The Apple App Store experienced a good 2016, as spending within it leaped by 40% over the 2015 figures. Viral games, such as Pokemon Go and Super Mario Run, provided the store with the increase it needed, as the company's iPhone sales continued to struggle. It was called a “record-shattering year” by Apple's senior vice-president of worldwide marketing, as payments through apps to developers increased by over 20 US billion dollars. The App Store saw another record broken on New Year's Day 2017, when users spent over 240 million US dollars, more than any other single day previously. Developers have also seen their app revenues increase by around 40% per year since 2013, more than from Android's Google Play. Danielle Levitas, an analyst with App Annie, said that the market as a whole increased by around 24% from 2015 to 2016.Â
