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SensorTower
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State of Mobile 2026

February 2026
Marketing

Generative AI Defined Mobile in 2025

AI assistants reached massive user bases and expanded into new use cases, while generative AI became a key growth driver across the mobile ecosystem.

Mobile Entered a Monetization-First Era

The mobile market is mature but far from stagnant, with growth shifting decisively toward monetisation as leading apps deploy increasingly diverse revenue strategies.

Gaming Continues Shift From Scale To Efficiency

With UA costs elevated, winners sustained growth by improving unit economics via deeper monetisation and live ops discipline, supported by high-attention ad formats.

Non-Game Apps Surpassed Games for Mobile Revenue

For the first time, consumers spent more on non-game apps than games in 2025, fuelled by strong revenue growth across generative AI, social media, video streaming, and productivity.

The Attention Economy Spans Categories

Games now compete with social, short-form drama, and AI apps for time spent. Capturing attention is the clearest path to monetisation, retention, and long-term growth.

Mobile is Global — But Knowing Your Market is Key

Mobile is increasingly interconnected, yet country-specific forces (like tariffs and regulations) make deep market knowledge critical, from retail to sports betting.

Contents:

  1. Macro Mobile Trends
  2. AI on Mobile
  3. Gaming
  4. Finance
  5. Retail
  6. Video Streaming
  7. Social
  8. Food and Drink
  9. Travel
  10. Health and Fitness
  11. Sports
  12. Top Apps and Games

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State of Mobile 2026

February 2026
Marketing

Generative AI Defined Mobile in 2025

AI assistants reached massive user bases and expanded into new use cases, while generative AI became a key growth driver across the mobile ecosystem.

Mobile Entered a Monetization-First Era

The mobile market is mature but far from stagnant, with growth shifting decisively toward monetisation as leading apps deploy increasingly diverse revenue strategies.

Gaming Continues Shift From Scale To Efficiency

With UA costs elevated, winners sustained growth by improving unit economics via deeper monetisation and live ops discipline, supported by high-attention ad formats.

Non-Game Apps Surpassed Games for Mobile Revenue

For the first time, consumers spent more on non-game apps than games in 2025, fuelled by strong revenue growth across generative AI, social media, video streaming, and productivity.

The Attention Economy Spans Categories

Games now compete with social, short-form drama, and AI apps for time spent. Capturing attention is the clearest path to monetisation, retention, and long-term growth.

Mobile is Global — But Knowing Your Market is Key

Mobile is increasingly interconnected, yet country-specific forces (like tariffs and regulations) make deep market knowledge critical, from retail to sports betting.

Contents:

  1. Macro Mobile Trends
  2. AI on Mobile
  3. Gaming
  4. Finance
  5. Retail
  6. Video Streaming
  7. Social
  8. Food and Drink
  9. Travel
  10. Health and Fitness
  11. Sports
  12. Top Apps and Games