AI Apps & $6B Trends: What’s REALLY Working in 2026

In this episode, we’re joined by Summer Liu, CMO of SocialPeta, one of the leading ad intelligence platforms used by top app developers and marketers worldwide. Summer will break down the latest data from 90K+ advertisers and 1.7B+ ad creatives, revealing what’s actually driving installs, revenue, and scale in 2026. She’ll also share the trends from AI apps and short drama apps to the top-performing ad creatives and strategies across different markets. Must watch, if you're building, growing an app, or finding what to build next. You will discover: ✅ Why micro-drama apps grew 126% YoY and how to replicate their success ✅ The rise of AI apps (Chat, Companions) and winning growth angles ✅ How to find winning creatives and spy on competitors using SocialPeta ✅ Top-performing ad creatives across regions (and why they work) Learn More: Planning to scale your app or game globally? SocialPeta provides deep insights into global advertising trends, localized creatives, and competitive strategies, helping growth teams expand into new markets with confidence. Start your data-driven expansion at https://www.socialpeta.com/. ********************************************* SPONSORS Got tons of freemium users who won’t upgrade? Encore turns free users into paying customers and reduces churn by adding smart, curated affiliate offers at key user moments. Everyone wins with Encore. Learn more at ⁠⁠https://encorekit.com/⁠ ********************************************* Still designing, resizing, and uploading screenshots manually? AppScreens lets you pick from hundreds of high-converting templates, generate for every device size and language in minutes, and upload automatically to directly to App Store Connect and Google Play Console. Trusted by more than 100K developers and ASO experts worldwide. Try it free: ⁠https://appscreens.com/?via=am⁠ ********************************************* Ready to take action? Start exploring AppsFlyer's deep linking suite - coming soon as a standalone solution, independent of their measurement packages → ⁠https://bit.ly/46O7Wgd⁠ ********************************************* CONNECT WITH US: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevepyoung/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stevepyoung Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevepyoung Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AppMastersCo/ Blog: http://www.appmasters.com/blog ***************