Mobile Applications Market of Russia

2023

RuStore overtook the App Store in terms of traffic in Russia

By the end of 2023, RuStore overtook the App Store in terms of traffic in Russia - the shares of these application stores amounted to 4.07% and 3.3%, respectively. This is evidenced by the data of the Bilain Analytics service, published in mid-February 2024. Read more here.

Named the most downloaded mobile applications in Russia

According to the results of 2023, the service client became the most popular mobile application in Russia Wildberries - it Google Play App Store was downloaded 29.7 million times in stores. Such data are given in a study by the analytical company data.ai, published in January 2024.

Analysts do not disclose data on individual applications, but indicate that the four main Russian marketplaces (Wildberries, Ozon, Megamarket and Yandex Market) accounted for 63 million downloads in 2023, which is 33% more than in 2022.

In second place, according to Sensor Tower, was Telegram with 26 million downloads in both stores, followed by Avito with 20.67 million downloads. Russian users installed the TikTok social network 20.62 million times, despite the fact that since March 2022 it has limited access to the application to Russians. In fifth place in terms of the number of downloads in 2023 was the Ozon marketplace, which Russian users downloaded 20 million times.

As they write Sheets"" with reference to the data.ai report, most often -services were downloaded from Google Play and the App Store in the Russian Federation at the end of 2023 VPN. This category grew by 3% to 160 million downloads. The top 20 includes Planet VPN, VPN by Stolitomson VPN and VPN Master.

Messengers downloaded 86.7 million times in Russia, and online cinemas - 71 million times, which is 15% more than in 2022. Financial and music applications showed negative dynamics: the number of installations of such applications decreased by 17% to 134 million and 5% to 68.9 million, respectively.

The Russian mobile application market ranked sixth: the number of downloads of game and non-game programs increased by 1% over the year. China, India and the United States are leading in the global ranking. As explained in the data.ai, the statistics took into account the assessment of new (first) downloads to devices for 2023 without taking into account updates and repeated downloads of what was previously removed from the phone.^[1]

2022

The number of attacks on Russian mobile applications increased by 200%

In January-June 2022, the number of cyber attacks on the API of mobile applications in Russia increased by 200% compared to the same period in 2021. This was reported to Kommersant in Informzaschita at the end of July 2022. Read more here.

Mobile applications for business and the public sector. TAdviser Overview

The market for the development of mobile applications for business and the public sector at the end of 2021 showed high dynamics - the total revenue of the participants in the rating of the largest mobile developers increased by more than 40%. But 2022 is likely to reverse a positive trend in recent years. At the same time, the reorientation of developers to the public sector and import substitution can partially smooth out negative effects. Read more here.

Mishustin instructed to create a store of domestic mobile applications

Prime Minister RFMikhail Mishustin instructed Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation to create a store of domestic applications for mobile devices. An analogue of the App Store and Google Play in the Russian Federation must be developed before June 1, 2022. Read more here.

2021

Russian spending on mobile applications increased by 19%

In 2021, Russians spent a total of $1.58 billion on the purchase of mobile applications and content in them, which is 19% more than a year earlier. Such data on January 12, 2022 was released by the analytical company App Annie.

The cost of games among the spending of Russians on mobile applications in 2021 amounted to $1 billion. The number of downloads of games for smartphones and tablets for the year increased by 30 million, to 2.73 billion.

According to the study, analysts also calculated that every day Russians began to spend 4 hours 10 minutes on mobile applications against 3 hours 48 minutes a year earlier. According to this indicator, the country is in 11th place in the ranking. Leaders are considered, and Brazil Indonesia , South Korea whose residents spend on average more than 5 hours a day on applications.

In general, the time that Russians spent in shopping applications increased to 2.4 billion hours in 2021. The result of the previous year is 1.7 billion hours. The top 5 shopping applications in Russia in terms of the number of unique users who visit the application at least once a month are AliExpress Russia, Ozon, Wildberries, Avito and Yandex.Market.

