mHealth App Growth Nearly Double Overall Mobile Market

Consumer use of mobile health and fitness apps in the first half of 2014 is almost double that of the mobile platform market in general, according to mobile analytics and optimization vendor Flurry.


Consumer use of mobile health and fitness apps in the first half of 2014 is almost double that of the mobile platform market in general, according to mobile analytics and optimization vendor Flurry.

"We have studied the usage of over 6,800 iPhone and iPad apps listed in the health and fitness category on Flurry’s platform and we have seen a 62 percent increase in usage of health and fitness apps over the past six months," Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf writes in a blog post. "This compares to 33 percent increase in usage, measured in sessions, for the mobile app industry in general. Growth in health and fitness is 87 percent faster than the industry, which is itself growing at an astounding rate."

Khalaf says the trend was a stark turnaround from 2013, in which general mobile app use grew by 115 percent, while health and fitness app use increased by only 49 percent.

The company's analysis found two factors encouraging the rapid groth of mobile health and fitness apps: the ability of smartphones to replace discrete devices as the hardware platform for the apps, and the integration of the apps--such as MapMyFitness--with social networking platforms.

The audience segment leading the mobile health app charge, according to Khalaf, was mothers aged 25-54 who are sports fans and who also lead healthy lifestyles.