Apps
The Top Downloaded Apps in 2022
Most downloaded apps in 2022
Whether it offers services such as ride sharing or just entertainment, mobile apps have become an integral part of many people’s daily lives.
But which app is the most popular among users?
This graph uses data from a recent report from Sensor Tower to show the top 10 apps downloaded from Google Play and the Apple App Store in the first quarter of 2022.
Highest social domination
According to the report, total app downloads in the first quarter of 2022 reached 36.9 billion, an increase of 1.4% from the first quarter of 2021.
Most of the top 10 most downloaded apps are social media platforms, with Meta and Byte Dance holding 6 of the top 10.
The four meta-platforms on the list are Instagram, Facebook, Whats App and Messenger, while Byte Dance has Tik-Tok and the video editing platform Cap Cut.
Outside the top ten are Zoom and WhatsApp Business (another meta-owned app).
| Rank | App | Category |
| 1 | TikTok | Entertainment |
| 2 | Photo and video | |
| 3 | Social networking | |
| 4 | Messaging | |
| 5 | Shopee | Shopping |
| 6 | Telegram | Messaging |
| 7 | Snapchat | Photo and video |
| 8 | Messenger | Messaging |
| 9 | CapCut | Photo and video |
| 10 | Spotify | Music |
TikTok winding road top
In the first quarter of 2021, TikTok became the fifth app (and the first non-meta app) to reach the milestone of over 3.5 billion downloads. This is impressive considering that apps have been banned in India since June 2020. Before the ban, India accounted for 30% of TikTok downloads.
India is not the only country that bans TikTok. Pakistan has repeatedly blocked TikTok due to concerns about “inappropriate” content. However, the ban in Pakistan was only in place for a few days before it was lifted, and Pakistanis now have access to the platform.
Top 10 best selling apps
TikTok is not only the most downloaded app in the world, but also the highest non-game app sales based on App Store and Google Play Q 1 2022 revenue.
TikTok earned $821 million in personal consumption in the last quarter. The video sharing platform was the best-selling app on the App Store and the second best-selling app on Google Play after Google One.
None of the Meta platforms rank in the top ten in terms of total revenue, but these platforms generate a lot of revenue, not necessarily through the app store. In 2021, Meta generated more than $117.9 billion in revenue, more than 97% of which came from advertising.
Growth is not far
The pandemic has had a huge impact on the app market.
In 2020, in-app spending on premium access, in-app purchases, subscriptions and more increased 30% year over year to $111 billion.
Also, while COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed in most parts of the world, spending on apps is unlikely to slow down any time soon. Spending is expected to rise to $270 billion by 2025.