The start of a new year often sparks thoughts about the future and what it might bring. It’s also a time of intense preparation: crafting budget plans, scheduling campaigns, and strategizing for success and growth in the months ahead. What better way to start the year then than by hearing directly from industry experts about the trends set to shape the app industry in 2025?
But where can you find these expert opinions? Don’t worry — we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve spoken directly with the leading figures in the space: the industry leaders who headline events, the masterminds behind groundbreaking app marketing strategies, and the architects of some of the most successful user acquisition campaigns.
Before we dive into their individual perspectives on the future of apps in 2025, let me take a moment to outline the key trends that seem to be on everyone’s radar right now.
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Contact Us TodayTop 6 trends in the mobile app industry for 2025
AI all the way down
The experts we spoke with are unanimous: AI will continue to dominate conversations in 2025, but not just as a buzzword. They believe AI will power hyper-personalized user experiences, revolutionize ad targeting, and streamline creative production, making apps smarter and more adaptive. From AI companions to real-time analytics, these innovations will redefine how users interact with apps, making the experiences more intuitive and engaging.
Privacy vs attribution — the knives are out
Privacy remains a hot topic, and those in the know predict a growing focus on contextual advertising and advanced attribution models like incrementality testing. Balancing compliance with actionable insights will be the key to gaining users’ trust and staying competitive. Experts also foresee brands investing heavily in privacy-centric frameworks to ensure transparency while refining their measurement capabilities in a fragmented digital landscape.
Hyper-personalization for best-in-class retention
Everyone we spoke with agrees — personalization will go beyond surface-level recommendations. Apps will lean heavily on AI to tailor every interaction, from onboarding to dynamic offers, creating experiences that feel uniquely crafted for each user. This approach will extend to retention strategies as well, with businesses using personalization to enhance loyalty and long-term engagement by anticipating users’ needs at every stage.
To subscribe or not to subscribe
Experts agree that while subscription fatigue is a growing concern, the solution lies in revenue diversification rather than abandoning subscriptions altogether. Apps will increasingly experiment with microtransactions, gamification, and innovative partnerships. Personalization will again take center stage here, with dynamic subscription tiers and bespoke offers helping businesses keep users engaged and willing to spend.
Diversify to acquire
The days of relying on just Google and Meta are over, say industry leaders, and marketers will turn to a broader range of acquisition channels. TikTok, connected TV, retail media, influencer-driven campaigns, and web funnels will all allow marketing to tap into diverse audiences and unlock fresh opportunities for growth and expansion. These alternative channels will not only mitigate rising costs on traditional platforms but also provide creative ways to connect with high-intent users across multiple touchpoints.
Alternative app stores are all the hype
Our experts predict major shifts in app distribution. With regulatory changes shaking up the landscape, carriers and third-party platforms could challenge Apple and Google’s dominance, giving developers more control and users more options. This decentralization is expected to lead to a more competitive ecosystem where innovation thrives, developers enjoy better revenue opportunities, and users benefit from a wider selection of apps.
That’s it from me — I’ve written more than enough. It’s time to hand things over to the real experts, the ones who really know what they’re talking about.
Megan Dean, Strategy Growth Director at Yodel Mobile
“One of the most interesting developments that we’ll see in the app space next year is the launch of Apple Intelligence – the ambitious new feature set will offer new opportunities for apps in terms of engagement and retention. “Siri with App Intents” enhances voice search by allowing it to take actions in and across apps, making app actions more discoverable. One of the trickiest parts of the app ecosystem is the fact that content is significantly gated, unlike on the web, where you can use search engines to get straight into the content you need. With the new enhancements, we may see that barrier reduced, offering new ways for apps to engage with their users. We’ll likely also see big improvements to the search algorithm on the App Store as Apple’s search capabilities improve as part of Apple Intelligence, offering more opportunities to app owners and a better experience to users.”
Jessica Gotti, Head of Performance Marketing at Paired
Diversifying user acquisition channels and marketing funnels
“In 2025, diversifying user acquisition channels and funnels will be a critical strategy for marketers and app businesses aiming to grow amidst rising costs, increasing competition, and stricter privacy regulations. Traditional platforms like Meta and Google are becoming more saturated and expensive, pushing businesses to explore alternatives such as TikTok, influencer marketing (IG, podcasts, YouTube), programmatic (e.g., AppLovin), and CTV.
“At the same time, web funnels are gaining traction as cost-efficient options, offering enhanced user-level attribution and bypassing app store fees. These funnels allow businesses to reach new audiences, leverage richer data, and experiment with unique customer journeys and offers. However, building web onboarding is not easy; it requires resources, time, effort, and a test-and-learn approach.
