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Tag: iPhone Apps

  • Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023 | TechCrunch

    Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023 | TechCrunch

    Temu, the Chinese e-commerce company whose app is now attracting longer engagement times than Amazon, is Apple’s most downloaded free app in the U.S. for 2023. The Cupertino-based tech giant today released an App Store feature that showcases the top iPhone apps of the year, free and paid, as measured by app installs — its proxy for overall popularity. This year, apps from Chinese-based companies have taken over spots previously held by U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, as CapCut and TikTok, which hail from Beijing-based ByteDance, came in at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.

    Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4, and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.

    Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.

    The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. tech giants are nearly at a market saturation point, where their apps aren’t as in demand as they were in previous years because many already have them installed. It also points to the growing demand for apps from Chinese firms, like ByteDance, which are attracting younger users’ attention along with government scrutiny, with TikTok being banned from a number of government devices over concerns about its China ties. Montana also attempted to ban TikTok in its state, but that ruling was put on hold by the courts for the time being as TikTok’s lawsuit progresses.

    The negative attention TikTok has received in the year may account for its slip from being the No. 1 app last year to now the No. 5 app. But U.S. consumers haven’t sworn off Chinese apps by the looks of things, given Temu’s No. 1 position. Data from Apptopia, reported by Bloomberg, noted that consumers were spending 18 minutes per day in Temu’s app, compared with 10 minutes in Amazon. Younger users spent even higher amounts of time, at 19 minutes per day, on average. While Temu attracts users with in-app games, its real draw may be its bargain prices — which have more of an appeal during an economic downturn.

    The only other top app in the list not from Meta, Google, or a Chinese firm was Max (formerly HBO Max), which showed up as the No. 3 app by downloads in the U.S.

    The top paid apps list showcases a different market, more often of smaller developers or those building useful productivity tools, creative apps, or utilities that users are willing to pay for. Here, the top 10 included (in order): Shadowrocket, HotSchedules, Procreate Pocket, The Wonder Weeks, 75 Hard, Autosleep Track Sleep on Watch, Goblin Tools, TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome, SkyView, and AnkiMobile Flashcards.

    The top free games, meanwhile, included several of last year’s winners, like Roblox, Call of Duty: Mobile, Subway Surfers, and Parking Jam 3D, as well as some new additions. This list’s No.1 app was MONOPOLY GO!, followed by Roblox (up from No. last year), Royal Match, Subway Surfers (down from No. 2 last year), Gardenscapes, Call of Duty: Mobile (up from No. 8 last year), Block Blast!, Makeover Studio: Makeup Games, Parking Jam 3D (ranked the same as last year), and Survivor!.io.

    The top paid games in the U.S. were led by Microsoft-owned Minecraft, and also included Heads Up!, Geometry Dash, Bloons TD 6, MONOPOLY, Papa’s Freezeria To Go!, Plague Inc., Red’s First Flight, Five Nights at Freddy’s (which became a movie this year, too), and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

    Apple’s feature also includes separate lists of the top iPad apps and games, both free and paid, for the year, as well as top Apple Arcade games. The latter offers the only glimpse into Apple’s subscription gaming store, which is otherwise a black box as it doesn’t feature a Top Charts section like the larger App Store does.

    There’s some overlap in these lists, though streaming apps make a better showing among the free iPad apps. That list includes (in order) Max, YouTube, and Netflix in the top 3 spots and Disney+, Prime Video, and Peacock at No. 5, 8, and 10, respectively. Top iPad games also include more kid-friendly titles, like Toca Life: Hospital (No. 5) and Teach Your Monster to Read (No. 7).

    The complete set of lists are below:

    Top Free iPhone Apps 

    1. Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire
    2. CapCut – Video Editor
    3. Max: Stream HBO, TV, & Movies
    4. Threads, an Instagram app
    5. TikTok
    6. Instagram
    7. Google
    8. YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream
    9. WhatsApp Messenger
    10. Gmail – Email by Google

    Top Paid iPhone Apps 

    1. Shadowrocket
    2. HotSchedules
    3. Procreate Pocket
    4. The Wonder Weeks
    5. 75 Hard
    6. AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch
    7. Goblin Tools
    8. TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome
    9. SkyView
    10. AnkiMobile Flashcards

    Top Free iPhone Games 

    1. MONOPOLY GO!
    2. Roblox
    3. Royal Match
    4. Subway Surfers
    5. Gardenscapes
    6. Call of Duty: Mobile
    7. Block Blast!
    8. Makeover Studio: Makeup Games
    9. Parking Jam 3D
    10. Survivor!.io

    Top Paid iPhone Games 

    1. Minecraft
    2. Heads Up!
    3. Geometry Dash
    4. Bloons TD 6
    5. MONOPOLY
    6. Papa’s Freezeria To Go!
    7. Plague Inc.
    8. Red’s First Flight
    9. Five Nights at Freddy’s
    10. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

    Top Free iPad Apps 

    1. Max: Stream HBO, TV, & Movies
    2. YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream
    3. Netflix
    4. Google Chrome
    5. Disney+
    6. Goodnotes 6
    7. TikTok
    8. Amazon Prime Video
    9. Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire
    10. Peacock TV: Stream TV & Movies

    Top Paid iPad Apps 

    1. Procreate
    2. Shadowrocket
    3. Nomad Sculpt
    4. forScore
    5. Toca Life: Hospital
    6. Bluebeam Revu for iPad
    7. Teach Your Monster to Read
    8. AnkiMobile Flashcards
    9. Endless Paper
    10. ToonSquid

