Many of the Android apps we recommend aren’t popular in the wider community. Of grade, they’re all excellent—nosotros wouldn’t suggest lousy apps—merely often you can file them into the “niche” category.




For something unlike, let’s take a step back and look at some of the all-time most popular Android apps in the Google Play Store. These are the ones that Android’s 2.viii billion agile users have downloaded most frequently.


A Annotation on Stock Android Apps

We’re not going to include apps that come preloaded on stock Android devices. This ways we’re excluding Google Play Services (10 billion “downloads”), Gmail (9 billion), Google Maps (six.nine billion), YouTube (x billion), and a few others. We also aren’t including apps pre-installed on Samsung phones.


We’ve used AndroidRank’s data to decide the estimated downloads of these popular apps listed below. The numbers in parentheses denote the placement modify from July 2021, when we final updated this list.




1. WhatsApp (+1)


8.413 billion downloads


In July 2018, WhatsApp was 3rd with 2.ix billion downloads. In 2022, it has jumped to first place.


WhatsApp—which is the world’s most popular instant messaging tool—has been under Facebook’s ownership since a $19 billion buyout in early 2014. If y’all don’t fancy using a Facebook-endemic app messaging app, try out one of the many WhatsApp alternatives.


Download:
WhatsApp (Free)




2. Facebook (-ane)

six.95 billion downloads


It’s non surprising to see Facebook as the world’s 2nd-highest downloaded app. Despite seemingly countless scandals, questionable privacy practices, and the #DeleteFacebook movement, information technology withal reigns supreme and is i of the most popular Google store apps.

Not everyone is happy though, every bit this app has 76 million one-star ratings. Perchance information technology’south justified; the app is bloated with pointless features that few people carp to use.


Download:
Facebook (Free, in-app purchases available)




iii. Facebook Messenger (=)




5.67 billion downloads


The presence of Messenger in the third position reinforces the control that Facebook’s empire has over the smartphone app marketplace. Messenger has grown in popularity over the terminal few years, with the increased availability of bots making the service more than useful than ever. It was also in third place in 2021 when we concluding published this list.


This app is now also prophylactic for kids, as you can easily alter your child’southward information and use the Messenger Sleep Way to avert any distractions when they are studying or napping.


Download:
Facebook Messenger (Free, in-app purchases bachelor)




4. Instagram (=)




iv.197 billion downloads


Instagram is yet some other Facebook-endemic app, which the company caused in 2012. It is one of the most downloaded apps on the Play Store, and has significantly fewer negative reviews than its big brother, with just 28 million (out of 121 million) giving the app a single star.

With the latest features like Instagram Reels, the app has merely become much more enjoyable!


Download:
Instagram (Free, in-app purchases bachelor)




5. Garena Free Burn: Binge (New)


Garena Free Fire Rampage


i.2 billion downloads


Launched in 2017, Garena complimentary fire is a mobile battle regal game in which players fight to survive on a shrinking land. The game begins with 50 players flying over an island in an airplane. From the plane, the players tin jump wherever they desire and observe a safe infinite besides as gather equipment to fight the other players. The terminal person to survive on the island wins.


Additionally, the game offers certain social functions, such as adding new friends and chatting with them.


Download:
Garena Free Fire (Free, in-app purchases available)




6. TikTok (-ane)




2.843 billion downloads


TikTok’s ongoing growth shows no signs of abating. The app, which lets users create and share brusque video clips, became immensely popular during the kickoff half of 2020 as the COVID crisis forced people to stay at home.


Information technology bankrupt one billion downloads in July 2019 and has more than doubled in the post-obit two years. If you lot are a creator on the platform, there are several methods you can try to get more fans and followers on TikTok.

Download:
TikTok (Free, in-app purchases available)




7. Subway Surfers (-ane)

i.438 billion downloads


We discover our second game at number seven—and it’due south even so not Processed Trounce Saga! Subway Surfers is an endless runner game that sees y’all flee down a railroad in social club to escape from a police officeholder and his dog.


Download:
Subway Surfers (Free, in-app purchases available)




8. Candy Beat Saga (+7)


1.214 billion downloads


You probably thought Candy Crush Saga would be the virtually popular game in raw downloads, but information technology comes in third. Regardless, 1.2 billion Android users love trying to line upwardly different-colored candies. Peradventure information technology’s fourth dimension to find a new hobby?


Download:
Candy Beat out Saga (Free, in-app purchases available)




9. Snapchat (+i)


1.523 billion downloads


Instagram might be stealing all of Snapchat’s all-time features, but the latter still manages to rack upward more than than 330 one thousand thousand daily users, upwardly from 280 million 12 months ago.