The most popular application in Russia among social networks and instant messengers in 2021 was TikTok. Users spent an average of 26 hours 18 minutes a month in the application, which is more than a third more than a year earlier. Next in the ranking are VK (12 hours 42 minutes per month with a decrease of 21% per year), WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram. The leaders in the number of downloads for the year were TikTok, Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram and GetContact.

In addition, it is noted that Russians began to spend more time in the applications of streaming services. The number of hours increased in 2021 by 61% compared to 2019. In the world, a greater increase was recorded only in Indonesia - 140%.^[2]

"Public services" has become the most downloaded application in Russia

"Public services" became the most downloaded application in Russia in the third quarter of 2021. This is evidenced by the data released on October 13, 2021 by App Annie, a mobile data analysis company.

Analysts explained the leadership of "Public services" by the requirement of the country's authorities to pre-install domestic software for smartphones and other electronics. In the second quarter of 2021, "Public services" occupied the seventh line of the rating.

The three most popular mobile applications among Russians (in terms of the number of downloads) in July-September 2021 included TikTok (in September 2021, the audience of the service in the world exceeded 1 billion users) and Telegram.

"Public services" has become the most downloaded application in Russia

The main "breakthrough application" for downloads on the Russian market was also "Public services." Pure Tuber took the second place in the Russian top for breakthrough applications, and AliExpress Russia took the third place.

By the number of active users per month in Russia, the WhatsApp Messenger application is in the lead. The second place is taken by the Sberbank Online application, the third - Instagram. In fourth place is the social network "VKontakte," and closed the top 5 messenger Telegram.

According to experts, in the third quarter of 2021, Russians spent the most of their money in the Boom music listening application. The social network VKontakte is in second place in terms of spending, and in third place. The online movie theater Ivi top 5 also included Yandex Music "."Litres

The most downloaded mobile game in the third quarter of 2021 in Russia and around the world, according to App Annie, was My Talking Angela 2.

According to App Annie, Russians spent on average 4.3 hours a day in mobile applications in the third quarter of 2021 - this is the eighth place in the world ranking. Indonesia was on the first line. Residents of this country spend 5.5 hours a day in a smartphone.^[3]

2020

Ministry of Digital Development asked not to reduce the commission for software developers for Android and iOS

In early November 2020, it became known that, and Association of Computer and Information Technology Enterprises Association of Developers "Domestic Software" "" and Russoft the Association of Trading Companies and Producers of Household and Computer Equipment (; RATEK unites manufacturers and, including) retailerselectronic engineers Apple asked Ministry of Digital Development not to support a bill obliging Apple to allow Google the commission for developers to be reduced from 30% to 20%.

Marketplaces and business practice around them are largely a product of the new digital economy, which Russia is only building. A sharp change in the established rules of the game may lead to the departure from Russia of major world players who are not interested in adapting their application stores and products officially supplied to Russia to new requirements, the letter says, a fragment of which is quoted by Kommersant.

The Ministry of Digital Development asked not to reduce the commission for software developers for Android and iOS

Earlier, application developers began to unite to fight Apple's monopoly. They created the Coalition for Application Justice. Among other things, the business complains about the high commissions that Internet giants set.

The bill on app stores was introduced by Fedot Tumusov, deputy head of the Just Russia faction. If approved, Apple and Google will also have to allow users to install third-party app stores on their devices. If this is possible on Android, Apple has not allowed this in the entire history of the iOS platform.

Analyst of the Russian Association of Electronic Communications Karen Ghazaryan said that the initiative is logical. He recalled that the United States and the European Union began to be interested in regulating application marketplaces on mobile devices. The expert explained that the Antimonopoly Service should deal with this process through laws on the protection of competition.

The bill was approved by the relevant committee and will be considered by the State Duma in February 2021. According to Kommersant, Tumusov does not exclude the possibility of finalizing the project after discussion.^[4]

Sales of mobile applications in Russia exceeded $1 billion

The expenses of Russians on mobile applications and purchases inside them in 2019 reached $1.06 billion, which is 40% more than a year earlier. Such data were released on January 15, 2020 by the analytical company Unified Data AI (formerly App Annie).

