Due to the rising smartphone use and increasing reliance of businesses on mobile technology, the demand for reliable mobile solutions is high, which fuels the growth of the mobile app market. According to Coherent Market Insights, the global mobile app market is expected to grow from $233.68 billion in 2025 to $539.62 billion by 2032, showing a CAGR of 12.7% during the forecast period.
But the ongoing transformation of the mobile app market is not limited to quantitative growth only. App statistics provided by various market research firms also indicate trend shifts affecting mobile app functionality, monetization techniques, and other changes impacting the modern mobile app landscape. Staying updated with these trends is crucial for a company looking to build its own app, reach target audiences, and maximize the project’s ROI.
In this article, mobile development experts from Itransition highlight four trends you should know about to succeed in the changing mobile app landscape.
AI integration
The use of artificial intelligence technology continues to expand globally, and this trend also impacts the mobile app market, with more and more vendors integrating AI-enabled features into their apps. In 2024, there were more than 3,000 new apps containing AI-related terms in their names or descriptions, as highlighted by the State of Mobile 2025 report from SensorTower, with the use of AI technology especially high in productivity, video, education, finance, lifestyle, and music apps.
Intelligent chatbots, voice assistants, personalized content recommendation engines, and image recognition tools are just some examples of AI-enabled capabilities companies embed in their mobile applications to revolutionize user experiences and stand out among competitors. Users, in the meantime, also show an increased interest in AI-enabled apps, with the aforementioned report from SensorTower highlighting that iOS and Google Play apps associated with AI-related terms were downloaded more than 17 billion times in 2024, which accounted for 13% of all app downloads that year.
The use of AR
Driven by the growing demand for immersive and captivating user experiences, companies are continuing to incorporate augmented reality technology into their mobile apps at an increased pace. Research and Markets, for instance, predict that the mobile AR market will expand from $26.21 billion in 2025 to $85.88 billion by 2030 and show a CAGR of 26.99% during this period. Studies also indicate that consumers express increased interest in AR technology, with more and more of them finding AR-enabled apps engaging.
One such study was conducted in 2024 by Pakistani researchers from Forman Christian College. Aiming to analyze user experiences in a wide variety of AR contexts, the researchers asked a group of participants to evaluate a set of mobile apps offering distinct AR capabilities.
Participants were asked to evaluate these applications from multiple perspectives (efficiency, visual appeal, ease of use, etc.), as well as share their general opinion towards AR-enabled apps. As a result, more than 70% of respondents stated that AR-powered apps are cutting-edge, captivating, and exciting, and that they should be widely applied in the marketing and advertising sectors. Therefore, the study proves that implementing AR features into an app can be a great way for companies looking to differentiate from competitors with more engaging and memorable experiences.
Hybrid monetization
There are many popular models enabling companies to generate revenue from mobile app users. In 2024, for instance, companies generated 44% of all app revenue from subscriptions, followed by in-app purchases and paid app downloads, as highlighted by Statista. Notably, today’s mobile app providers often offer multiple monetization models in their solutions, since it increases their chances to engage more users and grow their revenue.
For instance, Android mid-core games using hybrid monetization can achieve 146% ROAS by the 90th day after launch, compared to 93% for games relying solely on in-app purchases and 58% for games only displaying in-app advertising, as was noted by the State of App Monetization 2024 report from AppsFlyer. In view of this, it’s no surprise 72% of game makers participating in the 2024 Hybrid App Monetization survey by Gamesforum said they plan to combine in-app purchases with in-app advertising.
Of course, it would not be fair to assume that hybrid monetization is only viable for mobile games. After all, successful pioneers of the mixed approach were non-gaming apps, including Duolingo and Spotify, with apps such as Tinder and Freeletics now following their steps. Companies providing solutions for purposes beyond entertainment can apply a mixed monetization strategy to diversify their revenue streams. As Cristian Rotari, Product Manager at Zing Coach, said: “The deciding factor isn’t the industry but the size and effort needed to build and maintain hybrid monetization infrastructure.”
Final thoughts
If you are planning to build your own mobile app, it’s important to get acquainted with the tendencies dominating the mobile app market at the moment to develop a more relevant solution, stand out among a multitude of competitors, and tap into promising monetization opportunities.
AI integration, AR implementation, and hybrid monetization are the three trends gaining traction at the moment, and an experienced app development firm can assist you with harnessing any of them and building a competitive, efficient, and future-proof mobile solution.
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