Mobile devices and their applications became popular since the creation of the app stores’ distribution model. There is a great variety of apps available and we are inclined to use the best ones, what make it essential to develop apps of distinctive quality. To identify pertinent quality characteristics of mobile applications based on available literature, we conducted a systematic mapping study regarding the quality of mobile applications. It was executed in five search engines: Scopus, IEEE, Web of Science, Engineering Village and ACM. The resulting papers were analyzed in search of occurrences of quality characteristics of mobile applications. At all, 53 papers were analyzed. From the quality characteristics present in ISO/IEC 25010 models, the most cited were usability, performance efficiency, functional suitability, reliability, and contextcoverage. Fifteen extra quality characteristics were also found. The systematic mapping study permitted the formulation of an initial list of quality characteristics, which may be the most pertinent in the context of mobile applications.