China Surpasses the U.S. in iOS Downloads for the First Time in Q1 2015 [Report]

China has surpassed the United States in iOS app downloads for the first time, according to the App Annie Index for Q1 2015.

In Q1 2015, iOS downloads in China overtook those in the United States. China’s surge may have been partially caused by the recent launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. While both the United States and China are two of Apple’s strongest markets, demand for smartphones with larger screens seems to be particularly high​i​n Asia. In Q4 2014, shipments of smartphones with screen sizes between 5 and 7 inches constituted roughly 60% of total smartphone shipments in China as compared to roughly 40% Worldwide and in the United States. Thanks to this, the iPhone’s share of the smartphone installed base crossed 7% in 2014 (Source: IDC, Smartphone Tracker, April 2015).


China's rise to the top of the list was driven by downloads of Games and Photo & Video apps. Pitu, from Tencent, became China's one of the country most popular photo apps in the first quarter due to simple beauty, make-up, and cosplay filters. Photo sharing apps I​N​ and ​Fotoplace​ also performed well in the quarter.

While China also saw strong iOS revenue growth, the United States still leads that metric.

Take a look at the charts below for more details...