➡️ Adjust releases Mobile App Trends report 2026

Adjust reports that global app installs rose 10% in 2025 and sessions increased 7%, showing the mobile market is still expanding even after ATT and privacy restrictions

This report explores:
• Contributions from Google Ads, Snap for Business, TikTok for Business, Sensor Tower, Roku, and Alison.ai
• The development of AI from a strategic tool to core infrastructure, and how it’s being operationalized in 2026
• The transformation of mobile-first approaches into multi-platform strategies
• Key performance insights and data benchmarks across the most important mobile metrics for the global markets, along with APAC, Europe, LATAM, MENA, and North America

📱 Etsy sells secondhand clothing marketplace app Depop to eBay for $1.2B

Resale apps keep consolidating. Depop generated about $1B in gross merchandise sales in 2025 and has ~7M active buyers, most under 34 - a valuable mobile-first audience

🍏 Apple introduces global age-verification feature to protect kids online

Apple is rolling out stricter age-verification controls in the App Store as new child-safety laws take effect in Australia, Brazil, Singapore and several U.S. states. Users will be blocked from downloading 18+ apps unless the platform confirms they are adults through Apple’s built-in verification process

Developers can now access age categories (child/teen/adult) via the updated Declared Age Range API without collecting personal data

🚀 Anthropic’s Claude hits №1 on Apple’s top free apps list after Pentagon rejection

Anthropic’s chatbot Claude jumped from outside the Top-100 in late January to №1 in the U.S. App Store, overtaking ChatGPT within days

The spike followed public attention around the company’s dispute with the Pentagon, which drove record daily signups, +60% free users and more than doubled paid subscribers

➡️ The case shows how media exposure and brand narrative can impact to app acquisition

📷 Instagram has started testing ads directly into users content

Influencer Julia Berolzheimer, noticed a “Shop the look” button on her posts. Her followers clicked on it and ended up… at Chinese copies of brands she would never promote.

Meta Platforms called it a “limited test,” and even accounts with around 400 followers are included

🎨 Criteo becomes the first ad-tech partner in OpenAI’s advertising pilot

Ad-tech platform Criteo has joined OpenAI’s early ChatGPT advertising pilot, becoming the first partner to integrate its ad infrastructure into the AI product

The rollout will initially appear in ChatGPT Free and Go tiers in the U.S., giving brands access to experimental ad placements inside conversational interactions. Instead of traditional banners or search ads, the model focuses on recommendation-style ads embedded in conversations, where users actively ask for product advice or comparisons

Early data suggests traffic from LLM platforms converts ~1.5× better than typical channels, highlighting the high-intent nature of AI-driven discovery

🔍 Google cuts Play Store fees as part of new Android “openness” push

Google announced a reduction in Google Play service fees as part of a broader initiative to make the Android ecosystem more open for developers

Alongside lower commissions, the company is expanding support for alternative billing systems and third-party app stores, giving developers more flexibility in how they distribute and monetize apps. Google says the changes aim to reduce developer costs while maintaining security and trust in the Play ecosystem

The move comes amid ongoing regulatory pressure and growing competition around app store economics

♾ Meta adds Manus AI tools into Ads Manager

Meta has started integrating Manus AI directly into Ads Manager, giving advertisers a built-in assistant to automate campaign workflows. The tool can analyze performance data, generate reports, surface insights, and help with research

Advertisers can access Manus from the Tools section in Ads Manager, and some users are already seeing prompts to activate it during campaign setup