June 9, 2022
Top 5 Most popular iOS apps in 2020

mobile application, often mentioned as a mobile app or just an app, is a computer program or software application created to operate on a mobile device (a phone, or a tablet, or a smartwatch). Mobile apps are indisputably significant nowadays. They can assist with email access, calendar, and contact databases.

Still, all good, useful, and sort of addictive things find their way to users’ hearts and devices easily. The general need for apps caused their prompt expansion into other domains. Popular apps can include GPS and location-based services, order-tracking, mobile games, automation, or purchases. Countless mobile apps are available to the public; some of them require the users to pay, while others are free of charge.

Users can find apps on application distribution platforms such as the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store.

Mobile applications usually represent a contrast to desktop applications, which run on desktop computers, and web applications, which commonly run in mobile web browsers.

What is iOS?

iOS stands for Apple’s mobile operating system for its iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV. To put this simply – an iOS app is a software application developed for usage on Apple’s iOS-powered iPhone devices.

The entire story commenced in 2005 when Steve Jobs started to plan the iPhone. His own words included the phrase – “Shrink the Mac or enlarge the iPod.” As quirky as it might sound, this idea was followed by a contest that led to Scott Forstall’s victory and the creation of an iPhone OS. The rest is history.

January 2020 brought some excellent news for Apple’s originators. Their products have officially reached 1.5 billion active users. This time last year, Apple had 1.4 billion active devices, 900 million of which were iPhones.

The world has bitten the Apple, and it tastes like an enormous revenue.

iOS VS Android

Tale as old as modern time – which mobile operating system is better? iOS and Android users both have substantial grounds to support their choices. Both mobile operating systems have their perks, and both have taken over features from each other over the years. On the other hand, let’s take a peek at it from the engineers’ perspective. The entire app development process differs according to the operating system.

Mobile apps that are running on Android are developed primarily in Java, which is currently one of the most prevalent programming languages in the world. Still, Java requires a lot of coding, which is why there is a more simplistic and concise alternative to it. Another frequently used language for Android developers is Kotlin. Apple’s native mobile app development language Objective-C was one of the first programming languages and was beneficial for creating apps on several devices. A more modern programming language alternative for iOS developers is Swift. It was launched in 2014 and has basically substituted Objective-C.

iOS Development

As for programming languages, for building iOS apps, developers can choose between Objective-C and Swift. Objective-C provides object-oriented capabilities and a dynamic runtime environment. However, Swift is considered to be more functional and includes code that’s less error-prone. With Swift, developers can compile and fix the errors while coding, which can’t be done with ObjectiveCSwift works quicker in comparison to ObjectiveC when it comes to bug testing.

If your team goes for Swift for their iOS app, they’d need to be familiar with Apple Xcode as the toolkit for developing a native app. Apple Xcode enables developers to create mobile and desktop applications. Its usage has many advantages, such as integrated support for Git repositories, a graphical editor for UI, debugging tools, and integrated documentation.

iOS SDK is inevitable since it involves an application programming interface (API). This API works as a link between software applications and the platform they run on. APIs can be developed in many ways and incorporate important programming libraries and tools.

The most popular iOS apps in 2020

The list of the apps most frequently used by iOS users in the past six months includes:

  • Zoom

  • TikTok

  • YouTube

  • Instagram

  • Facebook

Other apps that made it into the top 10 most popular ones are Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Gmail, Cash App, and Amazon Shopping.

  • Zoom – It comes as no surprise that Zoom captured the attention of so many users, having in mind that remote work and frequent online meetings became habitual during the pandemic. This service has gained its popularity primarily thanks to the work from home, which was necessary during most of 2020. Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service that allows many teams, friends, or relatives to stay connected. Collaborating with ease is one of the main objectives of the majority of Zoom’s users. Zoom is versatile and easy to use. This video conferencing app enables its users to connect up to a thousand people on a single call. Approximately 49 people can be on-screen at a time while video chatting.

  • TikTok – It’s not a secret that TikTok has become a global sensation and a sort of Gen Z subculture. According to research conducted in June 2020, the video-sharing application TikTok has nearly 14.8 million daily active users who access it from their iOS devices. As facts & stats enthusiasts might know, TikTok had initially been launched as Douyin in September 2016. And just to put you in perspective about the increasing velocity TikTok is reaching when it comes to collecting consumers – TikTok had one billion downloads in February 2019. Only 8 months later, half of a billion more have arrived. We’re all at least one bit curious about it, admit it.

  • YouTube – As for YouTube, iOS users still choose it more routinely than they use Spotify (although this app easily makes it to the top 15). Are you up for some more numbers and facts? Google acquired YouTube as a way to merge their search and organization competencies with YouTube’s extensive video library. YouTube was bought by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion. And this is why the App Store statistics put YT in the most popular apps – 51% of all YouTube users state they visit this website daily, and 70% of YouTube watch time originates from mobile devices.

  • Instagram – Instagram is well-liked among both Android and iOS users. It was launched a decade ago, and it quickly became THE app for entertainment and communication. This photo-sharing (and video-sharing) platform is beautifully arranged, user-friendly, and completely free of charge. For those who feel keen on learning fun facts, a study has shown that people ages 18-34 use Instagram the most. This group represents over one-half of Instagram’s active accounts all over the world. According to research, there were 120,600,000 Instagram users in the USA In November 2019. This implies that 36.4% of the entire US population uses Instagram.

  • Facebook – iOS mobile app for Facebook was launched in 2008. Android Facebook app came in 2010. FB app counted 2.45 billion users during 2019. iOS mobile app for Facebook was launched in 2008. Android Facebook app came in 2010. FB app counted 2.45 billion users during 2019. Even though it’s been said that Facebook’s popularity started decreasing in 2017, and is still on its downward spiral, Facebook is still the most well-known social networking platform. The principal role of Facebook is to allow users to connect with numerous friends and acquaintances from anywhere in the world.

Must-have iOS apps – Free

The list of the most popular iOS apps contains some of the little digital allies from the App Store that make iOS users more productive, more relaxed, better informed, or more sociable (while remaining socially responsible). However, here are a few more applications iOS users can find compelling. Also, these apps are free of charge.

So, here are a few more examples of what do download and make scrolling through iPhone feel awesome:

  • Google Maps

  • Buffer

  • Zillow

  • Fooducate

  • Dropbox

  • Shazam

  • Duolingo

If you feel like preparing a healthy meal, learning a new language, or if you’re in need of reliable house-market advice, make room on your mobile device for these apps.

What makes an app successful & popular

The usage of Mobile apps represents a significant piece of almost everyone’s life and daily routine. We use different apps to get notified, to connect with others, and for relaxation and entertainment. People use their phones a lot during the day, and 90% of the time spent on those devices includes using various apps.

The struggle to get mobile users’ attention and consideration is very tough, as there are over 2 million different apps in the App Store.

In order for an app to succeed and collect positive reviews from a considerable amount of users, certain aspects need to be combined. The creators need to be familiar with the marketusers, and to focus on the product itself, and its features. Usabilityexcellent performance, and accessibility are some of the crucial points that determine the success of an app. Do you agree that the most popular apps in 2020 have what it takes to meet these criteria?

Are you an iOS user? Let us know which applications you find the most useful or interesting.

A mobile application, often mentioned as a mobile app or just an app, is a computer program or software application created to operate on a mobile device (a phone, or a tablet, or a smartwatch). Mobile apps are indisputably significant nowadays. They can assist with email access, calendar, and contact databases. Still, all good, useful, …