The latest data from App Annie reveals some of the effects the coronavirus lockdown had on patterns of mobile app use.

The headline stat shows global mobile app use, as measured by average time spent on them per month, increased 40% year-on-year in Q2 2020. As you can see from the chart below, this datapoint was trending upwards anyway, but it was inevitable that millions of people under house arrest would spend more time mucking about on their phones while they waited for the plague to blow over.

Moving onto downloads, the total volume is much higher for Android, as you would expect since it accounts for 80+ percent of the total smartphone user base. The more remarkable thing is that iOS still rakes in loads more cash than Android in spite of that. A big part of this will be that only people with a fair bit of cash can afford an iPhone in the first place, but something about the Apple app store seems to encourage people to pay for stuff.

Lastly the most popular apps on both platforms are almost entirely social media, instant messaging or video conferencing. The popularity of TikTok is especially intriguing since the US is apparently thinking of banning it for the crime of being Chinese. It’s also worth noting the amount of money Disney is already bringing in through mobile. What are the chances of it having negotiated a significant reduction in the Apple Tax?