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Mobile app trends: How 2026 looks so far
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Our Mobile app trends report: 2026 edition benchmarked gaming, e-commerce, and finance through December 2025. More than six months on, we've updated four of its charts with the latest data.
Installs and sessions are up globally, several of gaming's largest genres are also its fastest growing on engagement, shopping apps improved their install day numbers in every region, and finance users are coming back more often.
App activity grew across the board
Installs rose 13% year-over-year (YoY) in H1 2026 worldwide, with sessions up 5%. The months followed their usual seasonal rhythm. Measured against the H1 2026 average, January installs were 3% higher and sessions 1%. Both metrics dropped in February, before increasing in March by 1% and 3%. May was the peak of the half at 4% and 3%, and June finished close to January.
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Month for month against 2025, installs grew between 11% and 15% every month, hitting 15% in May and June. Sessions were up around 7% from January to March, eased to 1–2% in April and May, and picked back up to 6% in June.
Casual games take the lead
Overall gaming sessions grew 6% globally in H1 2026 compared to H1 2025. Looking at the subvertical level, casual topped the charts, with sessions up 55% YoY. Arcade (19%), match (18%), sports (15%), and hybrid casual (14%) all recorded double-digit growth as well. Hyper casual sessions rose 17% and strategy 10%, both building on standout years in 2025, when strategy saw a YoY boost of 57% and hyper casual 31%.
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For everything else on gaming benchmarks, take a look at our Gaming app insights report: 2026 edition.
Install day engagement climbs across regions
Shoppers engaged more on e-commerce app install day in H1 2026, and every region improved. North America jumped from 1.31 in 2025 to 1.34, clearing its 2024 figure of 1.33, and MENA climbed from 1.36 to 1.38, past the 1.37 it recorded in 2024. APAC (1.41 to 1.42) and Europe (1.36 to 1.37) both also grew. LATAM is the only region up in all three years, from 1.35 to 1.38 to 1.4.
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If you want a deep-dive into this vertical, keep an eye out for our upcoming Shopping app insights report: 2026 edition.
Finance app users keep coming back
Finance apps also performed strongly in H1 2026, with installs up 5% YoY and sessions up 29%, around six times faster. January was the strongest month for installs at 7% above the H1 average, with sessions 2% above. March was the strongest for sessions, 5% higher than the H1 average. In April, May, and June, installs were 1–3% higher and sessions were close to the average.
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Comparing each month with the same month in 2025, session growth did not drop below 21%. March was the top month on both metrics, installs up 13% and sessions up 36%. January and February each saw sessions increase by 33%.
What's coming in H2
November and December are the months to watch. In 2025, installs finished December 8% above the annual average and e-commerce sessions were 10% higher in November. We can expect a similar trend this year.
App activity keeps growing despite years of talk about saturation, tighter privacy rules, and rising acquisition costs. H1 2026 was no different, with installs and sessions both up. Acquiring valuable users and keeping them comes down to reliable measurement and accurate data about which channels, regions, and subverticals are earning their spend.
For the 2025 benchmarks, plus regional vertical breakdowns, download the Mobile app trends report: 2026 edition. The 2027 edition follows early next year with the full 2026 data.
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