Each month, the App Annie Index highlights the top-performing games and apps for the iOS App Store and Google Play. Our analysis covers trends among the leading apps across countries and categories, and is the industry standard for professionals looking to compare leading apps and publishers.
Top Android Apps Worldwide For April 2015
In the Android category, Dubsmash gets a boost from celebrities
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In its December 2014 Index for Apps, App Annie reported the rise of selfie video app Dubsmash, which allows users to record and share videos of themselves mouthing along to well-known phrases and songs. In April, the app saw its second round of explosive growth, reaching #5 on April’s combined iOS and Google Play downloads rankings. Starting with a Dubsmash-exclusive tease of Rihanna’s new single on March 26, numerous celebrities (including Hugh Jackman, Kevin Hart and Kate Upton) fell in love with the app. This celebrity endorsement helped renew interest in the United States, where it saw a rise in its download ranks.
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Dubsmash shot up the rankings in Brazil during April 2015
However, it was in Brazil where Dubsmash grew at truly neckbreak speeds. The app spent more than a week as Brazil’s most downloaded app on both the Google Play Store and iOS App Store. As in the United States, celebrities in Brazil (such as singer Cláudia Leite and soccer star Neymar) used the app to record videos of themselves for their fans’ enjoyment. Brazil’s attachment to social media (the country has been called the “social media capital of the universe”), combined with the app’s focus on sharing through social networking apps, helps explain this remarkable growth.
Top iOS Apps Worldwide For April 2015
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Tax day in the United States has come and gone, and TurboTax leveraged this increasingly mobile-first trend for tax preparation, reaching #6 on App Annie iOS revenue charts. While February is historically a successful month for TurboTax, its biggest spike comes from the mad rush in the last few days leading up to the tax deadline on April 15.
The app offers a simple drag-and-drop interface, integration with the desktop TurboTax software, and the ability for users to take a picture of their W-2 to automatically fill out forms. All said, TurboTax is a prime example of apps blurring the lines between the digital and real world.
Top iOS Games Apps Worldwide By Downloads and Revenues for April 2015
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Top Android Games Apps Worldwide By Downloads & Revenues for Apr 2015
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In App Annie's March Games Index, it wrote about the success of Chinese massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Shenwu, which reached #9 in monthly iOS revenue. In April, another Chinese MMO took the spotlight: NetEase’s Fantasy Westward Journey. This name should be familiar to followers of the desktop MMO scene in China: the original Fantasy Westward Journey was an immensely popular PC MMO that reached over 2.6 million peak concurrent users in 2010.
The mobile version seems poised to repeat that success. The game was by far the highest grossing iOS app in China throughout April and shows no sign of slowing down. The app began its ascent in late March when it became the top grossing app in China and remained there throughout most of April.
The original 2004 PC version’s decade of continued success was largely restricted to China (the game is based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West). It will be interesting to see whether NetEase attempts to bring Fantasy Westward Journey to audiences outside China, seeing as it has struck distribution deals with foreign publishers before. Regardless of this, however, App Annie looks forward to seeing whether NetEase manages to join the ranks of the Chinese core game giants Tencent and Perfect World who successfully made the transition to mobile.
Top iOS Game Companies by Downloads and Revenues For April 2015
American and Chinese game producers dominated iOS game downloads with Tencent (China), and three U.S. gamemakers (Electronic Arts, Times Warner, and Glo) leading the way. Chinese game producers dominated iOS revenues with Tencent and Netease leading the way followed by three Japanese gamemakers (Gung Ho Online, Mixi and Line).
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Top Android Game Companies by Downloads and Revenues For April 2015
King Games was the leader in Android game downloads followed by Gameloft (France), Doodle Mobile, Electronic Arts (USA) and Ketchapp Studio (France). Japan dominated Android game revenues with a few exceptions. Supercell (Finland) was the leader in Android game revenues followed Netmarble (South Korea) and Gung Ho Online (Japan).
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Courtesy of the Worldwide App Annie Index for Apps dated May 20, 2015 appearing in App Annie Blog and the Worldwide App Annie Index for Games April 2015 dated May 20, 2015 appearing in App Annie Blog
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