76% of Digital Time Is In-App: What Brands Need to Know
According to eMarketer’s 2026 projections, in-app environments, which include Mobile In-App and CTV, now account for 76% of total digital time spent. More than three-quarters of all digital attention.
The 2026 Reality of Digital Time Spent
In 2026, Mobile In-App accounts for 45% of total digital time spent, while CTV represents 31%. Together, they dominate the digital landscape. Desktop and laptop usage continues to decline, representing just 12% of digital time, while mobile web has fallen to only 3%. Other connected devices account for 9%.
The story is unmistakable. Consumers are not browsing the open web the way they once did. They are spending more time and engaging more in apps.
Why In-App Continues to Gain Share
Apps have become the default interface for daily digital behavior. Streaming platforms, social networks, retail ecosystems, gaming, financial services, lifestyle platforms, utility apps, and weather apps all operate within app environments. Apps provide persistent logins, personalization, smoother user experiences, and closed ecosystems that reduce friction. Consumers return to them repeatedly throughout the day.
CTV is no longer considered emerging. It is core. At 31% of total digital time spent, CTV now accounts for significantly more time than desktop. Streaming is app-based, and that reality has permanently shifted how content is consumed in the living room.
At the same time, mobile web continues to lose ground. Its share has declined from 3.9% of digital time in 2024 to a projected 3% in 2026. This erosion is not accidental. AI-driven search experiences are fundamentally changing browsing behavior. AI summaries and answer engines reduce the need for users to click through to publisher sites. Zero-click results keep consumers within search platforms. As AI becomes more embedded in discovery, traditional web traffic is expected to decline further.
What This Means for Advertisers
Consumers are living increasingly digital lives, and 76% of that time now happens in apps. Media strategies should reflect where that time is spent.
If media investment remains disproportionately focused on web environments while attention continues to consolidate in-app, a growing misalignment emerges between supply and strategy. For brands seeking reach, engagement, and performance, this shift demands reallocation.
How MobileFuse Aligns With the Shift
MobileFuse is built for the app economy. Our infrastructure was designed for in-app and CTV over a decade ago, not adapted from web-based technology.
Because the majority of consumer digital time is spent within apps, our foundation aligns brands with how media is actually consumed today. That in-app core delivers stronger signals, better identity, and premium supply, advantages we extend across mobile web and desktop to power true cross-screen performance.
The Bottom Line
The data are clear. The question for brands and media planners is simple: Is your media mix aligned with where consumers actually spend their time?