“In 2025, success will depend on creating seamless cross-platform and funnel experiences and leveraging insights to refine and improve monetization strategies.”
Emphasizing personalization
“Personalization will continue to shape performance marketing in 2025, transforming how brands connect with audiences. Privacy restrictions, increased targeting limitations from platforms (which are favoring full campaign automation over manual control), and growing competition make creatives and full-funnel personalization crucial tools to stand out and drive engagement.
“Marketers must tailor ad messaging, landing pages, onboarding flows, and in-app experiences to reflect users’ unique needs and journey stages. Personalization goes beyond acquisition, improving retention and lifetime value (LTV) through customized onboarding, targeted offers, and user-specific experiences.
“Businesses that master full-funnel personalization will not only stand out in crowded markets but also enhance funnel efficiency, improve conversion rates, and foster better user retention and engagement. Ultimately, personalization in 2025 will require true user empathy, understanding users deeply rather than relying solely on basic segmentation.”
Alternative frameworks to SKAN
“With user-level data becoming more opaque, the industry is turning to new measurement and attribution frameworks to complement or replace Apple’s SKAdNetwork (SKAN). Meta’s Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM) is a strong example, providing more real-time insights than SKAN while respecting user privacy. Other networks are introducing similar frameworks or refining their probabilistic models to help marketers regain some control and visibility and thrive in this privacy-conscious era.
“In 2025, success will come from combining these attribution methods with broader media mix modeling, calibrated through frequent incrementality testing, and leveraging additional data sources (e.g., HDYHAU surveys) to address attribution gaps. This holistic approach will enable marketers to gain a cohesive understanding of user behavior across diverse platforms, make informed decisions, and maximize ROI in a privacy-conscious era.”
Sue Azari, eCommerce Industry Consultant at AppsFlyer
“Hyper-personalisation: From individualised recommendations to dynamic pricing, eCommerce businesses will create bespoke experiences that cater to each user’s preferences and buying behaviour. Personalisation will go beyond “recommended for you” — it will be woven into every touchpoint.
“Augmented Reality (AR) revolution: Virtual try-ons, home simulations, and 3D product displays will allow customers to “experience” products before purchase, dramatically reducing return rates and boosting customer satisfaction.
“AI as a game-changer: Artificial Intelligence will redefine the shopping experience from end to end. AI-powered tools will provide instant, sophisticated customer support, guiding customers with product recommendations, troubleshooting, and more. It will also improve logistics, enabling faster order fulfilment, optimised stock management, and supply chain efficiency. In 2025, AI will be central to eCommerce, delivering both personalisation and operational improvements at scale.
“Social commerce boom: Consumers are increasingly browsing and buying directly through social media, making Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms crucial sales channels. In 2025, expect brands to invest heavily in shoppable posts, influencer partnerships, and live-stream shopping events, creating an interactive and social shopping experience.
“Retail media growth: Retail media networks will be a major revenue driver in 2025, as eCommerce brands capitalise on their first-party data to create valuable ad spaces. Brands and sellers will increasingly use these networks to reach highly targeted audiences directly at the point of sale. Expect more personalised, in-platform ads that give brands high visibility and drive conversions, while adding an extra revenue stream for eCommerce platforms.”
Evelin Herrera, Founder at Stealth
“Gamification of consumer apps: The dynamics of challenge and reward have proven their effectiveness for user engagement, and we are already seeing this being applied to wellness apps like Finch, which rewards users for completing wellness activities, or shopping apps like Temu, where users spin the wheel to earn discounts on items.
“AI hyper-personalization: Picture this, you tell Spotify “I’m going shopping, play girly pop songs”, and it will create an instant playlist for you. Now, think of having these experiences with all your AI solutions: AI assistant, AI nutritionist, AI personal shopper — real-time responses to your desires. What a lovely world we will live in by 2025! I’m honestly excited.
“American companies hiring European and British talent: It is not news that European talent is far more advanced and experienced when it comes to mobile (or maybe not, and this is my hot take), but I believe there will be a trend of American companies hiring more and more freelancers, part-timers, and consultants from Europe.”
Ioana Iordache, Growth Consultant and Founder at IO Growth Lab
“In 2025, focusing first on what will not change in app growth is a strategic starting point. It’s hard to imagine a future where consumers don’t need to feel heard, valued, and trust the apps they choose. Apps that focus on understanding their customers, deliver a strong value proposition, and build trust are positioned for sustainable growth. Practical actions include unifying customer insights and analytics across the organization, designing trust-building interactions, and promptly addressing those that erode it.
