Mobile

These are the most popular South African apps in Apple’s app store

Staff Writer

 ·9 Dec 2018

Apple has unveiled the rankings of the most popular apps on Apple devices this year, led by self-care platforms and ‘Battle Royale’ gaming apps.

According to Apple, the year was dominated by Battle Royale-style games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, which have ‘last-player-standing’ mechanics enticing players to come out on top.

Meanwhile innovative apps like Fabulous, Shine, 10% Happier and Headspace expanded the practice of wellness around the world to make self-care more accessible to users.

Despite the rising popularity of these trends, however, it was more tried-and-true apps that came out on top of the list of most-downloaded.

YouTube emerged as the most downloaded app of the year, followed by Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger and Facebook itself.

These platforms continue to dominate the social media space on Apple devices – though Google products in general are incredibly popular, with five apps from the group (Alphabet) being ranked among the top 20.

This includes Gmail, Google Maps, Google Photos and Google Chrome.

Facebook-owned properties are also extremely popular, with four apps in the top 20, including Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.

Top South African apps

South Africa’s list of top apps reflects similar trends, with WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Facebook Messenger ranked as the top five.

Apps that feature in the South African top 20 include transfer app, Shareit, Taxify, FNB’s Banking App, Takealot, JooX Music, Capitec’s Banking App, DStv Now and Shazam.

The table below outlines the top 20 apps globally, and in South Africa on iOS.

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