India’s app downloads rebounded to 25.5 billion in 2025, fueled by AI assistants and microdrama boom

India has solidified its position as a global leader in app downloads, reaching an impressive 25.5 billion in 2025. This marks a significant rebound from the previous year's decline, as highlighted in a recent report by Sensor Tower. While India excels in download figures, it still lags in consumer spending, not ranking among the top 20 markets. The growth in downloads comes on the heels of a year where figures fell to 24.6 billion in 2024 from 25.9 billion in 2023. The resurgence in 2025 can largely be attributed to the growing popularity of AI assistants and microdrama applications, with user engagement increasing as well. Time spent on apps surged from 1.13 trillion hours in 2024 to 1.23 trillion hours in 2025. In terms of category performance, traditional social media and messaging apps experienced a downturn, while sectors like AI assistants, microdrama, video editing, social discovery, and food delivery apps flourished. For instance, downloads of short drama apps skyrocketed by over 350 million, and AI assistants saw an increase of 346 million downloads, reflecting a global trend toward generative AI applications. In 2024, Indian users downloaded generative AI apps 198 million times, but this figure soared to 602 million in 2025. The surge in demand for AI tools is due in part to new offerings from companies like OpenAI and Google that introduced advanced image models. Additionally, many AI firms provided free premium plans to Indian users to capture market share. ChatGPT emerged as the leading generative AI app in downloads, closely followed by Google Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok. The microdrama sector also witnessed significant growth, with Kuku TV, Story TV, QuickTV, and DashReels ranking highly in the video streaming space. Notably, Kuku TV's parent company secured $85 million in a Series C funding round, emphasizing the rising interest in microdrama content. ShareChat's co-founder noted that over 40 million users were engaging with microdrama on Quick TV, suggesting a booming market that could reach tens of billions of dollars by 2030. Furthermore, after the third quarter of the previous year, downloads of short drama apps outpaced those of traditional OTT platforms like Netflix and JioHotstar. Interestingly, the share of app downloads from local Indian developers also increased, climbing from 33.91% to 36.52%. However, this rise is likely fueled by apps in quick commerce, government services, and finance rather than solely entertainment, as revenue from in-app purchases for domestic publishers has remained stable.