Mobile App Trends Report 2026

Why the report exists

What users value has not changed. How much of it they expect has

Most apps are used. Few are loved. 85 percent of the apps in this study carry a negative recommendation score, even as users open them every day. Habit and default keep them installed. Preference does not.

What separates the products users would actually miss from the rest comes down to four things: whether the product finishes the job the user came for, whether it feels good to use, whether it works without breaking, and whether the user trusts it. Together, these explain 77 percent of how users rate a product.

The strongest single predictor is the simplest: does the product finish the job the user came for? An app that completes the job scores higher than an app that starts ten.

AI did not change what users value. It raised how much of it they expect. ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude hold a working memory of the user. Each reply is shaped for who is asking. Personalization arrived in the assistant tier first. Apps have promised it for fifteen years and rarely delivered. In this study, 47 percent of apps do not personalize the experience. A returning user notices when the product opens as if for the first time.

Every product now sits in two comparisons: the rest of its category, and the assistant the user already has open in another tab. The products that hold their ground solve a problem an assistant cannot reach. The products most at risk are those whose value sits within reach of a single prompt.

Apps are not going away. Users spend 3.6 hours a day in them. 149 billion apps were downloaded in 2025. The average user engages with 34 apps per month. Downloads, revenue, and time spent all hit all-time highs. The question is which apps users will still want on their phone in twelve months, and which they will let an assistant replace.

MATR 2026 measures where each product stands on the four things users value, and where the next investment earns the user’s loyalty.