App Annie has summed up the most popular apps on Apple’s App Store starting all the way back from 2008 to 2018
The iOS App Store was inaugurated ten years ago in 2008, with just 500 apps. Now, Apple’s app repository stores more than 2 million apps, making it the second largest destination for app downloads after Google’s Play Store. To sum up the performance of apps on the iOS App Store over the past decade, and in order to commemorate its 10th anniversary, popular app analytics platform App Annie has curated various lists of the most popular apps since the very beginning of the App Store.
App Annie’s data also shows how user behaviour and app preferences have changed over the past decade. For instance, back in 2010, apps like Documents To Go, Shazam and Quickoffice were the Top Applications by Worldwide Consumer Spend on the iOS App Store, whereas now, apps like Netflix, Tencent Video, Tinder and YouTube make up the top ten apps in the same category. It’s important to know that these lists were created by excluding games on the App Store, which get their own due in a separate list.
Top Applications by Worldwide Consumer Spend on the iOS App Store 2010 Vs 2018
As far as Games are concerned, The Top Games by All-time Worldwide Downloads include, unsurprisingly, Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers, Fruit Ninja, Clash of Clans, Honor of Kings, Minion Rush and more.
The list of Top games on which consumers actually spend their money does not differ too much from the previous list. Top Games by All-time Worldwide Consumer Spend include – Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga, Monster Strike, Honor of Kings, Clash Royale, Pokemon Go and others.
There are separate lists for non-gaming apps by All-time Worldwide Downloads and Consumer Spend. The lists show that while Facebook is the most downloaded app on the App Store, Netflix is the app through which people spend the most. Facebook actually takes up the top two spots on the list for the most downloaded apps of all time and has a total of four apps in this list. While the social network resides on the top of the list, Facebook Messenger comes in at number 2 for the most downloaded app of all time. Other social media and video platforms make up the most downloaded apps’ list, including – Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp Messenger, Google Maps, Skype, and more.
While App Annie’s report goes into a lot of detail about consumer as well as developer behaviour on the App Store, some information stands out. For instance, while games on the App Store account for only 31 percent of downloads, they make up 75 percent of all App Store spending. Another interesting set of data points out that Apple’s App Store generates twice as much consumer spend compared to Google’s Play Store, even though the former has a lower install base.
Signifying app usage behaviour in India, App Annie reports that Indian App Store users install and use an average of 40 apps monthly from the store. Last year, consumers spent a total of $10.6 billion on the App Store, compared to $1.9 billion spent in 2011.
Follow Us
Adamya Sharma
Managing editor, Digit.in - News Junkie, Movie Buff, Tech Whizz! View Full Profile
