Worldwide App Store downloads grew 2.4 percent to hit 8.6 billion in the first quarter of 2022, according to data shared today by Sensor Tower (via TechCrunch). Between the App Store and the Google Play store, there were 36.9 billion total app downloads, an increase of 1.4 percent.
As there are far more Android users than iPhone users, there were a much higher number of apps downloaded on Android devices, with Google Play downloads hitting 28.3 billion during the quarter.
TikTok was the most downloaded app on the iPhone and the iPad worldwide, surpassing 70 million App Store downloads. YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook were the other top downloaded apps, which is unchanged from the year-ago quarter.
TikTok has been downloaded more than 3.5 billion times since its launch, and it is the first non-Meta app to hit that milestone. In fact, since the beginning of 2018, no app has surpassed TikTok in downloads, according to Sensor Tower.
As for games, Subway Surfers, Wordle (the original from 2016), Coloring Match, PUBG Mobile, and Roblox were the most downloaded apps. Subway Surfer had more than 15 million downloads during the quarter.
Sensor Tower's full report on the state of the App Store in Q1 2022 can be found on the company's website. [PDF]
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...
I knew it was a lot... but 28 billion downloads... in just 3 months?
Well when there that many Android phones on Earth... I guess I shouldn't be surprised. But still.
Does anyone have a purchases and/or revenue chart? I'd love to see how that compares to free downloads.
???
The report is full of interesting information, clearly displayed. I thought that the chart showing top countries by download was particularly interesting, both in the volumes shown for the top 10 countries, as well as for the differences between the App Store and Google Play in each country. Notice that China is not present in the top 10 because Google Play is not available in China:
Those numbers are crazy! Android totally overshadows iOS yet people still claim that Apple is a monopoly.
The number of apps downloaded to Android devices is ONLY counting Google Play. The actual number is likely even millions higher. Apple’s downloads aren’t even a half of what Google Play is seeing.
Knowing apple marketing team, they are including all app updates in the download numbers
Sensor Tower produced the data and they define what they count in the download numbers. Not sure what say Apple would have over the data Sensor Tower is presenting.
Does anyone else remember when Apple used to give prizes to users when Apple reached certain milestones? They've gotten lazy and complacent (like an old marriage mate who takes the other for granted).
The AppStore has been a confusing nightmare for some time now.
