Global Google Play downloads exceeded iOS App Store downloads by around 60 per cent last quarter, according to a new report.

According to the Q2 2014 Market Index from analyst App Annie, Google Play downloads shot up by 15 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

The growth is apparently being driven by emerging markets, with Brazil, Thailand and India all seeing significant increases in Google Play downloads.

In India this is being helped by a large number of consumers switching to smartphones. The country climbed two spots to become the third biggest Google Play downloader during Q2 2014.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s market share in Google Play downloads doubled in the Sports category from Q1, partially thanks to the country’s hosting of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The World Cup’s impact on the Sports category wasn’t limited only to Brazil – the entire category grew by 20 per cent, with notable increases in World Cup winner Germany, runner-up Argentina and the US.

China and Japan were the primary drivers of iOS revenue, which despite falling download numbers still managed to bring in 80 per cent more revenue than Google Play. The latter remains the largest country in terms of App Store and Google Play revenue combined, with games providing more than 90 per cent of the total figure.

Oliver Lo, EVP of marketing at App Annie, commented on India’s rise in the download charts: “The notion that ‘West is Best’ is holding less sway as Google Play and iOS App Store are being increasingly supported by emerging smartphone markets such as India and China.

“The fact that only 10 per cent of the Indian population is smartphone-enabled is an exciting prospect for app publishers looking for new markets to explore. We expect strong Google Play downloads combined with future smartphone adoption to help set the stage for rapid growth in India’s mobile app-related revenue by 2017.”

Source: MCV