Consumer spending in India's mobile app market reached a record $345 million in the second quarter of 2026, a 35% increase year-over-year, according to data from Sensor Tower. This growth signals a shift in the Indian market from being the world's largest by downloads to one of the fastest-growing in terms of monetization. The increase is primarily driven by non-gaming apps, which accounted for nearly $240 million in revenue and grew over 50% from the prior year.
The surge in spending is attributed to the growing adoption of digital payments and increasing consumer willingness to pay for subscriptions, particularly for generative AI, streaming, and productivity apps. OpenAI's ChatGPT was the most downloaded non-gaming app during the quarter. Along with Anthropic's Claude, it accounted for nearly 83% of India's AI app revenue in Q2. Meanwhile, Google One emerged as the country's highest-grossing mobile app.