Top Ten Free Apps
As we have been stuck at home, our taste in apps have changed. Explore with us what the top ten apps are in 2021 and why they have been so successful.
Published: Monday April 22nd, 2024 12:08pm
The number of smartphone users in 2021 is approximately 3.8 billion worldwide. This is over 50% of the entire global population.
Apps need to be something that will either entertain or aid the user. Therefore, when it comes to apps, the key thing to remember is to optimise your user interface. The more of a breeze the user experience, or UX, the more popular your App will be. Ways to improve your user interface is through responsiveness, ease of navigation, security, easy to find product details or to enter personal details, and fast.
Over 50% of businesses develop apps to increase sales, improve customer experience, and to become competitive in the market.
Top Free Apps on the App Store and Play stores as of June 2021:
Android
- The NHS App
- NHS Track and Trace
- EURO 2020
- Greene King
- PictureThis
- Microsoft Teams
- QR Barcode Scanner
- What3words
- SHEIN
- TikTok
iPhone
- The NHS App
- EURO 2020 App
- NHS Track and Trace
- TikTok
- Google Maps
- Microsoft Teams
- YouTube
- Snapchat
NHS for the Win:
Overall, the NHS app is the number one free app for both Apple and Android users. Since COVID-19 turned the world upside down, people have relied more and more on the NHS. As we begin to regain some of our freedom, the NHS app acts as a vaccine passport and allows you to bypass the long wait times trying to call up to arrange appointments or repeat prescriptions, and much more. With over 5 million users, this app surpasses the NHS track and trace app by far.
The NHS track and trace app, although easy to navigate, has only remained popular due to the government making it compulsory to scan into venues. This would be far more popular if the purpose of the app, to track and trace where outbreaks of coronavirus have come from, was consistently successful. The NHS app works quickly, it is easy to input your information, has clear navigation systems to the information you want to find, and most importantly, it helps you to resolve a lot of personal issues without overwhelming the NHS further with phone calls and having to go to your local GP for every small medical request. Over 8,000 appointments have been booked and 11,000 people registered as organ donors within just a four-day spell.
Excitement for the EUROs:
Meanwhile the EURO 2020 app has had a rapid upsurge due to the upcoming UEFA EUROs. The main selling point of this app is that it provides continuously updated information on upcoming and in progress matches. You can easily find out more about the different teams, groups, matches, tickets and even fantasy football games. The target audience is obviously football fans but is easy to use for anyone. As the 2020 EUROs was postponed until this year, excitement has doubled. Not only does this help you to stay in the know, but it is entertaining, fast, and easy to use.
Social Media:
Apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat are all becoming the fore runners in the social networking realm. 42% of the world’s population use social media. 67% of 18?29-year-olds use Instagram, 81% of 15?25-year-olds use YouTube, 53% of 15?25-year-olds use Snapchat, and the strongest user group for WhatsApp is 25-34. WhatsApp over the last few years has consistently reigned supreme in Britain as the most used messaging app with 81% of Great Britain using the App regularly. Therefore, it is clear to see that the millennial/ gen z demographics are the most targeted audience when it comes to social media demographics. Compared to Facebook, WhatsApp has far better security settings and more personal in how the people you talk to are purely from your own contacts lists and have a much lower track record of being hacked. WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption to keep all message private making it only visible to the participants of the conversation. Meanwhile, Facebook does encrypt messages, but to its server and then again from server to recipient. Also, the delete message feature is very useful.
For The Love of Plants:
PictureThis is a great example of an app that has been recently developed and has caught a lot of steam very quickly. PictureThis is an app that identifies and diagnoses over 10,000 types of plants with 95% accuracy just from a photo. With many of us being couped up at home over the lockdown, many people have started to decorate their homes with more and more pots of leafy joy. This app works quickly and is simple to use for budding garden enthusiasts from ages 4 and up.
As mobile usage becomes an integral part of being a human, apps have never been more important. When deciding a digital media strategy or designing a website, it is always worth considering, ?should I make an App for that??
Overall, the most popular apps in 2021 are ones that help you, educate you or keep you in the know. People want to be well informed and for life to be made easier. If you want your app to do well, consider messaging, educational and helpful features that make your app an asset into the average person’s everyday life. No matter what sector your business falls into, make your app fast, easy to navigate and full of features that will make your customer’s life easier.
If you’re interested in having your own app built, whether it’s for your clients or internal team our team can help.