30 Truly Fascinating App Usage Statistics to Know in 2020
For those searching for new and interesting information on apps, there’s no better place to be than right here. For your amusement and education, we’ve compiled a list of the most important app usage statistics that show just how phone-centric our lives have become.
Mobile apps are not only a source of entertainment; they’re also a source of numerous conveniences, and they can be a lucrative business for those with the right idea. From video games to banking and ride-sharing apps, mobile app development has become one of the most promising industries.
Here’s the list of statistics that show how much time, money, and human resources are involved in the world of mobile apps:
Top 10 App Usage Statistics
Consumers downloaded 204 billion apps in 2019.
In 2020, there should be over 592 million daily app downloads.
The number of mobile app downloads will exceed 250 billion in 2022.
Social media mobile apps are the most used app category.
2% of app users open an app over 100 times per day.
WhatsApp was downloaded over 230 million times during the first three months of 2019.
81% of mobile users have Facebook installed.
51% of US smartphone users avoid downloading apps.
Only 4% of all Android apps are paid.
The iPhone’s App Store has 500 million weekly visits.
Apps, Downloads, and Relevant Statistics
1. 178.1 billion app downloads were registered in 2017.
(App Annie)
During 2017, almost 180 billion app downloads occurred. The number shown represents both free and paid apps, across all mobile platforms. In 2018, that number climbed to 194 billion, only to further increase to 204 billion in 2019.
2. 51% of US smartphone users don’t download apps.
(MindSea)
Around 13% of mobile device users in the US download one app per month. Data on the average app downloads per month shows that just 5% of users download eight or more apps during the same period, while 51% of all US smartphone owners don’t download any apps.
3. 194 billion app downloads were registered in 2018.
(App Annie)
Despite the previous stat, there was still a 9% increase in app downloads between 2017 and 2018.
4. 258.2 billion apps will be downloaded in 2022.
(MindSea)
The numbers shown in the global mobile app market size reports for 2018 are expected to keep rising exponentially in the near future. Industry leaders predict that 2022 will be the year when we exceed 250 billion app downloads.
5. There are more than 592 million daily app downloads in 2020.
(Statista) (App Annie)
Even though exact numbers for daily downloads aren’t available, we can easily calculate how many apps are downloaded each day in 2020. If we add a conservative 6% growth of app downloads to the 2019 numbers, we can estimate that there will be around 216 billion app downloads by the end of 2020. Divide that by the number of days, and we get an average of 592 million app downloads each day.
Mobile App Usage Statistics in 2020
6. 52.2% of all website visits in 2018 came from mobile devices.
(Statista)
People embraced the convenience of mobile internet access as soon as it was offered, and mobile app usage is only going to become more prominent with time, mobile app user statistics show. The shift from desktop to mobile devices has been noticeable for a while. In 2018, according to mobile marketing statistics, 52.2% of all online traffic came from smartphones and tablets.
7. 52% of males over the age of 18 use mobile devices.
(Digital Information World)
39% of them choose smartphones as their content consumption device of choice, while 13% use tablets. Clearly, the potential app user market is immense. Meanwhile, desktops are the primary device for 48% of adult males.
8. 65% of females over the age of 18 use mobile devices.
(Digital Information World)
Female users represent an even bigger part of the mobile device market. Mobile app usage demographics show that 49% of females primarily consume content on their smartphones, while 16% of them choose to do so on tablets. The remaining 35% prefer desktops.
9. 39% of the most frequently used apps are related to social media.
(The Manifest)
The majority of the apps that are used most fall into the social media category. When it comes to usage percentages, 39% are social media apps, 10% are gaming apps, 10% are meant for communication, and 7% are retail-related apps.
When it comes to social media apps, 4 out of top 5 apps in 2019 were Facebook-owned. First place went to WhatsApp Messenger, followed by the Facebook app, and Facebook Messenger. WeChat, which is, according to internet statistics, the fifth most popular social media site, took fourth place, while Instagram ranked fifth.
10. The reach of communication and social mobile app categories in the US is 97.9%.
(Statista)
According to the app usage statistics from September 2019, apps in the communication and social categories have a 97.9% reach among online users in the US, which is even higher than web browsers (97.6%).
11. 81% of mobile users have Facebook installed on their device.
(Digital Information World)
Facebook is the app we’re most likely to have installed on our phones. Statistics show that 81% of all mobile device owners have this app installed, with 46% of them keeping the Facebook app icon on their home screen. As the latest Facebook statistics show, the Facebook Lite app has 200 million active users per month. The most popular app categories for 2019 will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future, it appears.
12. 71% of mobile users have YouTube installed on their device.
(Digital Information World)
The second most popular app among Android and iOS users is YouTube. Almost three-quarters of all mobile device users have this app installed on their phone, and they watch over 40,000 years worth of content annually. One of the reasons behind this is the fact that YouTube is owned by Google, so the app comes pre-installed on Android devices.
13. 68% of mobile users have Facebook Messenger installed on their device.
(Digital Information World)
Facebook’s Messenger app holds the third spot on the app popularity list. According to these mobile app download statistics, users who have the basic app may not care as much about its messaging features.
14. Amazon was voted the most essential app.
(BuildFire)
When asked about essential apps, 35% of US consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 said they couldn’t live without the Amazon mobile app. Boasting more than 1.5 billion active users, Gmail took the second spot, with 30% of those surveyed listing it as essential, while Facebook took the third spot with 29% of those questioned finding it to be a vital part of their daily lives.
