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In-game spending on iPhone grew 43% in 2020 in the US

User spending for the games category reached an average of $76.80 last year

Consumer spending on iPhone in the US was largely dominated by games in 2020, with a 43% growth in average spending year-on-year.

The average in-app spending per active iPhone in the US was $76.80 for games last year, compared to $53.80 in 2019, Sensor Tower reported.

The figure is all the more impressive when compared to other app categories -- average spending on entertainment iPhone apps was $10.20 last year, and $7.90 for social networks. Photo and video apps is the category that saw the most growth, with a 56% increase in spending to reach an average of $9.80.

Looking at games, puzzle titles were the category that iPhone players spent the most on, with an average of $15.50, followed by casino games with an average of $13.10 and strategy with $12.30.

Strategy games saw impressive growth on mobile in the US in 2020, with a 21.7% increase in revenue to reach $2.8 billion during the first ten months of the year.

Sensor Tower noted that user spending is likely to soon return to its pre-pandemic levels across all categories.

"Average consumer spending on apps per iPhone in the US has grown considerably each year at no less than 20%, and that trend is unlikely to change soon," mobile insights strategist Stephanie Chan wrote.

"Since consumer habits may shift as in-person spaces begin to open once again, 2021 might very well see less significant year-over-year growth than 2020. However, this doesn't point to a decline in the growth of mobile revenue, but rather exemplifies how extraordinary last year was due to the unanticipated global pandemic."

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Marie Dealessandri avatar

Marie Dealessandri

Deputy Editor

Marie Dealessandri joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2019 to head its Academy section. A journalist since 2012, she started in games in 2016 at B2B magazine MCV. She can be found (rarely) tweeting @mariedeal, usually on a loop about Baldur’s Gate and the Dead Cells soundtrack. GI resident Moomins expert.