Sponsored By

U.S. iPhone users spent an average of $58 on in-app purchases and premium apps in 2017, with the growing number of free-to-play mobile games pulling in the bulk of that cash.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

April 17, 2018

1 Min Read

U.S. iPhone users spent an average of $58 on in-app purchases and premium apps in 2017, with the growing number of free-to-play mobile games pulling in the bulk of that cash. 

According to analytics outfit Sensor Tower, the average amount spend per active iPhone totaled $47 in 2016, meaning consumers were shelling out an extra $10 on average last year -- an increase of 23 percent. 

What's more, those numbers don't include purchases made through shopping apps like Amazon or payments to ride sharing apps like Uber. Although they do reflect revenue earned by popular apps including Netflix and Tinder. 

As hinted earlier, mobile games represented the single largest category of iPhone spending on the U.S. App Store, accounting for over half of all money spent.

Breaking that down per device, that means games contributed around $36 of that average $58 spend, which is an increase of around 13 percent year-over-year. 

Check out the graph below for a visual breakdown, or head on over to the Sensor Tower blog for even more facts and figures.

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like