“At the same time, the technology behind these efforts is evolving rapidly. In 2025, apps that successfully leverage AI, machine learning, and automation while making advanced analytics accessible throughout the organization will stand out. By using these tools to optimize processes, better understand customer behaviors, enhance experiences, and speed up learning, they’ll gain a competitive edge.”
Sherina Khalidi, VP, Performance Marketing at Deezer
“As the app industry matures and new apps continue to flood the market, building strong brands will become increasingly critical for standing out in a crowded space. I anticipate that growth marketers will rely more heavily on branding initiatives as part of their strategy, moving beyond traditional user acquisition (UA) techniques.
“Additionally, like in many industries — but perhaps even more so in the app sector — AI is poised to revolutionize the way we work. AI will play a growing role in App Store Optimization (ASO) and user acquisition, enabling the creation of ads, copywriting, and even creators’ content at a larger scale.
“Lastly, one of the most significant challenges will remain measuring the impact of our efforts and allocating resources strategically. I foresee substantial advancements in this area, with the development of more sophisticated methods for testing incrementality and assessing both short- and long-term impacts. Leveraging these tools will be key to driving profitability and sustaining user growth.”
Nicoline Strøm-Jensen, Head of Program Management at Adjust
Trends
“We can’t talk about 2025 without mentioning the broader adoption and use of AI tools. Companies have already started to explore, but this year will be focused on settling on solutions and models that deliver results to help grow user bases and user interaction in-app via stronger data analytics with AI.
“Marketing will expand into more CTV and retail media. This means leveraging the audiences on CTV/streaming and retail for more high-intent audience targeting. However, this also leads to the increased need for measurement tools to provide stronger unified measurement solutions for cross-platform user journeys.”
Challenges
“Ensuring brand safety in environments like user-generated content platforms remains a pressing concern and one to follow closely. Attribution is also becoming harder than ever due to the loss of third-party cookies, iOS tracking restrictions, and fragmentation across platforms. Marketers will need advanced models (e.g., incrementality testing, MMM) to accurately measure ROI.”
Hopes
“Personally, I worry about the extreme impact that increasing AI usage will have on the environment. I hope that this will be a larger discussion in the industry and that efforts will be made to mitigate the impact. Transparency and authenticity from brands regarding sustainability efforts in these areas would be great to see and will also be demanded by consumers.”
Ryan Angerami, Head of App Dev at Reddit
“Leading our App Dev Sales Team at Reddit, I’ve had the opportunity to see clients from a wide variety of industries tackle a number of challenges in 2024. From gaming and financial services to RMG and productivity apps, the future is bright for many of our customers finding success on Reddit. Some of the 2025 trends we’re witnessing are:
“AI going from buzzword to juggernaut: 2024 saw the emergence of nearly everyone beginning to integrate AI into their solutions. On Reddit, we’ve recently released Reddit Answers to leverage the power of our communities’ recommendations to bring users specific answers to their questions, like “What is the best app for crypto trading?” We’re seeing marketers passionate about how to best show up within results, be recommended by communities, and build upon the trusted recommendations that users find on Reddit.
“GEO-based incrementality: Years after the release of SKAN, marketers are still experimenting with ways to capture the true value of their marketing dollars. While signal resilience has posed challenges to many advertisers, we are seeing a resurgence in GEO-lift-based incrementality solutions. While previously thought of as a relic from terrestrial radio and TV advertising, it’s proven to be an effective way to study lift and inform attribution strategies.
“Retention and ROI come first: Lastly, profitability remains paramount, and our clients are building out more specialized campaigns to measure the lifetime value of each platform, focusing more than ever on retention, return on investment, and the multi-year value that a user may have for their business.”
Rodolphe Helderwerdt, Head of Marketing at Tandem
“As we move into 2025, one of the key areas I see gaining prominence is Generative Engine Optimization: a trend that will significantly shape how brands position themselves in the ever-evolving digital landscape. With tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and other LLMs becoming integral to user experiences, the challenge lies not just in leveraging these tools but in optimizing results to align with your brand’s identity and product.
“This involves auditing how these AI tools perceive your brand, understanding the sources they draw from, and strategically refining your presence in the ecosystem. It’s no longer enough to have a robust digital strategy; companies need to ensure their brand appears accurately and consistently in conversational AI outputs and search results. This could be the defining factor in standing out amidst the competition. Those who embrace these strategies early will gain a substantial competitive edge.”
