More downloads for Google Play, but App Store still brings in the cash

The latest report from analytics company App Annie suggests that, while game downloads on Google Play for Android are outpacing downloads on the iOS App Store, the latter is still generating much more revenue for developers. According to the report, the Google Play store saw more than 25 percent more downloads than from the App Store last quarter -- this compares to 10 percent more on Google Play in the previous quarter, suggesting downloads from Google Play are rising rapidly. This was primarily down to increased downloads in Brazil and Argentina -- in fact, Brazil is now the fourth most popular country for Google Play, behind the U.S., South Korea and India. But in terms of revenue, the App Store is still miles ahead, generating over twice as much revenue as Google Play -- although Google Play is steadily catching up in this regard too. Notably, this lead over Google Play is primarily driven by social media and navigation apps, says App Annie, while much of Google Play's revenue growth is driven by games. Games are still the number one source of downloads and revenue for both iOS and Android, accounting for around 40 percent of all downloads on both stores. In terms of revenue, around 80 percent of Google Play revenue comes from games, compared to 70 percent on the App Store. Therefore if you focus on games solely, games on the App Store generate around 1.75 more revenue than games on Google Play.