In the world of app marketing, Facebook is the top media source, with TikTok growing fast, but Google leads in terms of the total number of attributed installs, new research shows.

In the latest edition of the AppsFlyer Performance Index, covering H1 2019, the specialist in mobile attribution and marketing analytics reports that, for the first time, Google has surpassed Facebook in the total number of attributed installs, increasing its share of the app install pie eightfold in the last five years.

The report draws on 520 media networks to examine 23 billion app installs, 15,000 apps, and 45 billion app opens; categories surveyed included: Shopping; Utilities; Lifestyle & Culture; and four groupings within Gaming.

Facebook remains the top media source in the Index’s global power ranking and also dominates iOS. Google, meanwhile, has seen substantial growth in the reach of video and display placements which is down to the dominance of Android in the mobile market. From a regional perspective, Google’s growth was fastest in Latin America (+18%) and Southeast Asia (+8%).

App marketers have invested heavily as they seek to push their product up the rankings in both Google Play and the App Store. The study reports that Apple Search Ads have seen an 82% jump in their share of the global app install pie, thanks in large part to the launch of Apple Search Ads in 42 additional countries and regions in Q2 2019.

Elsewhere, TikTok Ads, the advertising arm of the TikTok video app and TopBuzz news app, increased its share of the market tenfold, growing across APAC, North America, and EMEA.

“Looking back, we can see a persistent trend in the Growth Index. For most media sources, making the ranking is a one-time thing,” said Shani Rosenfelder, Head of Mobile Insights at AppsFlyer. “That means maintaining growth in this hyper-competitive space is very difficult, so companies must stay alert, recognise potential, and move fast to stay relevant.

“On a positive note, the fact that we see new companies with different types of products and qualities demonstrates that this industry has plenty of opportunities for those who can survive,” he added.

Sourced from AppsFlyer