Last Thursday, comScore released their 2017 U.S. Mobile App Report, which covers application usage among various demographics in the country. Facebook and Google came out on top with their respective product catalogs, and Snap and Pandora managed to squeeze in among young users.
The mobile app landscape is an ever-changing one, with the usual suspects always adding new features and getting makeovers; and the occasional underdog that makes the top ranks and has to fight for its right to prevail among the fierce competition from established powerhouses.
ComScore analyzes app growth and activity among different demographic groups, as well as stand-alone behavioral trends like installation, deletion, daily time spent online, and phone operation. Here are a couple of the most noteworthy takeaways.
Five fast facts about #millennial #mobile app usage: https://t.co/leNSZEsWfd. pic.twitter.com/Ul1QcMOA35
— comScore, Inc. (@comScore) August 25, 2017
Essential apps for Millennials and most popular apps in the U.S.
A survey by the social media analytics firm asking users over 18 years old for the top 3 apps they can’t go without, resulted in a list of 10 apps deemed the “most essential” among millennials.
Surprisingly, Amazon’s official app took the top spot, with 35% of respondents saying they have it on their home screen. Next up was Gmail at 30% and Facebook with 29% to complete the top three.
Facebook Messenger followed with 18%, then YouTube with 16% and Google Maps with 14%. The remaining four apps, all products one would’ve thought would be at the top, sit at the bottom of the list with 11% adoption each: Google Search, Apple App Store, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
The story is not that different in America as a whole. The Top 10 Mobile Apps by Penetration of App Audience survey results paint a general picture of the state of affairs among American users of all ages.
Facebook, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Google Search, Google Maps, Instagram, Snapchat, Google Play, Gmail, and Pandora made the top ranks of most likely apps to be installed on any given user’s device in the United States.
"Snapchat is still bigger than Instagram for younger U.S. millennials:" https://t.co/RFKvrSrEzv (via @Recode). #mobile #millennials
— comScore, Inc. (@comScore) August 25, 2017
U.S. Mobile App Reports: Interesting takeaways
Among other facts that we can gather based on the evidence offered by comScore, we find that Snapchat is still thriving among young users but cannot gain ground with older audiences; unlike Instagram whose penetration reaches the 35 to 54 demographic in a comfortable spot.
The average time an American user spends visiting apps is 2.3 hours a day, with millennials reaching 3.2 hours and those over 65 years old only browsing for a little over an hour and a half each day.
63% of young users check notifications immediately after they receive them, 74% open an app first whenever they feel bored, and 76% feel their phones would be useless without apps. Interestingly enough, they are also swift to discard them, as 21% of people said they would delete an app if the icon looked ugly on the home screen.
Source: ComScore
