State of Mobile TikTok Edition – Communities Drive the Next Wave of App Growth

Communities are becoming the new retention engine for app developers. As revealed in Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2025 report released earlier this year, there are signs of digital fatigue on mobile. Globally, time spent on mobile climbed 3% year-over-year, and growth has slowed in several key markets like the United States and western Europe. Users are prioritizing quality over quantity for time spent on mobile, and helping connect consumers with new communities is a great way to enhance user experiences.

Crafted with Sensor Tower's market intelligence and TikTok's cultural insight, the State of Mobile 2025: TikTok Edition report dives deep into how app developers are adapting to new challenges – and continuing to thrive.

Top Apps Embrace the Power of Communities

Many of the fastest growing categories in 2024 helped users connect across devices or to their in-person experiences. For example, in the Food & Drink space, food delivery app growth has slowed, while fast food restaurants and grocery stores have continued to add new users. These restaurants and stores use their mobile apps as a way to improve the user experience in-store, offering convenient options like in-app ordering and pickup or easy access to coupons and rewards.

In 2024, top apps in categories like Health & Fitness and Dating gained traction by enabling users to connect with others who share similar interests, both online and offline. For example, Health & Fitness apps promote group challenges and fitness meetups. Recent advertising trends reveal a shift to promoting these community features.

Dating apps can also emphasize connecting with communities to stand out in a competitive market. Jaumo began emphasizing joining a community instead of its standard dating and social discovery options in early 2023, and later in the year, the app began promoting specific groups with similar interests such as pet lovers, gamers, and foodies. Early results for this shift were quite positive — Jaumo's in-app purchase revenue climbed 61% between Q4 2022 and Q4 2024, including particularly strong growth in Turkey and Brazil.

As apps increasingly function as spaces for interaction, not isolation, community-led design is becoming a competitive advantage. It helps users foster social accountability loops, encourage niche-based discovery, and bridge the digital and physical worlds for online-to-offline integration. Communities are the multiplier effect: more value, more loyalty, more lifetime revenue.

Want More Insights on What’s Next for Mobile? Read the Full Report

Read the State of Mobile: TikTok Edition report covering the latest strategies to succeed on mobile, spanning 21 markets in a dynamic, interactive format covering:

• AI on Mobile: Generative AI is already reshaping the mobile space and apps across verticals are incorporating new AI features.

• Mobile Geo Expansion: Discover how apps successfully expand to new markets and which markets have the highest growth potential.

• Productivity & Utilities: AI has only accelerated consumers’ desire to boost productivity, and mobile apps help provide solutions from AI Chatbots to File Management to PDF Editors.

• Health & Fitness: Health & Fitness apps saw a resurgent year in 2024. Consumers have embraced personalized workout and fitness apps for years — now they turn to mobile apps for personalized healthcare and to find new communities.

• Dating: Dating patterns returned to normal, with the fastest revenue gaining apps focusing on dating over friend finding and social discovery.