India defied the worldwide app-download slowdown in 2025, recording 25.5 billion installs and reclaiming its spot as the planet’s most voracious downloader of mobile software.
At a Glance
- India added 25.5 billion app downloads in 2025, up from 24.6 billion in 2024
- Time spent inside apps jumped to 1.23 trillion hours, fueled by AI assistants and micro-drama serials
- Generative-AI app installs surged from 198 million to 602 million in a single year
- Why it matters: The data shows Indian consumers are experimenting with new formats faster than any other market, creating a proving ground for global app makers
While most top-ten markets shrank, India and Pakistan were the only countries to post year-over-year growth, according to Sensor Tower data seen by News Of Philadelphia. The rebound reversed a rare 2024 dip that had pulled India’s total down from 25.9 billion to 24.6 billion.
AI Assistants and Micro-Dramas Drive Engagement
Users spent 1.23 trillion hours inside apps last year, up from 1.13 trillion in 2024. Sensor Tower attributes the spike to two breakout categories:
- AI assistants added 346 million downloads
- Micro-drama apps-bite-sized soap operas delivered in vertical video-added 350 million downloads
Generative-AI products alone saw installs leap from 198 million in 2024 to 602 million in 2025. Two catalysts fueled the jump: OpenAI and Google released new image-generation models, and several AI companies began offering premium tiers free to Indian users to gain share.
ChatGPT ranked first among generative-AI apps, followed by Google Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok. OpenAI’s assistant climbed so high in overall downloads that it trailed only Instagram nationwide.
Micro-Drama Platforms Outpace Netflix, JioHotstar
Short-form drama apps exploded both globally and inside India. Local platforms dominated the country’s video-streaming chart:
| Rank | App | Parent Company |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kuku TV | – |
| 3rd | Story TV | – |
| 5th | QuickTV | ShareChat / Moj |
| 8th | DashReels | – |
Kuku TV, whose parent raised $85 million in a Series C round led by Granite Asia last fall, also placed fourth worldwide. ShareChat co-founder Manohar Charan told CNBC in November that QuickTV alone had surpassed 40 million monthly viewers.
By the third quarter of 2025, Indians were downloading more micro-drama apps than OTT services such as Netflix and JioHotstar, a milestone that underlines the format’s rapid rise.
Category Winners and Losers
While AI and micro-dramas surged, traditional social media slipped. Year-over-year growth leaders included:
- AI assistants
- Micro-drama
- Video-editing tools
- Social-discovery apps
- Food and grocery-delivery clients (boosted by ultra-fast delivery startups)
Meanwhile, social-media proper, social-messenger, and security-app downloads all declined.
Domestic Publishers Gain Ground
Home-grown apps captured 36.52% of India’s downloads in 2025, up from 33.91% the prior year. The shift appears driven by quick-commerce, government-service, and fintech clients rather than entertainment titles. Despite the volume gain, domestic publishers’ share of in-app purchase revenue stayed flat, underscoring India’s persistent gap between downloads and consumer spending-India still sits outside the top 20 markets by dollar spend.
Key Takeaways
- India is the world’s download capital yet remains a low-spend environment
- AI assistants and micro-dramas are the fastest-rising app categories
- Local publishers are gaining volume share, but monetization still lags
- The trend creates a low-cost testing ground for global developers eyeing scale
