If we weren’t already rushing towards a time where our phones and other screens would be a permanent extension of ourselves, there’s no doubt that the pandemic ushered us there much quicker. Life became increasingly home bound, and it was out of necessity that apps like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams surged in popularity and usage. Apps changed not just the way we worked and stayed in touch with our friends and family, but also revamped education and learning, shopping for groceries, food delivery, entertainment, health and fitness. Despite the world opening up post-covid almost two years ago, our screen time and habits haven’t necessarily reverted to older ways. Online access has allowed for a lot more ease, flexibility and wider choice in so many aspects of our lives that we continue to primarily use some of the most popular apps in so many ways.

According to some estimates by Sensor Tower, as reported by Moneycontrol social platforms, e-commerce and mobile games have topped India’s lists of downloaded apps, both on Google Play as well as Apple App Store.

Android Apps

India’s most downloaded Android apps include Instagram at the very top of the list, with a whopping 188.9 million downloads, which indicates a 16% growth since last year. Indian social commerce and shopping website Meesho jumps into 2nd place with 186.7 million downloads, followed by Shopsy which saw the greatest increase of 652% with 156.5 million downloads. The only app in the top-10 list that saw a decline was Snapchat, with a 6% decrease in downloads but still holding fourth position. Ludo King, PhonePe, TrueCaller, Facebook, Whatsapp Business round off the list, confirming users’ reliance on apps for entertainment, communication and retail.

iOS Apps

On the iOS side of things, topping the most downloaded apps list sees Whatsapp leading the way with 6 million downloads, which is 5% more than last year. Instagram, Google Pay and Snapchat follow suit at 5.6 million, 4.2 million and 4 million downloads each – all significantly higher than the year before. Amazon, Spotify and Hotstar feature next – each at 3.5 million downloads – in a significant step up from last year’s figures. The iOS list is rounded off by Telegram and PhonePe at 3.5 and 3.4 million downloads respectively.

Consumer spends

In terms of mobile app spends the Indian consumer put away $650.8 million, and as per trends and analysis it was largely directed at mobile games. Google Play earned $466.7 million through consumer spends, whereas the App Store stood at $184.1 million.

It’s clear that the consumer/user is turning to increased app usage for everything from managing daily tasks such as communication, networking, shopping and planning, to more esoteric, personal pursuits like personal growth through mindfulness, meditation, exercise and productivity tools.