2010-2019, Four Facebook Apps Topped The Most Popular In The World

18/12/2019

Facebook was founded in 2004. In six years to a decade later, the social giant benefited from being the most popular apps ever.

According to analytics firm App Annie, its data revealed that four of the most-downloaded apps are: Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.

While it's nothing special for Facebook's core app to dominate, as the social giant is the largest there is, but having four of its apps on the top four is a bit of a different story.

While Messenger began as Facebook's chat feature separated from the Facebook core app, both WhatsApp and Instagram were companies acquired by Facebook.

This shows how Facebook is utilizing all of its influence and resources to keep people connect by making them dependent on its services.

Back from 2010 when mobile devices were just about becoming common, up to the modern days where gadgets have intruded beyond people's lives, Facebook is able to get everyone on board its array of networks, and profited from them all.

App Annie - 2010-2019

Facebook as experienced series of mishaps and privacy issues, from the Cambridge Analytica scandal and others. But still, the legal mess isn't affecting how the market perceive its apps.

Of the remaining six apps on the list, Snapchat comes fifth, followed Skype, and then TikTok, one of the fast-growing app from China. They are then followed by UC Browser, also from China, and then YouTube and Twitter.

App Annie said that:

"Communication and social media apps are consumer favorites, accounting for 7 of the top 10 apps by downloads this decade."

"This decade has been a time of remarkable growth for the mobile economy. With a 5% increase in downloads, and 15% growth in consumer spend (excluding third-party Android) year-over-year in 2019 this looks set to continue in 2020."

App Annie - 2010-2019

Then in terms of times spent on apps, video streaming and music apps are topping the list.

Netflix comes first, followed by Tinder as the most successful dating app, to then followed by Pandora Music and Tencent Video. Spotify and YouTube are on the seventh and eighth on the list, respectively.

What makes it interesting is that, none of Facebook's apps made it onto the list of top apps by consumer spend.

And in case of most-downloaded games of the decades, the list is dominated by family-friendly and relatively light games, such as Subway Surfers, Candy Crush Saga, Temple Run 2, My Talking Tom, Clash of Clans, Pou, Hill Climb Racing, Minion Rush, Fruit Ninja, and 8 Ball Pool.

Many of those games were indeed popular back in the days when mobile devices weren't as powerful. Despite the popularity of more complex games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Pokémon Go are becoming a hype, in App Annie's report, the forementioned classic games are still popular.

"Success came from many different places as each of the most downloaded games came from a different company. Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga stand out as the only 2 apps to appear on both the top apps by downloads and consumer spend lists. Monster Strike, Puzzle & Dragons and Fate/Grand Order rounded out the top 5 apps by consumer spend for the decade," said App Annie.