Mobile well-being apps were on track to top a billion downloads last year, while leading meditation app Calm alone pulled in $118.2 million in revenue, data from Sensor Tower indicates. That may leave some to believe the digital well-being market is essentially solved, but a new startup, Lumi Inter…
This Week in Apps: Mobile gaming’s market share hit, web3 app growth, Niantic’s new AR tools
This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, and mergers and acquisitions.
TikTok is gearing up for games, including interactive minigames for TikTok LIVE
TikTok is already one of the world’s fastest-growing social media platforms, where it’s even overtaken YouTube on watch time in select markets and sports over 1 billion monthly active users. Now, the company is looking to expand the range of activities its users can do when they tire of…
Netflix to launch an ‘Exploding Kittens’ mobile game tied to an new animated TV series
As part of its continued investment into expanding its mobile gaming business, Netflix today announced it will, for the first time, launch a mobile game alongside a TV series from the same franchise. The game and show will be based on the popular Exploding Kittens card game. The mobile game will la…
Amazon Kids+ subscription service launches its first original mobile games
Amazon Kids+ (previously FreeTime) is giving children another excuse to beg for their parents’ phones. Amazon today announced two new kid-friendly mobile games for its subscription-based entertainment platform Amazon Kids+, a $2.99 per month service that provides access to children’s b…
Netflix acquires Next Games in Finland, publisher of ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Walking Dead’ games, for $72M
As Finland mulls joining NATO in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, another bit of M&A is going down in the country. Today, Netflix announced that it would be acquiring Finland’s Next Games, a developer of mobile games, for a total value of €65 million ($72 million…
Balance and Pokémon UNITE top Google Play’s ‘Best of 2021’ Awards
Google today announced the winners of its “Best of 2021” app awards, which highlight both the company’s and users’ picks for the best apps and games from the past year. This year, Google is expanding its awards lineup to include apps and games on tablets, Wear OS and Google …
Netflix’s gaming service adds two more titles, including the return of Gameloft’s Asphalt Xtreme
Earlier this month, Netflix’s new gaming service became globally available across both iOS and Android with a debut lineup that included two “Stranger Things”-themed games and a few more casual gaming titles. In the days since its launch, Netflix has expanded its lineup with two m…
This Week in Apps: Court orders Apple to implement App Store changes, 2022 forecast, TikTok tries gaming
Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app industry continues to grow, with a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer spend in 2020. Consumers last year a…