As the global social distancing trilogy continues, we’re all starting to feel the effects of pandemic-induced societal reclusiveness syndrome (or boredom for short).
The need to reach out and be seen is stronger than ever, with viral content, social networking, online communication and all-around moment-sharing rising to meteoric proportions. We’re twerking and trolling for our own sanity here people!
So, while this comes as no surprise, 2021’s most downloaded app was (once again) TikTok. Out of the 1.96 million apps available for download on the App Store, TikTok steamrolled the competition and took the top spot for a second year running.
The World's Most Downloaded App
A few months back TikTok hit 1 billion active users, with media giant YouTube, its main competitor (arguably?), trailing behind them at around 845 million. This is a landslide engagement victory for a company that’s only been around since 2016. So what makes TikTok so powerful and how does it bring in unbelievable download volumes year after year?
A Voice for a New Generation: TokTok has succeeded in speaking to an entirely new generation of consumers like no other platform on earth. Generation Z (for the most part) content creators and subscribers are able to express themselves and share content that speaks to their community, away from Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat. TikTok has managed to align and unite this coming of age generation to maximum effect and, with 2.47 billion people (or 32% of the global population) gaining ever-increasing spending power, more brands are taking to TikTok than ever before.
Here are some of the features that make TikTok a must-have app for 2022.
Personalized Video Feeds: From sports and fashion to DIY and food, TikTok finds what you like, and delivers it straight to your personal feed, meaning tailored and curated content, 24/7.
Content Creation: It’s incredibly easy to edit and upload content on TikTok. You can send videos to the app from your device, or use the TikTok camera and record in-app.
Special Effects: You can make your videos “POP” and go viral in an instant with a bunch of different editing and customization tools, including cool special effects, filters, and background music. You can even use Augmented Reality.
Which Apps Are Climbing the Ranks?
Okay so given the state of the world and the remote working, interacting, living situation, these picks for some other leading apps are pretty accurate. Our combined hierarchy of needs seems to be social engagement, human connection, online entertainment, perhaps a bit of self-betterment, as well as less important stuff like air, food, water and shelter. So which apps got the most downloads this year, other than TikTok?
Well, Netflix bagged 20 million downloads for their Video on Demand service while Tinder, everyone's favourite, soul-crushing dating app reached 6.5 million monthly downloads in May 2021. Spotify got 3.8 million downloads whereas Amazon drop-shipped their way into the heart of the world with 41 million downloads and counting.
Some other key players who took a memorable chunk of 2021’s total App downloads include Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, PUBG Mobile and Instagram.
What is the most downloaded app of all time?
Well for a while there (as in the better part of a decade) FaceBook would have been the simple answer, BUT, guess what? TikTok has officially overtaken them as the world’s most downloaded app of all time.
TikTok was downloaded 1 billion times. Whatsapp came in second with 650 million downloads while FaceBook took 540 million. Then there was Instagram, with 504 million.
The thing is, these facts can be misleading because FaceBook isn't just Facebook. It’s also Whatsapp and Instagram. So, while Tiktok pulled in more downloads than any singular app has ever managed to pull off, Facebook still gets the last laugh with around two billion downloads for all of their apps combined.
That said, it does seem like TikTok is only just starting to hit its optimum momentum and, as the platform continues to roll out further features, integrated AR capability and similar, in time to come, they may just wipe the floor with Facebook and all of their flagship brands.
What is the most downloaded game ever on the app store?
It’s strange to even say this, but…out of all the graphically enhanced, story-driven, character-rich games on the mobile market, the title for the most downloaded game of all time goes to Candy Crush Saga!
Released back in 2012, Candy Crush Saga has managed to amass a staggering 2.7 Billion downloads, staying red-hot and top of the global mobile gaming charts for 5 years straight.
The game is super simple to play, but VERY addictive once you get the hang of it. All you need to do is complete a bunch of different levels (there’s 10 700, by the way) by matching and swapping colourful pieces of candy to make matches. The more matches you make, the more candies get eliminated from the grid.
Some other notable mentions for the most downloaded mobile games for iOS of the last decade include Subway Surfers, Temple Run 2, Clash of Clans and Among Us. Lastly, no one can forget Pokémon GO. You know, that time we were all stumbling into oncoming traffic trying to catch a Charizard or whatever?