‘Pokemon Go’ Captures New App Record

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Image Not Available

If Pokemania hasn’t captured your attention yet, this fact from Apple might augment your reality: “Pokemon Go “was downloaded more in its first week than any other app in a first week in the App Store, ever.

Apple didn’t specify just how many downloads that was, though.

However, analytics firm Sensor Tower estimated the downloads at 7.2 million. The first week of “Angry Birds 2” saw 2.2 million downloads; “Candy Crush Jelly Saga,” 1.8 million, Forbes reported.

Since shortly after its July 6 debut, “Pokemon Go” has stayed atop the App Store’s top free apps charts, CNN and other media outlets reported. It’s also on top at the Google Play store, CNN said.

Sensor Tower estimated earlier this week that the Nintendo and Niantic game had been downloaded more than 30 million times on iOS and Android, CNET reported. Used more daily than some of the world’s most established apps, including Facebook, it’s earned more than $35 million in revenue, CNET said.

Players see tiny creatures called Pokemon through their phones, as if they existed in the real world — that’s something called augmented reality. Players have racked up miles walking in an effort to catch them all. That keeps them playing “Pokemon Go” longer than most apps, as well. Sensor Tower says users spend more time on average inside “Pokemon Go” than they do in top apps such as Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter.

The “freemium” game encourages you to shell out real money for virtual “PokeCoins,” in-game currency you use to purchase items to help them catch Pokemon and train the 151 digital critters included in the game. The biggest PokeCoin package available costs about $100 and includes 14,500 coins.

Apple and Google get a cut of any in-app purchases.

Initially launched in New Zealand, Australia and the United States, The Pokémon Company has rolled out the game in more countries, this week in Japan, Tech Crunch reported.

Pokemania likely won’t stop any time soon. Are you joining in or avoiding it?

Share your impressions of the trend in comments below or on our Facebook page.

Get smarter with your money!

Want the best money-news and tips to help you make more and spend less? Then sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter to receive daily updates of personal finance news and advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our free newsletter today.