This statistic shows the number of available applications in the Google Play Store, formerly known as Android Market, from December 2009 to February 2016. The number of available apps in the Google Play Store surpassed 1 million apps in July 2013 and was most recently placed at 2.4 million apps in September 2016.
Google Play Store – additional information
Google Play was originally released in October 2008 under the name Android Market. As Google’s official app store it offers its customers a range applications and digital media including music, magazines, books, film and TV. Free of charge apps are available worldwide and paid apps are obtainable in selected countries. Between 2009 and 2014, the distribution of free and paid Android apps in the Google Play Store was measured. In 2009, 60.8 percent of all Android applications were free of charge, a share which grew by 2014 to 68.8 percent.
With the majority share of apps available from the Google Play Store being free of charge, the company needs to utilize effective business models to secure healthy revenue. The worldwide revenue distribution of Google Play Store was calculated in January and November 2013, according to business models. In November 2013, 98 percent of revenue was generated through free apps with in-app purchases. Only one percent of revenue was generated from paid apps.
A ranking of the most popular Google Play app categories can be measured as a percentage of device installs. Rankings of this type help to determine which categories appeal most and subsequently persuade customers to make the choice whether or not to download. In February 2014, the most popular app category by far, was games with a 41.2 percent share of all Android app installs. Other popular categories included communication with 7.6 percent and entertainment with 5.6 percent.
