Mintegral reports key shifts driving mobile growth, including AI apps going mass-market and Android stores offering cost-efficient scale.
Global mobile advertising platform Mintegral released new data and advertiser insights revealing three major trends shaping app growth across APAC and beyond in late 2025.
These include the mainstream adoption of AI apps, the global expansion of short-form drama content, and the rise of third-party Android stores as cost-efficient, scalable acquisition channels.
“The data confirms that APAC continues to lead global mobile innovation—from AI-powered creativity to new entertainment formats and distribution channels,” said Erick Fang, CEO of Mintegral. “Advertisers now have a clear playbook to achieve growth and efficiency by embracing creative automation, ROAS-driven bidding, and diversified media strategies beyond the traditional duopoly.”
AI Apps Go Mainstream
AI-powered consumer apps have entered the mass market, reaching 1.5 billion downloads and generating US$1.3 billion in revenue in 2024. Growth was led by AI chatbots at 119% year-on-year, followed by AI art generators at 21%.
Sixteen generative-AI apps surpassed US$10 million in IAP, while 25 exceeded 10 million downloads, showing that users now value and pay for AI-driven productivity, creativity, and utility. Developers integrating practical AI features in finance, communication, and productivity are capturing strong, conversion-ready audiences at scale.
Short-Drama from APAC Goes Global
Short-video apps featuring episodic “short-drama” content have surged by 50–200% quarter-on-quarter since Q3 2023, becoming a new mobile entertainment phenomenon. The model remains mostly ad-supported, with minor contributions from in-app purchases.
Indonesia leads global downloads at 39%, followed by Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, and Japan/Korea, underscoring APAC’s influence in exporting this high-engagement format.
Third-Party Android Stores: The New “Blue Ocean”
Alternative Android marketplaces such as Xiaomi, Amazon, Samsung, Oppo/Vivo, Huawei, and regional European stores are emerging as efficient, scalable growth channels.
Guidance for Advertisers
Mintegral recommends advertisers adopt ROAS-aligned bidding models to optimise for meaningful outcomes, embrace creative automation with dynamic and playable formats to accelerate testing, and diversify distribution by adding third-party stores to unlock incremental, lower-cost scale.
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