billion since 2023. Eve Chen, insights analyst at Sensor Tower, attributes this shift to the proliferation of digital payments, including the widespread use of the Unified Payments Interface and digital wallets. These infrastructure developments have reduced friction costs for in-app purchases, while subscription models and premium digital services have gradually gained user acceptance.
From a global perspective, India's app revenue achieved the highest growth rate among major app markets in the second quarter, with quarterly consumer spending exceeding $200 million. During the same period, Mexico grew 30%, Turkey grew 25%, while U.S. app revenue declined by 3%. Data provided by Sensor Tower shows that generative artificial intelligence has become one of the fastest-growing segments, with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude collectively accounting for nearly 83% of India's AI app revenue in the second quarter.
Non-gaming apps are a key driver of India's app revenue growth. Sensor Tower stated that non-gaming apps accounted for 68% of India's mobile app revenue in the first half of 2026, compared to 58% three years ago. Google One became the highest-grossing mobile app in India during the quarter, and consumer spending on streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Sony LIV, and JioHotstar also saw growth. Gaming app revenue grew 3.7% quarter-on-quarter, contrasting with the global gaming market's downward trend.
Although India still lags mature markets in absolute scale—revenue per download in the U.S. is approximately $4.60, South Korea $3.90, and Japan $6.10—Eve Chen believes that the growth trajectory matters more than current levels, and India's steady improvement in monetization indicates substantial long-term growth potential. Another app intelligence firm, Appfigures, also expects continued growth in India's app subscription market, but its founder and CEO Ariel Michaeli noted that the AI-driven surge of the past two years has shown signs of slowing. Subscription revenue continues to rise, but the initial hype around AI has somewhat faded. Appfigures estimates that ChatGPT generates approximately $60,000 in daily revenue in India, attracting around 1.8 million downloads over the past month, down from the daily revenue level of approximately $80,000 in October last year.