15. 98% of app revenue comes from free apps.
(BuildFire)
Facts about apps like this tell us that those thinking of developing a paid app should think twice, as just 2% of the total app revenue can be attributed to this type of app. The rest of the app revenue comes from free apps that implement ads or other income-bringing methods, such as in-game currencies.
How Much Time Do We Devote to Apps?
16. 51% of people check apps on their phone 1–10 times per day.
(The Manifest)
Recent surveys and mobile app usage statistics show that 51% of mobile app users check their apps anywhere between 1 and 10 times a day. 25% of users do so 11–20 times per day, while 2% of them admit to opening apps over 100 times in a single day.
17. An average US consumer spends more time using apps than watching TV.
(Social Media Today)
The downtime habits of an average American have shifted in the last few years. TV used to be our main preoccupation during downtime, but now we spend more time scrolling through mobile apps. The average time spent in front of the TV is 168 minutes per day, while app usage stats show the following numbers:
18. An average person spends 3.7 hours per day in mobile.
(App Annie)
An average person devotes close to an eighth of their day to mobile content consumption, meaning we spend 3.7 hours browsing our mobile devices.
19. Those aged 18–24 spend an average of 3.2 hours in apps.
(Social Media Today)
Young adults are the ones with the highest number of daily app hours. Those between the ages of 18 and 24 spend an average of 96 hours in apps each month. When it comes to the older demographics, mobile app usage by age is as follows:
25–34: 2.6 hours per day, or 85.6 per month
35–44: 2.3 hours per day, or 78.8 per month
45–54: 2.0 hours per day, or 62.7 per month
55–64: 1.8 hours per day, or 55.6 per month
65+: 1.6 hours per day, or 42.1 per month
20. Social media is responsible for 30% of our time spent online.
(Social Media Today)
When it comes to app usage, social media takes the majority of our time. Close to a third of all time spent online is dedicated to these apps. Keep in mind that this accounts for both desktop and mobile visits, although 60% of them are from mobile devices.
Android App Statistics
21. There are 2.85 million apps available for download in the Google Play store.
(AppBrain)
The Google Play store has 2,850,421 mobile apps available to Android users as of February 2020. When the numbers from the final quarter of 2018 are compared to the latest ones, we see that Google increased its app selection by 7.9%.
22. There are just 120,392 paid apps in the Google Play store.
(AppBrain)
4% of all apps available in the Google Play store are paid apps, smartphone apps statistics show.
23. WhatsApp was downloaded 199 million times in 2019’s first quarter.
(Sensor Tower)
During the first quarter of 2019, WhatsApp was the most downloaded Android app, barely missing the 200 million downloads mark. The top five Android apps in the world during the first three months of 2019 were the following:
WhatsApp
Facebook Messenger
TikTok
Facebook
Instagram
24. Netflix is the top-rated Android app of all time.
(apptrace) (Running Wolf’s Rant)
Considering how many apps are downloaded a day, the fact that Netflix’s official app has managed to keep the top spot for as long as it has, with an average rating of 4.0, is highly impressive—especially since the app has over 120,000 ratings. Based on the branding statistics that show the company spent $1.8 billion only on branding in 2018, we’re sure Netflix set aside massive funds for their mobile product as well. According to Running Wolf’s Rant, Netflix has a subscriber base of over 180 million as of April 2020. The company’s app is followed by Minecraft, YouTube, Fortnite, and Microsoft Word as the next top apps in the Android store.
25. The average time spent in the Google Play store is 46 minutes.
(Verto Analytics)
Google Play visitors spend an average of 46 minutes per month in the store. The average number of monthly sessions per user is 42.
iPhone App Usage Stats
26. There are 1.84 million apps available for download in the Apple App Store.
(Statista)
At the end of the last quarter of 2019, 1.84 million mobile apps were available for download to iPhone and iPad users. Compared to the final quarter of 2018, this shows a drop of 3.63% in the number of apps.
27. TikTok was downloaded 33 million times in 2019’s first quarter.
(Sensor Tower)
When it comes to iOS, worldwide mobile device usage stats show that TikTok was the most popular app, with 33 million downloads. Here’s the list of top five iOS apps for January, February, and March of 2019:
TikTok
YouTube
Instagram
WhatsApp
Facebook Messenger
28. An average of 500 million users per week visited the App Store in 2018.
(Business of Apps)
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, announced last year that the company’s App Store reached the major milestone of 500 million weekly visitors.
29. The average time spent in the App Store is 33 minutes per month.
(Verto Analytics)
The average time iPhone/iPad users spend in the App Store is 33 minutes every month, with an average of 13 visits during the same period, iOS app usage stats point out.
30. 3.29 million in-app purchases were made from May 5 to June 5, 2018.
(App Store Connect)
In a single month—from May 5th to June 5th of 2018—3.29 million in-app purchases were made in Apple’s App Store. The total revenue from those purchases was $23 million.
Conclusion
Mobile devices, whether they’re smartphones or tablets, have become items most of us can’t imagine our lives without. The goal behind this list of app usage statistics is to point out how useful these devices can be, how prominent they’ve become, and how much time we can sometimes waste on them. But still, every once in a while, remember to lift your head up, breathe in the fresh air, and forget about technology for just a second.
This article was originally posted by WebsiteBuilder
Last Updated: November 20, 2020