According to experts, 2019 year, Russian users downloaded 5125 million paid and free applications and spent an average of 3 hours 40 minutes a day in them.

The time that users spend every day in different countries on mobile applications

Most of the money was spent by users in the Vkontakte application, Boom music streaming and the Ivi online cinema. The highest grossing game of 2019 in Russia was Game of Sultans.

In terms of the number of downloads among all applications, WhatsApp, Sberbank Online and VKontakte were in the top 3. Among mobile games, Color Bump 3D was most often downloaded, Brawl Stars was in second place, and Run Race 3D was in third.

Russians spent the most time among shopping applications in 2019 in Avito.ru (Avito, KEH eCommerce), which was ahead of AliExpress and Wildberries.

Social networks and instant messengers account for 50% of the time that users as a whole spend in mobile applications, App Annie states, emphasizing that this is a global trend. In Russia, the total time spent in mobile applications is, according to App Annie estimates, 2.5 hours a day. Consequently, Russians spend about 1 hours 25 minutes on social networks.

WhatsApp retained its leadership in the category of the most downloaded applications, and Russians spent the most time on it over the year. The ratings for the number of downloads for the year also included the state application "FL Taxes" of the Federal Tax Service, which took second place in the category "Finance," and the application "Russian Post," which took fifth place in the category "Retail."

In the entertainment category, the first place in terms of time spent was taken by the MX Player video player, in the second - the Twitch streaming video service.^[5]

2019

Mail.ru Group - in the top 5 European publishers of mobile applications for the first half of the year

VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) took fourth place in the list of European companies - publishers of mobile applications with the highest revenues in the first half of 2019, according to the research company Unified Data AI (formerly App Annie), TASS News Agency of Russia reported on August 23, 2019.

Possible list of mandatory for pre-installation of domestic software

In July, a bill was submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation obliging the sale of smartphones, computers and smart TVs with pre-installed domestic software. Specialists from the Institute for Internet Development (IRI) tried to figure out whether the Russian software market is ready for the emergence of a register of mandatory mobile applications for pre-installation.

According to RBC, experts have divided mobile software into 12 categories. According to the results of their analysis, it turned out that in the Russian market there is a worthy alternative only in 9 categories - browsers, mail and cloud services, maps, social networks, office applications, antivirus solutions and Digital TV (this includes streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime).

The category of browsers includes Yandex. Browser, Sputnik and Rambler, in postal and cloud services - products from Yandex and Mail.Ru, maps - Yandex. Maps, "" 2GIS "and Maps.me, and in the social network category -" VKontakte "and" Odnoklassniki. " As an alternative to streaming music services Apple Music and Spotify, IRI experts proposed Yandex. Music, "Boom, Zaycev.net and Zvooq, digital television - IVI.ru, Okko, Amediateka, Kinopoisk, as well as television from Rostelecom and telecom operators. Domestic analogues of foreign security solutions for mobile devices are products from Kaspersky Lab and Dr.Web.

According to IRI experts, in three categories "Russian developments are not in demand properly." This includes video hosting (Yandex.Video, Video Mail.ru, Rutube, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki), messengers (ICQ, TamTam, Dialog) and payment systems (Mir.Pay).

Bill on mandatory pre-installation of Russian applications on smartphones and PCs

On June 28, 2019, it became known that the authorities will oblige smartphone manufacturers to pre-install applications from Russian developers on devices that are supplied to Russia. The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications has already prepared a corresponding bill that will introduce the necessary amendments to the law "On Communications."

According to the bill, messengers, maps, search engines and other types of applications are subject to pre-installation. The list of categories of programs assigned to pre-installation should be compiled by the government. How many Russian applications will have to be preinstalled is not spelled out in the bill.

The bill of the Ministry of Communications largely echoes the concept of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) on the pre-installation of Russian applications on smartphones, presented in January 2019. The Ministry of Communications proposed to significantly soften the concept of the FAS.

The ministry motivated this by the fact that the mobile application market is already quite competitive. By forcing manufacturers of gadgets and OS to pre-install specific software, you can ultimately not help, but even harm the market. In addition, you need to give consumers the opportunity to choose which application to install. Therefore, instead of pre-installing the software, it is better to provide an active software selection window when the device is first started. The ministry also proposed limiting the list of applications to browsers and search engines only.

