India emerges Numero Uno in Google Play app usage, pips US

If the report by global app analytics firm App Annie is to be believed, Indian mobile users downloaded maximum number of apps from Google Play app store in 2016, pushing the US down to second spot.

According to the report, there were more than six million app downloads from Google Play by Indians. Brazil took the third spot with a little over 5 billion downloads.

The report also said that India could widen its gap with others in Android app downloads given its still low penetration of smartphones.

"India's phenomenal progress (in downloads) over the past two years is even more impressive when considering its potential for further gains. In 2016, India surpassed the US as the second largest smartphone market due in large part to a rise in domestically produced smartphones. This is only the beginning, however, as India's smartphone penetration is still below 30% and its overall economy is poised for massive growth," the report said.

The report also highlighted that India was far ahead of all the other nations when it comes to app usage. According to the report, out of the total of 900 billion hours spent on Android apps in 2016, 150 billion hours were spent by Indians. This was followed by Brazil (about 115 billion) and the US (about 90 billion). The total of 900 billion hours, which is 25% higher than in 2015, translates to an average of roughly two hours per Android phone user per day.

All thanks to the exponentially growing user base and the time that users spend on it in countries like India, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico accounted for four of the top five countries by total time spent on Android apps. However, in Google Play's worldwide revenue, India does not feature even in the top 10, indicating that Google has a long way to go in terms of monetizing its enviable adoption in the country.