Updated on December 10, 2021
A study by research firm SensorTower reports that the world’s most popular apps (based on number of downloads) are largely dominated by Facebook. WhatsApp, a messaging app bought a few years ago by Facebook, is the most popular app by far, with 41.2 million global downloads as of May 2016. WhatsApp is followed by Facebook Messenger and Facebook itself.
Below is an infographic listing the most popular apps.
You will find more infographics at Statista
As for which apps I use, I give a rundown below.
I’ve never used the world’s most popular app. I rarely send text messages as it is, and I have unlimited text messages on my smartphone’s data plan. Thus, I don’t need a dedicated app to replicate such functionality.
Messenger
Similar to WhatsApp, I don’t send anyone messages that often on Facebook. Thus, I don’t really need or use this app, which Facebook separated from its main app a few years ago.
I do use Facebook, like almost everyone else. Not that that makes me a fan of the social network, but it serves a few purposes Twitter and Google+ can’t or don’t fill.
Snapchat
It might be my age/background, but I’ve never used Snapchat, or saw a personal use for a service that sends temporary-only photos.
Similar to Snapchat, I’ve never used Instagram. I prefer my photos to be uploaded online as-is, without filters or being shrunk to a square-ish size. Though Instagram’s relented on the latter feature, I’d still rather upload my photos to Google Photos (or very rarely these days, Flickr).
YouTube
I use YouTube’s website on a near-daily basis within a Chrome browser. I sometimes use the YouTube app on my tablet and phone. However, data cap concerns lead me to go easy on using YouTube on my phone.
Uber
I’ve never used Uber, which seems to dominate the ride-sharing space. The few times I’ve used such an app was Uber’s rival, Lyft.
Spotify
I use Spotify on my Chromebook pretty often, and occasionally on my phone as well. I’m currently on their “three months for $1” trial offer, so my Spotify usage has increased lately.
Twitter’s the app on this list I use the most, since it’s also the social network I use the most. I have tried alternate apps, but usually ended up just going back to Twitter’s default app. That said, I’m not thrilled about some of the official Twitter app’s aspects, such as burying the list feature to promote a few other features I never use.
Netflix
Most of my Netflix usage is on my living room TV via my Roku stick, but I also often use Netflix on my tablet.
What are the apps you use the most?
Image by Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay
