● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
Non-gaming apps drove mobile spending growth in Q2 2026 as gaming revenue declined 4.5%
Key points
- Non-gaming app revenue grew 14.6% year-over-year in Q2 2026.
- Mobile gaming revenue declined 4.5% year-over-year in Q2 2026.
- Generative AI apps doubled consumer spend with 108% year-over-year growth.
- ChatGPT was the most downloaded app and held 60% of Generative AI category revenue.
Mobile Spending Trends in Q2 2026
Sensor Tower's Q2 2026 Digital Market Index report shows a significant shift in mobile spending. Non-gaming apps generated $24.4 billion in revenue, marking a 14.6% year-over-year increase. Conversely, mobile gaming revenue saw a 4.5% decline, totaling $19.2 billion for the quarter.
Generative AI Leads Non-Gaming Growth
Generative AI applications were a primary driver of non-gaming app expansion, doubling consumer spend with a 108% year-over-year surge. ChatGPT led this category, capturing approximately 60% of the revenue share and experiencing 82% year-over-year growth. Competitors like Claude, Grok, and Gemini also saw rapid acceleration, with Claude climbing to the second-ranked Generative AI app globally.
Regional Spending and Download Highlights
The United States remained the top market for mobile spending at $14.8 billion, despite a 3% year-over-year decline in in-app purchase revenue. China followed with $5.98 billion, showing a 10% revenue growth. In terms of downloads, India maintained its lead with 6.67 billion installs, an increase of 4% year-over-year, while the U.S. and Brazil experienced slight declines.
Category Performance and Top Apps
Most non-gaming genres showed positive year-over-year growth in Q2 2026, with nine out of the top ten categories expanding. Dating & Social Discovery was the only top category to decline globally, falling 11% year-over-year due to softness in the U.S. market. ChatGPT was the most downloaded app globally during this period, followed by TikTok and Instagram.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
A Sensor Tower report indicates that global mobile spending on non-gaming apps increased by 14.6% year-over-year in Q2 2026, reaching $24.4 billion, while mobile gaming revenue decreased by 4.5% to $19.2 billion. This shift highlights the growing influence of non-gaming categories, particularly AI apps, on the mobile app market.