    Top Free iPad Games 

    1. Roblox
    2. Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
    3. Subway Surfers
    4. Royal Match
    5. Among Us!
    6. Duet Cats: Cute Cat Games
    7. Stumble Guys
    8. MONOPOLY GO!
    9. Bridge Race
    10. Gardenscapes

    Top Paid iPad Games 

    1. Minecraft
    2. Geometry Dash
    3. Bloons TD 6
    4. Stardew Valley
    5. MONOPOLY
    6. Five Nights at Freddy’s
    7. Red’s First Flight
    8. Poppy Playtime Chapter 1
    9. Plague Inc.
    10. Garten of Banban 2

    Top Apple Arcade Games 

    1. NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition
    2. Cooking Mama: Cuisine!
    3. Bloons TD 6+
    4. Angry Birds Reloaded
    5. Sneaky Sasquatch
    6. Warped Kart Racers
    7. Hello Kitty Island Adventure
    8. Snake.io+
    9. Fruit Ninja Classic+
    10. Solitaire by MobilityWare+

    Sarah Perez

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  • Is It the Beginning of the End For WhatsApp? – POPSUGAR Australia

    Is It the Beginning of the End For WhatsApp? – POPSUGAR Australia

    Rumour has it, we are over WhatsApp. The messaging app that has more than likely dominated your life for the last decade has been the subject of a culture shift of late, according to The Sunday Times. While it’s still the most popular way to message in the UK, with 73 percent of Brits aged 16-64 using the app, this number has decreased from 75 percent in 2022, according to Sinch Engage.

    Sure, this may seem like an incremental decrease, but iMessage use, Apple iPhone’s text messaging service, continues to rise in popularity worldwide, jumping by 20 percent from 2021-2022. Could this mark the beginning of the end for the infuriating messaging app that has a hold over so many of us? Potentially. Users who have made the leap back to old-fashioned text messages are citing WhatsApp as too anxiety-inducing to maintain. And I kind of agree.

    My partner regularly half-jokes, half-condemns my “always on” mentality. The second my phone lights up with a WhatsApp message, I jump to reply with military efficiency. And I blame the app for fuelling my impeccable response record. The blue ticks, or read receipts, have long been a subject of nightmares. As soon as I open said message, the sender will know I’ve seen it, therefore I feel the pressure to reply immediately. No time for consideration or for carefully constructing a reply. Come rain, shine, or mid-life crisis, my quick response can always be depended upon.

    I’ve tried turning off read receipts before, but the damage was already done. And besides, then how could I tell when my recipient had seen my message? Because despite my frustration at the app, I need to know when my friends have read my vitally important note about the latest “Love Island” drama. While read receipts are available for text messages as well, it seems there is a different user experience. The expectation of WhatsApp, the notifications, the obligation of instant chats feels different somehow.

    I’ve tried switching off the tell-tale sign of my online status too, but it hasn’t curbed my WhatsApp habit. And don’t even get me started on group chats. Having been on multiple hen dos this year, I am a member of way too many to count. Nothing makes my stomach drop quite like “You have been added to [insert cringe-worthy group name here]”. Because the messages are incessant.

    “There might also be a more mindful shift away from WhatsApp that involves people thinking about their needs and their need to not feel accessible 24/7.”

    “The way we communicate ebbs and flows. There are always developments in our communication styles and strategies,” Dr. Jenna Vyas-Lee, clinical psychologist and cofounder of leading mental healthcare clinic Kove, tells POPSUGAR. And it seems we might be getting a little tired of the social platform. “There might also be a more mindful shift away from WhatsApp that involves people thinking about their needs and their need to not feel accessible 24/7.”

    As we become more conscious about the time we spend on our phones, more of us are setting boundaries to live life away from the small screen. “iMessage just feels like a more simple way of communicating,” Leah Adams, 34, tells POPSUGAR of her disdain for the Meta-owned app. “WhatsApp is a constant back-and-forth, whereas iMessage feels more thoughtful and considered. I’ll send a longer text, rather than a short burst on WhatsApp, but this can result in drawn-out conversations taking up more of my time and attention. And I don’t want my life to be ruled by blue ticks.”

    In a world overrun by social networks like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat, WhatsApp is just another one to add to the chaos. “My whole life is on my iPhone, so why would I choose not to message on it directly, and download yet another app?” Leah adds. “It just makes my life a lot easier and it’s one less social network to have to focus on.”

    Much like the Noughties fashion and beauty trends that are making a comeback, Gen-Z’s love of nostalgia may be playing a part in favouring texts. Throwbacks to a time where more of life was spent away from screens and in the moment feel more appealing, especially when constant exposure to a difficult news cycle online can wreak havoc with our mental health.

    “It is really important that we think about our own values. If we are the type of person that thrives from communicating with others and having very fluid, easy communication across 24 hours then always being available through methods such as WhatsApp can be very helpful,” Dr. Jenna Vyas-Lee adds. “However, if we are somebody that needs alone time, downtime then actually making sure that we are putting barriers in and boundaries to protect our needs is imperative. When we do this by being very clear around what’s acceptable, going offline, putting an offline message, letting friends and family know that you won’t be responding after a certain time.”

    While the popularity of WhatsApp isn’t likely to disappear overnight, it is giving me pause for thought in how I value my own time. I’d rather my epitaph didn’t read “Always responded immediately to a WhatsApp blue tick”, thanks very much.

    Joely chilcott

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