Health and fitness app downloads jumped 47% in Q2 as COVID-19 spread

Health and fitness app downloads jumped 47% in Q2 as COVID-19 spread Ryan is a senior editor at TechForge Media with over a decade of experience covering the latest technology and interviewing leading industry figures. He can often be sighted at tech conferences with a strong coffee in one hand and a laptop in the other. If it's geeky, he’s probably into it. Find him on Twitter (@Gadget_Ry) or Mastodon (@gadgetry@techhub.social)


Now is a great time to be a health and fitness app developer with the category witnessing 47 percent growth in Q2 2020 over the previous year.

Research from Sensor Tower found downloads increased dramatically over the months when COVID-19 was spreading the fastest.

As a virus which predominantly affects the respiratory system, it’s clear that people have been trying to get their health regimes in order.

Part of the reason for the increase in demand will also be due to lockdowns causing the closure of gyms. As an area where viruses are likely to breed, it could be some time before gyms fully reopen in many locations.

Around 656 million health and fitness apps were downloaded in Q2 2020 – significantly more than the first quarter.

In their report, Sensor Tower wrote:

“This represents the largest Y/Y increase ever for Q2 and comes amid the global COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns that have kept consumers at home, rethinking their lifestyle and exercise regimes.

The previous highest Y/Y increase occurred between Q2 2017 and Q2 2018 when downloads for Health & Fitness apps surged by 29.2 percent to 417.7 million. In Q2 2019, installs grew by just 6.8 percent compared to the previous year.”

The first quarter of any given year is typically when health apps see the highest growth as the “new year, new me” crowd begin their fitness regimes.

“Historically, January has consistently been the top month for Health & Fitness app downloads in any given year, but 2020 has bucked this trend.

Following a typical month-over-month decline in installs during February, March and April went on to represent record months for Health & Fitness app adoption, peaking at 339.7 million in April, up 83.6 percent from January and about 42 percent from March.”

Year-on-year, revenue for health and fitness apps has swelled by around 13 percent – representing around $328.5 million.

Strava has benefitted from the most growth in downloads; with installs growing 179.2 percent from January to May. Speaking from experience, anyone who is already a user will probably have noticed an increased number of “Your friend has just signed up to Strava!” emails in recent weeks.

With coronavirus looking set to disrupt our lives for the foreseeable future, it’s likely the demand for health and fitness apps will continue for some time.

(Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash)

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