Whether they provide services for shopping, listening to music, or simply for entertainment, mobile apps have become an integral part of many people’s daily lives. But which apps are the most popular among users? According to data from a recent report by the Sensor Tower platform, the top 10 most downloaded apps worldwide in the first quarter of 2022 come from Google Play and Apple App Store.
A total of 36.9 billion apps were downloaded in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 1.4 percent compared to the first quarter of 2021. The majority of the top downloaded apps were social media platforms, with Meta and ByteDance claiming six of the top 10.
1 Tiktok entertainment
2 Instagram photo and video
3 Facebook social networks
4 WhatsApp messaging
5 Shopee Shopping
6 Telegram messaging
7 Snapchat photo and video
8 Messenger Messaging
9 CapCut photo and video
10 Spotify Music
Meta’s four platforms on the list are Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger, while ByteDance owns TikTok and video editing platform CapCut. Just outside the top 10 are Zoom and WhatsApp Business (another meta-owned app).
In the first quarter of 2021, TikTok surpassed 3.5 billion downloads, becoming the fifth app (and first non-meta app) to reach this milestone. This is all the more impressive considering the app has been banned in India since June 2020. Before the ban, India accounted for 30 percent of TikTok downloads.
India is not the only country that has banned the use of TikTok. Pakistan has banned TikTok multiple times over concerns about “inappropriate” content. However, it is worth noting that the bans in Pakistan only lasted a few days before they were lifted. Currently, Pakistanis can use the platform.
In addition to being the most downloaded app in the world, TikTok is also the top-grossing non-gaming app based on Q1 2022 revenue on the App Store and Google Play:
1 Tiktok entertainment
2 YouTube photo and video
3 Disney+ entertainment
4 Google One Productivity
5 Tinder lifestyle
6 Piccoma Bücher
7 Tencent video entertainment
8 iQIYI entertainment
9 HBO Max entertainment
10 LINE manga entertainment
TikTok generated an impressive $821 million in consumer spending last quarter. The video-sharing platform was the top-grossing app on the App Store and the second-biggest-grossing app on Google Play, right behind Google One.
Notable: None of the meta-platforms made the top 10 gross revenue list, but these platforms generate a lot of money that doesn’t necessarily flow through the app stores. In 2021, Meta generated more than $117.9 billion in revenue, with over 97% of that coming from ads.
The pandemic had a massive impact on the app market. In 2020, app spend on premium access, in-app purchases and subscriptions increased by 30% year-on-year to $111 billion.
Although COVID-19 restrictions are being eased in most countries around the world, spending on apps isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. Spending is expected to increase to $270 billion by 2025.
