Mobile app usage spikes in the evening during the pandemic.

Adjust: Mobile app sessions and installs see huge increase in Q1

The pandemic has played havoc with the real-world economy. But the mobile app economy is another matter, as mobile app session times and installs saw dramatic increases in the first quarter compared to a year ago.

The numbers show that the app economy is resilient in the face of COVID-19, according to a report by mobile measurement firm Adjust in Berlin. The data show that many app verticals are seeing increases in sessions and installs in 2020, most notably in the business, food and drink, and gaming app sectors.

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Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.