Alejandro Hernandez, Senior CRM Automation – Engagement and Loyalty at Babbel
“In 2025, a clear trend is emerging in push notifications, email marketing, and CRM strategies: the rise of intelligent recommender systems. These systems aim to show users content and products that align closely with their preferences, behaviors, and needs, creating a more engaging and personalized message within apps.
“Machine learning-powered recommenders play a pivotal role in this transformation. By analyzing user actions and identifying patterns, these systems can offer tailored recommendations in real time. They can group users based on similar behaviors, such as their level of app engagement, purchasing habits, or specific feature usage, ensuring that the recommendations feel timely, relevant, and impactful.
“An example of this innovation is Babbel, which uses machine learning to power dynamic content recommendations. By understanding user needs, preferences, and types of learners and reaching them at the right moment, Babbel ensures that its messages resonate and enhance the overall user experience.
“This evolution in CRM strategies enables apps to build stronger connections with users, delivering smarter and more personalized interactions.”
Yves Benchimol, CEO and Co-Founder at WeWard
“I’m particularly excited about the potential of Apple Intelligence (and generative AI overall) to transform app experiences. In my view, it will revolutionize how apps are personalized and how users interact with them, especially with the rise of AI Companions. This could mark a major shift in user engagement and app functionality.
“What’s more, we’re likely to witness a new era of mobile app advertising, driven by AI-powered characters — possibly modeled after real individuals. These characters will be capable of communicating in any language and offering highly personalized interactions. I believe this will pave the way for innovative formats of interactive advertising using AI.
“The Digital Markets Act is also expected to continue driving changes in how the Apple App Store operates. We may continue to see the emergence of alternative distribution platforms for mobile apps. While a more open market could bring opportunities, it might also introduce new challenges.”
Mark Menery, VP, Global Head of Sales at Dataseat (Now Part of Verve Group)
“I would look at 2025 as a year where AI will begin to play a large role in creativity. We should start to see more personalization in real time, as well as optimization and targeting. In addition, we hope to see ads adjust not just to users’ behavior but also contextual factors such as looking at the content of the site or app a user is on, and what’s going on in the moment. Being a leading contextual DSP, it’s important for us to partner with companies that are thinking about dynamic ads around contextual signals. Also, being a privacy-first DSP, it will be encouraging to see the industry continue to adopt attribution frameworks such as AdAttributionKit and the upcoming privacy sandbox. Many are looking at AdKit as having low and slow adoption rates, but we are confident those numbers will pick up as more brands are looking at a privacy-centric and, more importantly, a deterministic approach to attribution.”
Lomit Patel, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Tynker
“Personalization at scale: AI will continue to redefine how apps engage users, with hyper-personalized experiences becoming the norm. Consumers expect apps to understand their unique preferences and adapt dynamically. The challenge will lie in balancing data privacy with delivering value.
“AI-driven growth: As the cost of user acquisition rises, AI-powered growth strategies — leveraging automation, predictive analytics, and dynamic optimization — will be critical for scaling efficiently. Companies that don’t adopt AI will struggle to compete.
“The rise of AI agents: AI agents will emerge as game-changers, driving deeper engagement and retention. These agents will act as personal assistants embedded within apps, proactively solving problems, delivering curated recommendations, and enhancing productivity. For businesses, the challenge will be integrating these agents seamlessly while maintaining user trust and transparency.
“Revenue diversification: Subscription fatigue is real. To diversify revenue streams, apps will explore new monetization models, such as microtransactions, gamification elements, and value-added partnerships.
“Global expansion: Emerging markets will play a pivotal role in app growth. However, localization — going beyond just language translation to cultural relevance — will be the key to unlocking these opportunities.
“The bottom line? The winners in 2025 will be those who embrace AI agents to deliver transformative experiences, challenge traditional assumptions, and leverage first principles to drive lean, scalable growth while delivering exceptional user value.”
Gilad Bechar, Founder and CEO at Moburst
“As we approach 2025, mobile marketing is poised for significant evolution, with artificial intelligence playing a pivotal role in shaping the industry’s future. AI is no longer just a tool for automation; it’s becoming an essential asset in delivering more personalized and impactful marketing experiences. By leveraging real-time data and predictive analytics, marketers can craft messages that align more closely with consumer behavior, creating seamless interactions that drive engagement and foster loyalty. This growing sophistication enables campaigns to feel less generic and more tailored, reflecting an in-depth understanding of audiences’ needs and preferences.
