Medicare plans to pay health tech companies for wearables, apps, and telehealth technology that improves patient outcomes via a new pilot program aimed to begin in July 2026. The government’s willingness to pay for digital health solutions signals a meaningful shift toward making these tools part of standard clinical care. But health tech makers need to prove their tools improve patient outcomes to make it into the pilot program.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss what OpenAI as the next big operating system maker looks like, how they might make money from this, which integrated apps will become most popular inside ChatGPT, and how this potential super app could impact consumer AI devices. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Analyst, Grace Harmon, and Principal Analyst, Yory Wurmser. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Youth banking is a gateway to long-term customer relationships. But many financial institutions (FIs) miss out on properly building these relationships, per The Financial Brand. While it’s important to tailor marketing campaigns to young customers and their parents, the courting shouldn’t end with account openings. The longest-term customer—a Gen Alpha at the very beginning of their banking journey—will eventually make their own decisions about where to bank. If they’ve enjoyed using an FI’s app and resources and feel like the FI understands them and their needs, they may stay put.

According to a recent Bank of America survey and a KNPX News report, 55% of Gen Zers have more than one source of income. Products like side-hustle savings accounts help track multiple income sources, automate tax withholdings, and separate business expenses from personal finances. Banks must move away from the traditional model built around a single, consistent paycheck. This means offering flexible products that adapt to fluctuating incomes as well as considering customers’ overall financial health—including side-hustle income—when making lending decisions.

The news: 46% of US adults check their phones between 10 and 50 times per day, per a YouGov survey, presenting brands with a strong opportunity to create sticky, habit-forming mobile experiences. Sixty-four percent of survey respondents have at least one paid mobile app subscription, showing that consumers are willing to pay if apps provide solutions to users’ needs. Our take: B2C marketers looking to drive subscriptions or paid features need to ensure apps deliver immediate, ongoing value that users will turn to daily. For apps that can’t hit the bar of essential utility, a freemium or ad-supported model can offer more realistic monetization paths.

The news: 88% of mobile app ad spend is concentrated on Google and Meta, per Moloco’s Performance Through Independence report, despite high user engagement with independent apps. Advertisers who diversified their ad mix beyond the two Big Tech giants saw return on ad spend (ROAS) improve by up to 214%. Our take: Independent mobile apps offer untapped ROI. Reducing reliance on Google and Meta by diversifying mobile app spend could boost reach, hedge against platform risks, and better align with user behavior, especially as privacy challenges threaten to reshape targeting and measurement.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss Meta’s capacity to weather the tariff climate, how Meta plans to redefine advertising, and what happens if it is forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Vice President and Principal Analyst Jasmine Enberg, and Senior Analyst Minda Smiley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Our fifth annual study ranks Canada’s top seven banks on mobile app innovation, based on an exclusive survey about what features consumers value most.

With 82% of trials starting on day one, apps that don’t convert fast—and lock in long-term plans—rarely break $1,000/month within two years.

The mobile landscape is rapidly evolving, and a strong mobile strategy is essential for B2C brands. Brands must prioritize a unified mobile approach to stay competitive, according to new research from Airship in partnership with EMARKETER based on an October 2024 survey of 120 B2C global brands.

TikTok’s temporarily shut down sparked concerns over political influence. Advertisers and users face mounting uncertainty over the app’s future.

86% of US adults have used self-checkout, and 70% have used mobile apps for shopping, per a September 2024 study from Morning Consult.

Capturing 88% of search traffic and 65.8% of browser use, Google shapes digital activity, though rising AI competitors and regulatory risks may challenge its supremacy.

By streamlining workflows with integrated genAI, Dia targets professionals and power users, but its success depends on pulling users away from entrenched defaults.

The final version of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Section 1033 rule clarifies how financial institutions and apps must protect and share customer data.

By using Siri and the Matter standard, Apple could dominate the IoT market with a seamless smart home ecosystem.

Leading cash-back credit cards need to drive acquisition in a cutthroat segment of the card market. Our exclusive consumer survey data reveals which emerging features issuers should invest in to win over customers.

Glitchy digital experiences—“digital friction”—send many frustrated customers in search of a new bank. We explore ways to avoid this problem.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the social media platform that actually gets the most attention from Gen Z, why millennials are losing their native social app, the one boomers are adding to their smartphones the fastest, and more. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson and our analyst Paola Flores-Marquez.