Delete This App: Which apps do we most want to ditch?

Between Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, a steady deluge of new streaming services and games hitting the market, and the TikTok era in full effect, mobile app usage has taken some unexpected turns in recent months, according to a new study. .(opens in a new window) by VPNOverview.

Some familiar names – including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok – have taken the top spots in terms of active users, but haven’t grown as fast as new platforms like BeReal and Mastodon have skyrocketed in popularity. In fact, Instagram tops the list as the most popular app that users want to delete despite being the most used app in 2022.

(Credit: VPNOverview)

BeReal took the last spot in the top 20 most used apps thanks to a 268% increase in active users in the second half of 2022, compared to a 9% increase for TikTok. In July, BeReal was the most downloaded app on Apple’s App Store in the United States. Popular with Gen Z, the app encourages users to show their “true selves” online, in contrast to the filtered and staged images found on other platforms.

The social app Mastodon had the biggest increase in active users of any over the last six months, although it didn’t make the top ten list. After Elon Musk’s controversial takeover of Twitter, people looked to new places to exchange ideas and promote his work. Mastodon became that place for many, increasing its active users by 4,231%, while Twitter saw a 2.33% drop.

The Mastodon’s run was short-lived, however. In November and December, the app saw a sharp drop in active users (15.46%) and downloads (53.40%).

Streaming and gaming services have successfully increased downloads with new content releases. When Prime Video was released Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, app downloads increased from an average of 1.6 million per month to 2.3 million between August and September 2022. Paramount+ experienced a similar spike (33.55% increase in active users) in December when it launched Top Gun: Maverick It is 1923O yellowstone prequel. Likewise, Nintendo’s March app update yielded a 76.73% increase in active users.

Other services haven’t fared as well in the last year. Facebook Messenger, a service separate from the main Facebook app, has seen an 80.42% drop in downloads over the last six months, along with a 52% drop in active users. Two other Meta apps, WhatsApp and Instagram, also dropped by 35% and 25% respectively in terms of downloads.

(Credit: VPNOverview)

Clubhouse, a social media app founded in 2020 that thrived during the pandemic, is on its way out: It had the second biggest drop in downloads, nearly 60%. Spotify also had a hit this year. The controversy surrounding the platform’s Joe Rogan podcast spawned viral hashtags like #ByeByeSpotify and #SpotifyDeleted, likely contributing to a 23% drop in downloads.

To determine the numbers here, VPNOverview analyzed search volume using keywordtool.io(opens in a new window) to find out which apps US users most want to delete, searching for keywords like “delete Instagram app” and “deactivate Instagram account” to help us get the complete picture. To determine the number of users actively using the apps daily and the number of users downloading the app daily, VPNOverview used the Similarweb tool(opens in a new window).

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