“AI is also transforming the strategic aspects of marketing, from media buying and influencer partnerships to PR and creative production. Advanced AI tools are empowering marketers to make more precise decisions, optimizing ad spend and identifying influencers who truly align with their brand’s audience and values. In PR, sentiment analysis powered by AI ensures that brands can anticipate and respond to trends or potential crises with agility. Creative teams, too, are embracing AI to streamline production, producing high-quality content that maintains a personalized and human touch. Together, these advancements mark a shift toward smarter, more efficient marketing strategies that will define the mobile marketing landscape in the coming year.”
Jeff Sue, GM, Americas at Mintegral
“In 2025, AI agents are expected to revolutionize ad tech by automating complex tasks like sales inquiries, customer service, and user acquisition, enabling businesses to operate more efficiently with leaner teams. Privacy will remain a key focus, driving the adoption of alternative targeting methods such as contextual advertising and anonymized identifiers. Advertisers will explore new channels like connected TV and in-app mobile game ads as they adapt to privacy regulations and shifting consumer habits. Additionally, advancements in AI-generated creative and renewed confidence in ad tech will fuel innovation, acquisitions, and scalable storytelling in marketing campaigns.”
Simon Thillay, Head of ASO Strategy and Market Insights at AppTweak
“While I don’t expect any major upheavals in ASO in 2025, I do think we’ll see several new trends that might shape how ASO evolves in future years:
“In search, a trend already in play is the increasing weight of brand terms in app markets where more and more verticals are becoming saturated. I don’t believe this will mean the death of keyword optimization, but rather that tactics are going to change toward new ways to manage relevancy on competitor brand terms by semantic proximity, as well as trying to better anticipate how to make an app emerge in AI-powered searches.
“Given Google Play’s announcements towards the end of 2024, I also think video is going to come back into focus for creative optimization, at least on the Play Store (portrait-format videos and the option to showcase multiple videos in Play Store listings will likely get a fair amount of interest). What will need to be seen, however, is whether new options move the needle in app categories that don’t use videos at the moment, or if only those who already include a video will leverage the new options.
“Last but not least, the most interesting trend will be the shift in focus from acquisition to engagement in and around app stores. Google Play has already announced the release of a new experience called “Collections” that will help showcase content and products to users who already have downloaded the apps that offer them, while expectations around Apple Intelligence are that an on-device assistant will also help (re)engage users more. With both experiences potentially requiring SEO-like efforts via store consoles, there is a chance we see a shift in the focus of ASO.
“With all that being said, I expect the fundamentals and key actions of ASO to remain the same in 2025, and marketers will be challenged to focus their efforts on ASO tactics that align with business priorities, with opportunities for some to also become early adopters of larger changes to come.”
Steve Toy, CEO at Memrise
“2025 promises to be a watershed year as AI transforms our digital landscape. New possibilities are emerging daily, each more innovative than the last.
“In the mobile app space, particularly for language learning applications, users will experience unprecedented benefits. Learning apps will adapt to their style and pace with ever-better precision. Two significant developments are driving this evolution.
“First, specialized AI processing will start happening on users’ devices, eliminating the lag and connectivity demands of cloud-based solutions. Second, truly personalized experiences powered by AI will be able to craft the perfect prompt for your learning journey, choose the right model, and remember your progress and preferences over time, much like a dedicated tutor who knows exactly how you learn best.
“For developers and users alike, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of extraordinary innovation. It’s going to be fun.”
Matt Tubergen, EVP of Global Partnerships and Corporate Development at Digital Turbine
“The app store ecosystem is set to shift away from an Apple and Google duopoly to an open landscape as mobile carriers regain the power to connect consumers with apps. Emerging regulatory changes, such as bans that prevent Google from incentivizing app store preloads, will level the playing field by allowing carriers and device manufacturers to preload their own apps and platforms on new devices. This renewed autonomy positions carriers as critical players in alternative app distribution, enabling organic growth for alternative app stores. As a result, carriers will offer developers better revenue opportunities beyond what Apple and Google provide, and present consumers with a more diverse app selection. By embracing this strategic advantage, carriers are poised to reclaim their role as app providers and drive change in the evolving app store environment.
“The new, open app store economy will prioritize the needs of developers and users, shifting away from the current model that only serves Apple and Google. In this new distribution model, the app store ecosystem will see a competitive, decentralized landscape where developers have more control over revenue and consumers gain access to a wider variety of apps curated and tailored to their needs. With growing influence of third-party app stores, and as major players like Epic Games and Microsoft push for inclusivity in distribution, the app outlook is set to expand globally and mirror the thriving alternative stores seen in Asia. This shift will enable mobile app distribution to be more inclusive, innovative, and consumer-focused, and the global app environment will evolve into a dynamic marketplace that prioritizes innovation and user needs.”
