Google Play and Android connect the British public to apps they use every day and cutting-edge AI tools, while helping local developers reach a global audience. By pairing an open platform with secure devices and distribution, the ecosystem builds essential consumer trust, in turn helping developers scale their revenue and drive growth in the UK tech sector.

In a series of factsheets commissioned by Google, we explore the economic impact of the Play and Android ecosystem in the UK and EMEA, and what users themselves say about the safety and security of their devices, as well as the services they access on them.

The Play and Android ecosystem contributes to the UK economy through a mix of direct developer revenues and wider spillover effects across industries. By enabling businesses of all sizes to build, distribute and monetise apps it also supports job creation and drives growth in sectors such as e-commerce, digital media, and the gig economy.

• The Google Play app ecosystem has enabled the creation of 600,000 direct, indirect, and spillover jobs, greater than the staff headcount of the UK’s largest private sector employer.
• In 2025, the Play & Android ecosystem generated £770 million in revenue for developers in the UK, and helped anchor a wider mobile economy worth £104 billion including revenue generated in sectors such as e-commerce, digital media and the gig economy. This is more than three times the value of the UK telecommunications sector.

The analysis also covers the consumer surplus delivered through apps that are free-of-cost, savings on device costs, and the role smartphones play in accessing public services.

Read the UK report here.

Read the polling and modelling methodology note here.