Global Mobile Apps in August | RocNovel Tops Ad Charts as Musk’s Feud Spurs Growth on X

• RocNovel ramped up its ad spend to claim the top spot in this month's advertiser rankings.
• Dual-rebirth themed titles are gaining traction globally, while ShortMax continues to show steady growth.
• Musk's latest feud has driven a spike in downloads for X.

August Rankings for Global Mobile App Advertising

Advertising momentum for online literature apps was particularly strong. RocNovel under COL Group claimed the iOS advertising crown and ranked second on Android. Novellair climbed 2–4 positions on both iOS and Android, while WebNovel under China Literature Limited also increased spending, nearly breaking into the chart.

In the micro-drama sector, DramaWave and DramaBox continued to occupy the front ranks, with NetShort and ShortMax stably positioned within the top 10. Competition in this track remains highly tied to advertising intensity, with leading players relying on massive creative output to retain their positions.

Meanwhile, although AI-related apps remain a hot topic, their advertising enthusiasm is relatively low, with few appearing on the charts.

RocNovel Takes the Advertising Lead

After breaking into the rankings in July, RocNovel doubled down in August and secured the No. 1 spot in advertising. According to SocialPeta, its detailed advertising performance is as follows:

• Approximately 580,000 deduplicated creatives across iOS and Android in August, up 123.1% month-over-month, reflecting massive investment.
• Ads were placed in 74 countries and regions. The U.S. share rose further, from 81.9% in July to 89.01% in August.
• Among creatives, 79.1% were new. Image creatives saw a sharp increase, accounting for 91.3% in August.
• Popular image creatives were mostly AI comic-style or emotional and atmospheric posters, depicting themes such as romance and infidelity to spark curiosity and encourage users to explore further.

ShortMax Maintains Its Strong Advertising Position

Despite past controversies, ShortMax has consistently remained generous and persistent in its advertising, securing a top position in the global micro-drama sector. Its August advertising performance was as follows:

• Approximately 189,000 deduplicated creatives across iOS and Android.
• Ads were placed in 81 countries and regions, with the U.S. leading at over 45%, followed by France and Germany.
• More than 1,000 micro dramas were advertised in August, with new titles accounting for 45.4%.
• The top-promoted new drama was Second Life, the Godfather's Wife, telling the story of two sisters reborn after betrayal and jealousy in a past life.

In the new timeline, the female lead, Eleanor, chooses a beggar as her husband, only to discover he is secretly the "Godfather." Popular creatives emphasized identity reversals and hero-saves-the-damsel tropes, highlighting the male lead's charisma. Interestingly, the actor's appearance resembles Ryan Reynolds, famous for playing Deadpool, hinting at viral potential.

WebNovel Returns to the Rankings

After a long absence, WebNovel made a return to the charts. Originally launched in November 2017, the platform has accumulated over 290,000 deduplicated creatives, making it a veteran among outbound online literature apps.

Its August advertising performance included:

• Approximately 76,000 deduplicated creatives across iOS and Android, up 61.7% month-over-month.
• Ads were placed in 81 countries and regions, with the U.S., Canada, and Australia as the top three.
• Video creatives dominated, accounting for 83.7%.
• Popular creatives included anime mashups, local AI comic-dramas, and carousel comics, often featuring well-known IPs such as Solo Leveling or popular 3D-style fantasy animations from China, appealing strongly to anime fans.

Apps Outstanding With Downloads on the App Store in August

• On August 6, Uber announced its Q2 2025 earnings, approving a $20 billion stock repurchase program. Revenue for Q2 reached $12.7 billion, up 18% year-over-year, boosting confidence and downloads.
• On August 12, Elon Musk launched a public feud, accusing Apple of bias in its App Store rankings, allegedly favoring OpenAI's ChatGPT while suppressing his own products X and Grok. The controversy significantly boosted X's visibility and downloads, which rose 25% month-over-month, propelling it from 37th place into the Top 20.

Apps Outstanding With Downloads on Google Play in August

• Seekho, meaning "learn" in Hindi, gained traction by providing personalized 3–5 minute educational entertainment videos across topics like technology, business, and self-improvement. In early September, it announced a $28 million Series B funding round to develop new formats and AI-driven learning experiences.
• On August 15, Picsart AI announced a partnership with Deutsche Telekom. Users could access Picsart-powered image editing tools for free via the Magenta AI service, and new device purchases included three months of Picsart Pro. This partnership drove a surge in downloads, pushing Picsart AI into the Top 20.

Apps With Surging Revenue on the App Store in August

• Dating apps saw a significant boost in revenue. Tinder Dating App ranked No. 4, Hinge Dating App entered the Top 10, and Bumble Dating App secured No. 18.

Apps With Surging Revenue on Google Play in August

• Online reading apps surged in revenue. GoodNovel performed exceptionally in Indonesia and Thailand, topping the local rankings. In Indonesia alone, it earned $1.64 million. On Google Play's global revenue chart, GoodNovel rose 25 positions to reach No. 17.
• On August 27, JOYY Inc. released its financial report showing Bigo Live generated $355 million in revenue, with strong rebounds in Europe, up 6.5% month-over-month, and steady growth in Southeast Asia, up 3.9% month-over-month, placing it at No. 16 on the chart.
• In May, Strava introduced new subscriber features, including AI-powered route planning and enhanced fairness in leaderboards by removing inaccurate or fraudulent activity records. These updates improved user satisfaction and engagement, helping Strava climb 23 spots to No. 18 in August.

The above are insights into global mobile app launches in August 2025, as well as mobile app revenue and download situations across both the App Store and Google Play.