South Africa News

The most popular smartphone apps in SA

In South Africa, social media apps tend to dominate the top ten most popular free smartphone applications for Android and iOS. At the same time, games are the most downloaded paid apps on both operating systems.

The data shows that six of the top ten most popular free Android applications are social media apps, as are seven of the top ten most popular on iOS.

WhatsApp Messenger takes the top spot on both Android and iOS. On iOS, TikTok is the second most popular, while on Android, the Google app takes second place.

Other social media apps, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, feature in the top ten free apps for both operating systems.

Social media applications fade in popularity when it comes to the paid application category.

The top-ranked paid app on iOS and Android mirror each other, with the sandbox-style game Minecraft taking the top spot on each operating system.

The only other similarity in the top ten most popular paid Android and iOS apps is Bloons TD 6 — a tower defence game published by Ninja Kiwi.

The most popular free and paid smartphone apps for iOS and Android are listed in the tables that follow.

Most popular free smartphone apps in South Africa
Rank Android iOS
1 WhatsApp Messenger WhatsApp Messenger
2 Google TikTok
3 Facebook Instagram
4 Google Chrome Facebook
5 YouTube YouTube
6 Gmail Bolt
7 Instagram Snapchat
8 Messenger Messenger
9 Google Duo Netflix
10 Samsung Internet Browser Spotify
Most popular paid smartphone apps in South Africa
Rank Android iOS
1 Minecraft Minecraft
2 Geometry Dash Heads Up!
3 Bloons TD 6 Procreate Pocket
4 True Skate Plague Inc.
5 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Bloons TD 6
6 µTorrent Pro Hitman Sniper
7 Farming Simulator 18 The Wonder Weeks
8 Hitman Sniper Roberts Bird Guide 2
9 Torque Pro (OBD 2 & Car) Farming Simulator 20
10 FL Studio Mobile Sasol eBirds Southern Africa

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