iOS in-app purchase revenue grows 10% globally, 44% in India: Report

AppsFlyer’s 2025 report has revealed a significant pivot in global user acquisition (UA) strategies, with China-based eCommerce apps leading a reallocation of budgets away from the US towards Western Europe. These apps now account for 85% of global iOS UA spend, underlining their growing influence on the mobile commerce landscape.

In Germany, iOS UA grew 170% year-on-year between January and May 2025, while in France, it more than doubled during the same period. The shift underscores a broader move towards flexible, regionally tailored approaches in an increasingly uncertain global market.

"This reallocation signals a broader transformation in mobile growth, shaped by tariff uncertainty, regional platform dynamics, and increasing reliance on loyalty-focused remarketing," said Sue Azari, Industry Lead for eCommerce at AppsFlyer. "With the possibility of regulatory or geopolitical shifts ahead, marketers must be ready to adapt quickly. Brands are now making real-time decisions about where to invest based on regulatory environments, user lifetime value, and competitive positioning across multiple continents."

The report also highlights changes in campaign pacing. Marketers are now allocating more UA budget earlier in the year and concentrating remarketing during high-engagement periods. In November 2024 alone, re-engagement activity increased 218% in the US and 330% in Brazil.

Across platforms, iOS registered more consistent monetisation performance. Users converted 1.3 days faster on average, with a 39% higher first-time purchase rate and 68% stronger re-purchase behaviour compared to Android users. In-app purchase (IAP) revenue on iOS rose by 10% in 2025, almost twice the growth recorded on Android. In India, iOS revenue increased 44% year-on-year, indicating a shift towards higher-value user behaviour even in traditionally Android-dominated markets.

Remarketing spend and fraud exposure

Remarketing has overtaken UA in budgetary priority, reaching $16.4 billion globally in 2024, 3.5 times higher than UA spend. Android’s share of this spend grew from 64% to 77%, signalling a maturation in re-engagement strategies.

Web-to-app install flows also recorded significant growth, rising 38% ahead of the 2024 peak season and another 37% in early 2025. The trend reflects a growing emphasis on converting existing web audiences into app users, where engagement and conversion rates are stronger.

Global fraud exposure continues to be a major concern, with up to $1 billion at risk. iOS fraud rates fell from 30.1% to 25.9%, while Android saw a slight increase from 9.4% to 10.5%. AI-powered fraud prevention remains essential.

Market-Level Insights

United States

The US remained the largest remarketing market, totalling $6.67 billion in 2024. China-based apps now contribute over $2.3 billion to US remarketing. iOS UA in November 2024 declined 38% year-on-year, while Android fell 32%. Notably, organic installs outpaced paid campaigns, indicating a stronger brand-led environment. Interestingly, Android’s loyal-to-regular conversion ratio was 22% higher than iOS, pointing to superior post-install retention.

Germany

Germany emerged as a key market for Chinese app investments, with iOS UA increasing 170% year-on-year between January and May 2025. Unlike other regions that experienced seasonal spikes, Germany's spend remained steady through Q4. Remarketing spend in November 2024 surged 220%, as re-engagement efforts intensified.

France

France saw iOS UA more than double in early 2025, driven by a strategic focus from China-based apps. However, Android IAP spend declined 30% in November, reflecting broader economic and platform-related pressures.

Spain

Spain recorded among the slowest time-to-purchase rates globally. On average, third purchases took 10 to 12 days post-install. The market ranked low on both install-to-purchase and install-to-loyal metrics. On iOS, conversion rates were slightly below the global average, while loyalty rates were significantly lower. On Android, both conversion and loyalty ranked near the bottom of all markets studied.

Latin America

Brazil

In November 2024, iOS UA in Brazil surged 481% year-on-year, even as Android UA declined by 22%. Remarketing activity increased by 330%, but Android revenue fell 28% in 2025. Android IAP spend dropped 32% in November. Nonetheless, consistent time-to-purchase across platforms was supported by efficient local payment systems. Click flooding emerged as the primary Android fraud risk. Paid installs rose 155% during the holiday season.

Mexico

Mexico also saw divergent platform trends. iOS UA rose 21% year-on-year in November 2024, while Android declined by the same margin. Remarketing spend grew 136% in the same month.

Asia-Pacific

India

India posted a 44% year-on-year rise in iOS IAP revenue in November 2024, with continued growth of 31% through January–May 2025. Remarketing spend in early 2025 reached $447 million, 99.7% of it from Indian apps, emphasising local retention strategies. iOS UA rose 70% year-on-year in November, while Android increased 24%.

Indonesia

Android UA grew 43% in November 2024 and 67% from January to May 2025. iOS users in Indonesia exhibited loyalty conversion rates 70% above the global average, pointing to high-value user engagement in a market traditionally dominated by Android.

Japan

Japan showed strong Android loyalty rates, 80% above platform averages. However, iOS users were notably slower to convert, with a 1.5 to 2.5-day lag compared to other markets, one of the largest gaps globally.

South Korea

South Korea recorded iOS loyalty rates more than 60% above the global average. Android loyalty stood out at 80% above average, behind only Japan and Saudi Arabia. However, Android users were 1.5 to 2.5 days slower to convert than their iOS counterparts.