The FAS concept implies the mandatory installation of domestic software on smartphones and laptops, tablets implemented in Russia. Relevant obligations will be assigned directly to manufacturers of equipment, and not to importers. The rules also apply to tabletops computers weighing up to 10 kg.

The document prescribes the installation of Russian browsers, antivirus solutions, instant messaging programs, as well as geo-positioning applications, including a navigator and a mapping service, on devices.

In addition, the concept obliges vendors to open the possibility of completely removing all pre-installed foreign applications. The FAS initiative is aimed at combating the dominant position of the American corporations Google, Apple and Microsoft, whose software, primarily OS and services, is installed on the vast majority of gadgets around the world in general and in Russia in particular.

The FAS initiative was supported by the manufacturer of antivirus software Kaspersky Lab, which is in conflict with the US authorities, VK holding (formerly Mail.ru Group), the Russoft association, which includes, among other things, 1C and CST, as well as mobile operators Megafon and MTS.

Categorically against the FAS initiative, an association of manufacturers spoke out, electronic engineers RATEK which includes large IT companies, including Apple, Samsung Google, Philips etc. RATEK representatives are confident that the FAS rules, if adopted in the future, will lead to a noticeable decrease in both the quality and reliability of pre-installed software, as well as to an increase in manufacturers' costs. This may entail an increase in the gap between the date of international release of the device and its appearance on the Russian market^[6]

Electronics manufacturers opposed the pre-installation of Russian applications on smartphones imported into the Russian Federation

The Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Household and Computer Equipment (RATEK, members - Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Google, Philips, etc.) opposed the initiative of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) regarding the mandatory installation of Russian applications on mobile devices imported into Russia. According to manufacturers, the agency's proposal will slow down the development of the market, worsen the quality of software and inflate the prices of gadgets.

The concept unreasonably proposes the introduction of measures to regulate the high-tech and highly competitive mobile application market, which will negatively affect its development and not only will not create conditions for the development of competition in the application market for user equipment (the goal stated in the above roadmap), but, on the contrary, will slow down its development, - said in a letter that RATEK sent to the head of the FAS Igor Artemyev.

RATEK opposed the FAS initiative on the mandatory reinstallation of domestic applications on mobile devices

The representative of RATEK Anton Guskov noted that the FAS proposed to pre-install applications of the categories "search," "messenger," "maps" and "antivirus," but this list is incomplete and may expand. The implementation of the FAS initiative will lead to a lag in the development of the digital economy and the technological market, as well as to a decrease in competition, he said.

For business, the obligation to establish domestic programs will lead to an increase in business costs and, as a result, to an increase in the price of products, especially in the low price segment, the letter says.

The pre-installation of domestic software for electronics, as well as the ability to remove pre-installed software, is included in the FAS "roadmap" for the development of competition in Russia for 2018-2020, approved by the government in August 2018. The corresponding bill must be introduced no later than April 2019.^[7]

2018: FAS may oblige smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Russian applications

According to the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation (FAS), mobile devices sold in the country should be supplied with pre-installed Russian applications. We mean standard programs such as a browser, mail, player, etc. As reported on the official website of the FAS, the regulator proposed to prepare appropriate amendments to the current legislation.

"If there is a Russian analogue to an application that the manufacturer of mobile devices plans to preinstall on a communication device, such an analogue should also be offered to the consumer. This will not only expand the possibilities of choice for users, but will also become good support for Russian developers to compete with digital giants, "the FAS reports

According to representatives of the regulator, users often turn to them with complaints about the inability to remove some applications from tablets and smartphones. According to the FAS, users should be able to remove pre-installed applications from their devices, with the exception of software necessary for the normal functioning of a tablet or smartphone.

