Appy Valentines Day
We use our phones at work, at home, on the street, while we’re eating, in bed, and even in our cars. You might be reading this from a mobile device right now. The average smartphone user spends 2 hours and 15 minutes each day using apps and 70% of that time is used on their top 3 apps. But just what are the most downloaded apps of the decade? We list them below.
Mobile Apps have genuinely transformed individuals, businesses and society as a whole, for good and bad. When the App Store officially launched in July 2008 and the Google Play store in October of the same year no one could have anticipated the impact of mobile apps and our constant interaction and use of them.
We now take rides from strangers via ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Lyft, we rent other people’s homes through Airbnb instead of booking hotels. We also play console-quality video games on our phones with Apple Arcade and have spent endless hours playing Candy Crush Saga or Angry birds, the latter which was released in December 2009.
The number of mobile app downloads in 2019 alone, was 204 billion. This doesn’t take into consideration reinstalls or upgrades. Below is a list of the most downloaded apps in the last decade
10. Twitter – Established in 2006, the social media platform has over 1 billion downloads in the last decade. 80% of Twitter users access the platform on a mobile device, and 93% of video views are on mobile. Did you know the most used emoji in tweets is “Face with Tears of Joy” (used more than 2.7 billion times)
9. YouTube – YouTube was downloaded 1.3 billion times, and is the highest-ranking Google app on the list. Where is the first place one goes for video content online? YouTube’s prominent place in the app landscape looks safe for now. The first video ever on YouTube was posted in 2005 from the San Diego Zoo and 37% of all mobile internet traffic belongs to YouTube.
8. Skype – Video-calling app Skype was downloaded 1.4 billion times over the decade. It was acquired by Microsoft in 2012 and got a major upgrade in 2017 to stay competitive against Facebook Messenger.
7. Snapchat – Snapchat with 1,5 billion downloads to date was launched from a dorm room in 2011 and quickly became one of the most-downloaded apps of the decade. Statista reports that, as of January 2019, 60% of users on the platform were female and 38% were male
6.. Tik Tok – The app dubbed ‘ a new and improved Vine’ is a relatively new entry to the market but has already garnered 1,8 billion downloads since 2016. In late September 2018, TikTok accounted for 30% of App Store downloads of top-ranking apps (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat), rising to 42% a month later.
5. Uber – This ridesharing mobile app connects riders with drivers in just a couple of clicks and charges the rider’s credit card automatically. Uber has completed more than 5 billion rides to date and operates in 80 countries. Uber Eats and the Uber air on-demand helicopter service are cementing Uber’s place in the app market.
4. Instagram – Instagram has 2.7 billion downloads, nearly twice as many as Snapchat at No 5. Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion.
3. WhatsApp Messenger – The free, cross-platform messaging service that is hugely popular around the world is one of the most popular apps. Established in May 2009, Whatsapp brought connecting with family and friends in different time zones, seamlessly, using secure end-to-end encryption to prevent your conversations from getting into the wrong hands. It has 4,3 billion downloads in the last decade alone. Whatsapp was also acquired by Facebook.
2. Facebook Messenger – Facebook Messenger, another messaging service owned by Facebook that spun out of its in-app chat feature, beat out WhatsApp with 4.4 billion downloads
1. Facebook – Facebook tops this list with a whopping 4.6 billion downloads over the last 10 years.
1. Namola – Namola is a fast, simple way to get the assistance you need as quickly as possible in an emergency. Pushing a single button will contact a call centre who will call you back within minutes (and sometimes sooner) to dispatch the right help from nearby police, paramedics or other emergency responders.
2. EskomSePush – Load Shedding App
EskomSePush is now the most downloaded application on the South African iOS App store, and the second most downloaded application, behind WhatsApp, in the South African Google Play Store. This app keeps one updated on exactly you will be without power
3. Bottles App – A simple concept, executed well. Need alcohol? Open the app, type in your order and they will deliver within 60 minutes. It’s great for weekend get-togethers, braais, sports matches or those parties that go on so long that the drinks run out.
4. Snapscan – It’s fast, supports credit and debit cards and is currently accepted by 40,000 merchants across the country. It incorporates cutting-edge fraud protection technology, making it an easy, secure essential.
Other apps that have reshaped society as we know it:
Tinder – Tinder made online dating way more accessible. It also sort of cheapened the experience, depending on who you ask. Either way, “swipe right” is now part of our vernacular.
Spotify – Established in October 2008, the platform made the whole concept of a limitless cloud-based music library reality during this decade, when it gained most of its subscribers. Spotify helped the music industry regain its footing.
Mint – Mint, Intuit’s personal finances apps, is one of the most well-known personal finance apps that provides your complete financial picture in one place. Once you link your credit and debit cards to your account, Mint pulls your transactions, categorises them and shows how you’re spending your money.
Airbnb – Thanks to Airbnb, it’s never been easier to find a cheap place to stay nearly anywhere in the world.
WeChat – One of the keys to WeChat’s success is that it’s much more than just a messaging app. You can use WeChat to play games, send money, make video calls, hail a taxi, order food, buy movie tickets, read the news, book a doctor appointment, and more. For millions of people in China, it’s the first app they open in the morning and the last one they look at before bed.
Google Drive – A cloud-based storage system for your files. It is one of the reasons you don’t have to carry around a flash drive with you 24/7 anymore.
Nike+ – It has the tools you need to run better, including GPS run tracking; audio-guided runs; weekly, monthly and custom distance challenges; customised coaching plans for your goals; and nonstop motivation from your friends.
Pokemon Go – The 2016 augmented reality app that lets you catch Pokémon and face off against other players. It allowed people to embrace AR (Augmented Reality) for the first time.
Slack – Its workspaces allow you to organise communications by channels for group discussions and allows for private messages to share information, files, and more all in one place.
