This was first published May 8, in our weekly newsletter Apptopia Insight. To receive insights like this weekly, sign up here.
- Both apps have seen their DAUs plummet in the US
- However, their DAUs are starting to recover globally
- Brazil is coming to the rescue
Temu and SHEIN have seen their app usage suffer as one might expect. Since April 2nd, Temu’s DAUs in the US are -52% and SHEIN’s are -50%. However, check out their global DAUs in the chart below – Temu is almost back to YTD highs! Brazil seems to be saving the day so far. For Temu, Brazil DAUs are +61% since April 2nd, and for SHEIN they are +37%. These two businesses seem to be adapting quickly to the rapidly changing trade environment.
Are you curious which apps the former users of Temu and SHEIN are switching to here in the US? Send us an email to research@apptopia.com and we will tell you.
Temu Worldwide DAUs (YTD)
SHEIN Worldwide DAUs (YTD)
Roblox (RBLX)
In 4Q24, Apptopia’s data showed a significant deceleration in RBLX’s DAUs. The deceleration was so out-of-consensus that we were concerned about sharing it with our customers. It turned out that our data had the right signal all along in 4Q. Now that 1Q25 has come to a close, we are seeing a rebound in RBLX’s data that we read as better than what consensus expects. While January accounted for the best YoY growth in DAUs in 1Q25, both March and April (MTD) are showing sequential improvements in growth.
Uber (UBER)
Apptopia’s data on Uber’s Driver app corresponds very well to Uber’s reported Trips. While we model our MAU data in the Earnings Preview slides, the DAUs data is shown below for consistency with the stocks above. One can see that activity on the Uber Driver app has been increasing sequentially for the past three months, suggesting better-than-expected growth in Trips.
Sea – (SE)
Apptopia’s IAP Revenue (in-app purchase revenue) captures the activity of players when they purchase new game items through the App Store or Google Play. This metric also historically has done a good job of tracking what SE reports for its Digital Entertainment Revenues (Adjusted). As you can see below, Free Fire MAX had a good January, but actually saw a YoY decline in IAP Revenue in March. Free Fire itself was more steady, but put together, 1Q25 ended on a sour note for the Garena franchise.