2017: Market Development Expectations and Directions

• Transferring the full functionality of the Internet bank to a mobile application or adapting the Internet bank itself for mobile devices is the choice of each bank. The end result for the user should be the availability of all online services in the mobile ^[8]
• The functionality of the mobile bank should be independent of the Internet bank, including the functionality of registering and restoring data.
• Online investment is another promising area of ​ ​ mobile development. Market news and analytics, quotes, preference-based personal portfolio and customer profile risk, buying/selling currency and securities, help and advice directly in the application.
• Breakdown of functionality by blocks reflecting the life situations of the client, and not the usual approach to grouping functionality by type. Good examples can be blocks - everything for travel, in emergency cases, other
• Integration with retail. The most complete picture of purchases, which allows you to use this data, both, for example, for notifications to the client about upcoming promotions by one or another name, including the possibility of buying directly from the application, and for cross-sales of your own products that meet the interests of the consumer.
• Replacing traditional payments with auto payments, where the transaction is initiated by the payee, and the cardholder/account can only see the notification or approve the transaction.
• Ability to aggregate data across different banks in a single interface
• Moving part of the functionality to more familiar channels for the client - chats, instant messengers
• Provision of Application Programming Interface (API) by banks for the development of certain functions by third-party suppliers

2016

internet regions 2016 How Internet users access the network

Key Mobile Apps

The audience of the world's largest messenger WhatsApp has grown 2.5 times since 2013 and exceeded 1 billion users. Messengers are used by more than 4 billion people around the world. This figure is about a quarter higher than the number of social media users. According to forecasts, by 2018 the number of registered users of instant messengers will grow by another 1.1 billion people.

2015

Key mobile applications - TNS Mobile Index, November 2015, Russia (cities from 700 thousand, 12-64 years old), MAU and DAU

10 million users a month use VKontakte from a mobile application, and the total audience is 47 million people a month. In Russia, the number of mobile users of messengers is in 4-5 places. And in total they even exceed the audience of VKontakte. Messengers show intensive growth both in the number of users and in the functionality of use. They are used by more than 4 billion people around the world. This figure is about a quarter higher than the number of social media users. And according to forecasts, by 2018 the number of registered users of instant messengers will grow by another 1.1 billion people.

2013

A report with statistics on downloads and sales of mobile applications for iOs and Android platforms on the global market and separately for some countries (including Russia) here ( App Annie Index - 2013, En, PDF).

According to J'son & Partners Consulting forecasts, the Russian mobile application market in 2013 was supposed to grow more slowly than the Western one, and in 2014-2016 its growth rate will be higher than global ones. In 2013, its volume in Russia was projected to reach about $246 million, and exceed $1 billion by 2016. The average annual growth rate according to the forecast will be 171% in the period 2013-2016.

Among the main drivers, among other things, experts call the emergence of a new mobile platform Windows 8, the construction of fourth-generation LTE networks, and the growing popularity of geo-positioning. The main barriers will remain the complexity of payment and low awareness of users about the capabilities of mobile applications.

2012

In 2012, the Russian mobile application market reached $160 million, an increase of 256% compared to 2011, J'son & Partners Consulting reports.

According to experts, the growth rate of the Russian mobile application market will practically not differ from the world. The capacity of this market makes it possible to predict confident growth rates until 2016 inclusive. It is expected that by 2016 the mobile application market in Russia will reach $1.3 billion, an increase of 8 times compared to 2012.

Among the growth drivers of the mobile application market are:

• increasing the impact of mobile social networks,
• the advent of the Windows Phone 8 mobile platform,
• increased penetration of tablets,
• development of mobile payment systems and mobile banking,
• reducing the cost of communication through mobile devices,
• LTE penetration and its positive impact on the mobile application market^[9]

Mobile apps

• Mobile apps
• Mobile Applications (Russian Market)
• Mobile Applications (Global Market)
• Apple App Store
• Google Play Store Google Play Music Google Chrome Web Store
• Windows Store Microsoft Online Store Windows Azure Store Microsoft Office Store
• Huawei AppGallery
• Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA)
• Yandex.Store
• Opera Mobile Store
• Android app stores
• SAP Mobile Applications
• Real estate mobile apps
• Mobile applications for personal finance accounting
• Mobile alcohol selection apps