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Top Downloaded iOS Apps of 2014 Include Minecraft, YouTube, Heads Up and Facebook Messenger

Tuesday December 23, 2014 1:03 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today shared cumulative lists of the best performing apps in the App Store across 2014 with various media sites and on iTunes, highlighting the iPad Top Paid, iPad Top Free, iPhone Top Paid, and iPhone Top Free apps that were most popular with consumers this year.

2014popularapps
The number one free iPhone app in 2014 was Facebook Messenger, which continues to have a two and a half star rating in the App Store due to Facebook's unpopular decision to remove messaging capabilities from the main Facebook app in an effort to get users to download the standalone Facebook Messenger app. Other popular free iPhone apps included Snapchat, Instagram, and Google Maps, with the top 10 listed below.

1. Facebook Messenger
2. Snapchat
3. YouTube
4. Facebook
5. Instagram
6. Pandora Radio
7. Google Maps
8. Flipagram
9. Spotify Music
10. 2048

The number one paid iPhone app in 2014 was popular party game Heads Up!, which was skyrocketed to fame thanks to its multiple appearances on The Ellen Degeneres Show. First launched in 2013, Heads Up! asks players to guess a word based on clues given by friends. Other popular paid iPhone apps included workout app 7 Minute Workout Challenge and photo editing app Afterlight.

1. Heads Up!
2. Minecraft - Pocket Edition
3. Afterlight
4. Plague Inc.
5. Sleep Cycle alarm clock
6. Facetune
7. Cut the Rope 2
8. Bloons TD 5
9. A Dark Room
10. 7 Minute Workout Challenge

The most popular paid iPad app was, unsurprisingly, Minecraft - Pocket Edition, which also ranked as one of the top paid iPhone apps. Minecraft first debuted on iOS in 2011, but since that time, the app has been updated more than 20 times with new features, better graphics, bug fixes, and more. Its constant updates and pervasive popularity have kept it in the top list of apps for several years running. Other popular paid iPad apps were Terraria, Notability, and Minecraft-style apps Survivalcraft and Terraria.

1. Minecraft - Pocket Edition
2. Cut the Rope 2
3. Heads Up!
4. The Room Two
5. Survivalcraft
6. Notability
7. Terraria
8. Plants vs. Zombies HD
9. Hide N Seek : Mini Game With Worldwide Multiplayer
10. Card Wars - Adventure Time

The App Store's most popular free iPad app for 2014 was Google's YouTube app, which is a standalone app that lets users watch YouTube videos on their devices. YouTube used to be included with iOS, but the dedicated app was removed with iOS 6, prompting Google to release an app in 2012. Netflix was the second most downloaded free iPad app in 2014, followed by a calculator app, Skype, and Microsoft Word. Facebook and Facebook Messenger, two of the most popular free iPhone apps, were also popular on the iPad.

1. YouTube
2. Netflix
3. Calculator for iPad Free
4. Skype for iPad
5. Microsoft Word
6. Facebook Messenger
7. Facebook
8. Candy Crush Saga
9. Chrome
10. Clash of Clans

Top grossing apps for the year included Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga, Game of War - Fire Age, Pandora Radio, and Big Fish Casino.

Earlier this month, Apple released its iTunes Store awards, highlighting some of the best apps, music, movies, and TV shows that were released in 2014. Those winning apps included Elevate - Brain Training, Threes!, Pixelmator, and Monument Valley. Of those apps, only two made Apple's top charts for 2014 -- Threes! was the 25th top paid iPhone app while Monument Valley was the 46th top paid iPhone app and 35th top paid iPad app.
[ 68 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

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nav92
46 months ago
It's not like anyone wanted to download the FB Messenger app.
Rating: 29 Votes
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Rafagon
46 months ago
Facebook Messenger doesn't deserve to be on the list...:mad:
Rating: 18 Votes
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xARx2
46 months ago

You don't socialize much, do you? If you have more than 1 friend on Facebook, you'd understand why the Messenger app is a necessity.


Since when did socializing equate to using Facebook?
Rating: 12 Votes
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joshwenke
46 months ago
Most downloaded does NOT mean most liked. For example, Facebook messenger...
Rating: 8 Votes
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mainstreetmark
46 months ago
Sad that 2048, a rip off of Threes! made the list. Every one of you who played 2048 this year now have a duty to pay the original. C'mon - it's $2. That's half a big mac. You don't need the calories anyways. Also, it's made of pony meat.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/threes!/id779157948?mt=8
Rating: 7 Votes
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Michael Goff
46 months ago

It's not like anyone wanted to download the FB Messenger app.


So why did they download it? Did somebody put a gun to their head?
Rating: 5 Votes
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poe diddley
46 months ago
Ugh Fb messenger? As someone above mentioned it was not by choice. Can apple show us a list of most deleted apps? Cause that one would be at the top. I completely deleted all facebook apps from my devices after that bs.
Rating: 5 Votes
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cobbyco
46 months ago
Ugh, 2048 made the list...

Threes! is just so much better.
Rating: 4 Votes
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QCassidy352
46 months ago

You don't socialize much, do you? If you have more than 1 friend on Facebook, you'd understand why the Messenger app is a necessity.


Did the text, email, and phone functions on your iPhone stop working recently? That's the only way I could see FBM being a necessity.
Rating: 4 Votes
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Tubamajuba
46 months ago

I never thought the day would come when angry birds wasnt on a top 10 list. Honestly, I never got what the hype was all about.


I understood the hype... five years ago. I'd probably still understand the hype if Rovio didn't turn every new rehash of Angry Birds into a money-grubbing IAP-fest by making levels insanely difficult without using the mighty eagle.

I was more than happy to pay 99 cents for the original Angry Birds. I was fully prepared to pay another 99 cents for a possible Angry Birds 2, and later on down the road Angry Birds 3, etc. But I'm not going to pay a single cent for something that pesters me to pay more money just to enjoy what I've already paid for.

I know I'm an anomaly, but I'll pay good money for good apps. I have no problems paying $40-60 for Wii U and 3DS games, and I would have no problem paying that kind of money for apps and games that were truly worth it. But I won't even touch a free app that hinders game progress until you buy IAPs. I'm talking about things like the Mighty Eagle, racing games that force you to either wait or spend money to keep playing, and things like that.

I know developers need to feed their families, and I'm more than happy to support them. But for every Monument Valley is 100 Real Racing 3's.
Rating: 3 Votes

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