India's mobile app market hit a record $345 million in Q2 consumer spending, up 35% year-over-year, driven by generative AI, streaming, and productivity apps. This marks a significant shift towards monetization, with consumers increasingly willing to pay for digital subscriptions.
Seoul's antitrust watchdog has launched an investigation into Google LLC over allegations of violating fair trade law. The probe focuses on Google's app marketplace practices involving game developers, with potential fines reaching up to $547.3 million.
South Korea's antitrust watchdog has launched an investigation into Google LLC over allegations of abusing its dominant position in the Android app marketplace. The probe focuses on Google's 'Games Velocity Program' agreements with game developers, which allegedly prevented them from joining rival marketplaces.
OpenAI's ChatGPT has fallen below a 50% market share in AI assistants for the first time, now holding 46.4% as of May 2026. Google's Gemini is its closest rival with 27.7%, followed by Anthropic's Claude at 10.3%.
Apple's app market saw significant growth driven by AI-powered apps, which had four times higher transaction value growth than other top apps. While shopping is the top category globally, South Korea uniquely ranks food delivery second, above travel.
India's mobile app market generated over $300 million in in-app purchases in Q1 2026, a 33% year-over-year increase, with non-gaming apps leading growth at $200 million, according to Sensor Tower. Annual in-app purchase revenue has risen from $520 million in 2021 to over $1 billion in 2025, projected to reach $1.25 billion this year. Global platforms like Google One, Facebook, ChatGPT, and YouTube captured most spending, while domestic players JioHotstar and SonyLIV dominated video streaming. Generative AI app downloads rose 69% YoY, and short drama platforms surged over 400%. India still generates only $0.03 revenue per download versus $0.20+ in Southeast Asia and Latin America.
