INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Welcome back to This Weekin Apps, the Extra Crunch series that recaps the latest OS news, the applications they support and the money that
flows through it all.
The app industry is as hot as ever, with a record 204 billion downloads in 2019 and $120 billion in consumer spending
in 2019, according to App Annie recently released &State of Mobile& annual report
People are now spending 3 hours and 40 minutes per day using apps, rivaling TV
Apps aren&t just a way to pass idle hours — they&re a big business
In 2019, mobile-first companies had a combined $544 billion valuation, 6.5x higher than those without a mobile focus.
In this Extra Crunch
series, we help you keep up with the latest news from the world of apps, delivered on a weekly basis.
This week we look at the sad, strange
death of HQ Trivia, spying app ToTok getting booted from Google Play (again!), Android 11, an enticing Apple rumor about opening up iOS
further to third-party apps, Google Stadia updates, the App Store book Apple wants banned, apps abusing subscriptions and much
more.
Headlines
HQ Trivia burns to the ground
Once-hot HQ Trivia believed it had invented a new kind of online gaming — live trivia
played through your phone
Investors threw $15 million into the company hoping that was true
But the novelty wore off, cheaters came in, prize money dwindled and copycats emerged
Then co-founder Colin Kroll passed away and things at HQ Trivia got worse, including a failed internal mutiny, firings and layoffs
This week, HQ Trivia announced its demise
It then hosted one last, insane night of gaming featuring drunken and cursing hosts who sprayed champagne, called out trolls and begged for
(Sure, because they exited this one so professionally.)
