Summer is coming to an end but the industry did not take any time off. The time for our monthly recap has come, and we have news. Let’s dive in! 

Apple announces new placements for Apple Search Ads

One of the biggest news of August was the announcement of new ad placements for Apple Search Ads. You will soon be able to set up ASA campaigns in two new spots on the App Store:

• on the Today tab, right next to the App Store’s daily editorial content on the homepage
• on the “You might also like” section at the bottom of app pages

Since Apple hasn’t made an official announcement, we don’t know yet when it will be made available. If you need more information on the topic, we have a post dedicated to the news and how you can take advantage of these new placements right here. 

Meanwhile, the Cupertino firm has also been testing ads placements in some of its other native apps such as Maps. They also announced its September event, it’ll go live on September 7, they should announce the iPhone 14 then as well as iOS 16’s release date. 

Google opens the beta to Google Play Games outside of the US

Google is working on the PC version of Google Play Games. It would allow users to play Android games on their Windows computers and give mobile games an even bigger platform.

So far the beta was only accessible to users in the US, but as of August 24, users in Korea, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand.

50 games are included in the beta, including Cookie Run: Kingdom and Top War, and it allows you to synchronize your progress across devices. 

Google has said they wished to bring the beta to other regions, but nothing official has been announced yet. 

TikTok is becoming the place to be for influencer marketing

TikTok is still making headlines. The social media platform is right on track to overtake Facebook in influencer marketing spend this year. It was already slated to overtake YouTube by 2024. 

The Chinese app is still behind Instagram on that front, with the (former) photo app making 3x the amount of money in influencer marketing.

TikTok may be a strong competitor in others areas but it still has a little way to go in influencer marketing to really compete with Instagram. 

Meanwhile, the video app’s push into mobile gaming is still ongoing. They have started testing HTML5 mini-games with their gaming partners (Voodoo, FRVR, Nitro Games, Lotem, and AimLab). So far, 9 mini-games have been launched:

• Basketball FRVR (by FRVR)
• Tap the Difference (by Lotum)
• Peek a Who (by Nitro)
• Pride Run (by Voodoo)
• Influencer Run (by Voodoo)
• Space Destroyer (by Nitro)
• Mr. Aim Lab’s Nightmare (by Aim Lab)

These games can be seen on the final screen just before publishing a TikTok, you need to click on Add Link to access them. TechCrunch has seen these games in South Asia and the US, and we’ve spotted them here in France as well. 

BeReal is taking off

BeReal, the French-made new social media platform is gaining ground on the big players. They pulled ahead of Instagram in US weekly downloads, not a small feat! The app is expected to reach 6,5 million downloads in the US in August, 2.5 million more than Instagram and 600 000 more than social media’s golden child TikTok. 

This thunderous success has its downsides, now that everyone has tried and succeeded in copying TikTok’s features (the latest in line being Amazon, yes really), they’re trying their hand at BeReal. Both Instagram and Snapchat are currently trying new features reminiscent of BeReal. The side-effect of being a successful social media app. 

Summer lawsuits

Lawsuits didn’t take a summer break, here’s what happened:

• The European Commission has started investigating the Play Store over antitrust concerns, more precisely they have been asking questions about Google’s Play Store commissions
• The Korean Communications Commission (KCC) is launching an investigation on Apple and Google’s compliance to the Telecommunications Business Acts, an act that asks them to allow third-party payment options
• The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has opened an investigation on Instagram’s management of kids privacy in Europe. They believe the social media platform has shared private data from minors
• Facebook settled a privacy lawsuit in the US for $37.5M, the social media platform was accused of tracking users’ locations after they had disabled it
• Tinder filed an antitrust case against Apple in India, attacking their App Store commissions
• French newspapers L’Équipe and Le Figaro are suing Apple because of its monopolistic hold on the iOS market

Sony invests in Mobile Gaming

Despite being one of the most important players in the gaming industry with PlayStation, Sony hadn’t yet dipped its toes in mobile gaming. This is about to change with the acquisition of Savage Game Studios, a mobile gaming developer. The studio will be the first member of PlayStation’s brand new Studios Mobile Division. 

Mobile gaming is getting bigger and bigger, it is set to represent 53% of all games’ revenue in 2022. Newzoo estimated earlier this summer that it would generate $103.5 billion of revenue, which is twice the amount of console’s revenue. 

All in all, it’s no surprise that Sony is trying to get in on it. Especially after its biggest competitor, Microsoft (owner of Xbox) announced the buying of Activision, which includes King. And according to the latest numbers, Activision has been making more money with mobile games than with PC and consoles combined. 

Numbers of the month

• Japan’s Mobile Gaming Market Grows To US$12 Billion 
• Mobile games earned $41.2bn globally during H1 2022
• Time spent in pet-related apps grew 75% in Q1 2022
• Mobile Users In Two Regions Now Spend 5.7 Hours A Day In Apps
• Buy Now, Pay Later app installs jump 339% in Europe
• Mobile users are spending 20% more time in apps
• Tied with Instagram for most committed U.S. audience, Snapchat grows IAP spending 136x 
• Mobile games will drive 53% of all games revenue in 2022
• Shein downloads jump 13% surpassing Amazon
• 5-Year Market Forecast: App Spending Will Reach $233B by 2026
• Google Play Games hits 5 billion downloads 
• 99 percent of Netflix subscribers haven’t tried its games yet
• Android apps generated 14% more revenue than iOS apps in Q2 2022
• BeReal Rises to 10 Million Daily Active Users
• 38% of user acquisition marketers increased Apple Search Ads spend 
• Completion rates for rewarded video ads in puzzle games are 97% 

What we talked about last month

• How to do App Store Optimization step-by-step: a full cycle of ASO in the App Store and Google Play ⎮ Guest Post from Asodesk
• About Apple’s App Store ads upcoming extension
• Common ASO mistakes to avoid according to experts
• Merge Mansion and Grandma’s secrets, why is it so effective ⎮ Case Study

August’s App Marketing Snack episodes

• Figuring out the best keyword for your app with Elizabet K, Asodesk⎮The App Marketing Snack #15
• Why ASO should come before UA with Elena Wibmer, App Radar ⎮ The App Marketing Snack #16

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Marine Nozerand

Hi there, I'm Marine (she/her), I'm a Content Manager at Apptamin. Apptamin is a creative agency specialized in app videos (video ads, app store videos, etc.).

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