Yet, as a pct of the full downloads on Android and iOS combined, that effigy remains low. Is information technology fourth dimension to commencement worrying well-nigh the app’s future or does the slight increment in rank point to a possible revival?

Download:
Snapchat (Free, in-app purchases available)




x. Spotify (+seven)




1.169 billion downloads


It was perhaps surprising that it took until 2021 for Spotify to make the top 20, and has at present shot up to number 10.


It is yet another company that has benefited enormously from the COVID pandemic, with paid users jumping from 130 million to 160 million over the final 12 months. Indeed, the number has more than doubled since early 2017.


Information technology has 420 one thousand thousand users in total.


Download:
Spotify (Free, subscription available)




eleven. UC Browser (New)




1.00 billion downloads


This free browser has been around for a long time and can be an excellent culling to Chrome due to its fast speed and ease of use. It supports extensions and offers a download director that can assist you in saving multiple files. It has a loftier average rating on the Play Shop of 4.34.


Download
UC Browser (Free)




12. Facebook Lite (-5)

2.537 billion downloads


And we’re back to Facebook. The Lite version of the app is aimed at users with low-end devices (packing 1GB or 2GB of RAM) and those who only take access to 2G information networks. There are a few subtle usability changes, but all the main features are present and work as expected.

Download:
Facebook Lite (Free)




13. Twitter (=)




ane.440 billion downloads


It shouldn’t be a surprise to come across social media apps have several entries in the list of the near popular Play Shop downloads.


Twitter is now the eighth most popular social app. In 2018, it was third behind Facebook and Instagram, merely Snapchat and TikTok take likewise now leapfrogged it.


Download:
Twitter (Costless)




14. My Talking Tom (New)




1.017 billion downloads


A few years ago, My Talking Tom became a viral striking, making ‘Tom’ ane of the near successful animated characters in the app market place. The cat repeats after yous, and in that location are a number of things you lot can do with him, such every bit feeding, bathing, and putting him to sleep.


Performing these steps regularly also allows you to earn coins within the app, which y’all tin can utilize to purchase food, wear, and other items for the cat.


Download:
My Talking Tom (Free)




2.039 billion downloads


Information technology’s not all about social networks and games with pop Android apps. SHAREit is the beginning not-Google productivity app to brand the list. The app offers a way to transfer large files between devices in seconds. Co-ordinate to the developer, it’south over 200 times faster than Bluetooth.

Download:
SHAREit (Free, in-app purchases bachelor)




16. Viber (-three)

1.048 million downloads


Viber offers instant messaging, video calls, 250-person group chats, and encrypted communications. The app is one of the most popular WhatsApp alternatives in Europe and North America, although Asian users however adopt LINE.


Download:
Viber (Free, in-app purchases available)




17. Netflix (-5)




ane.665 billion downloads


Netflix now has most 220 million subscribers. It saw a massive boost throughout 2020, again, thanks to COVID. The service’s blend of original content and old favorites has proved to be a winning formula, although the growth is starting to slow as streaming competition hots upward.


Information technology is the only video-on-demand streaming app to brand the top 20.


Download:
Netflix (Complimentary, subscription required)




18. MX Player (New)


i.086 billion downloads


MX Player is the nearly downloaded Android media player with a bunch of useful features. It has a clean interface and supports almost all codecs and formats available. The app offers a gratuitous and paid version. While the gratis version offers nearly all the features, you will take to bear with the ads. The paid version costs approximately $six.

Download:
MX Player (Free, premium version bachelor)




19. Skype (-3)

1.124 billion downloads


Skype is a fallen behemothic. With the release of Windows xi, Skype is no longer pre-installed on the operating system for the first time in more than a decade. The concern branch is shuttered from August 2021, and it appears that Microsoft Teams is now the company’southward focus. Expect information technology to drop out of the acme 20 in 2023.


Download:
Skype (Free)




20. Telegram (New)

one.48 billion downloads


Telegram was originally launched in 2013, but rose to fame after people became concerned about their online privacy on i of its competitor apps. Y’all tin can create multiple accounts on the app and can access these accounts on different devices.


While it works like its competitors, its most noteworthy feature is end-to-cease encryption. Still, this feature is bachelor in the ‘Secret chats’ section only, where the users are not allowed to take any screenshots or frontward the texts.


Telegram’s market pb pct has been recorded as 6.lxx% in June 2022.

Download:
Telegram (Free)




So what have we learned from this tour through the twenty near popular Android apps as of July 2022? Our conclusions are thus:


  • Claims of Facebook’due south demise are always premature.
  • Entertainment subscription services were the big winners; expect the trend to continue.
  • The online discussions about WhatsApp not being secure for personal data do not seem to affect its ranking in the list.


So now you know what the most popular Android apps are. Exercise you have them all installed on your smartphone?