COVID-19 pandemic hits the world really hard! Restrictions and strict isolation greatly affect humans’ daily activities. We mostly spend the time inside the house– either studying or working. Most people are spending most of their time with their smartphones now. To kill boredom, we tend to download more apps and games.
According to App Annie, the smartphone and mobile device industry are very crucial for working from home. It’s because of the country-wide lockdowns and social distancing measures that we need to follow. The report says that from the first half of 2020, the consumers’ activities changed. Consumers’ attention at home is more on mobile devices for work and for entertainment. It’s the only way that they can still be sociable despite this pandemic.
The company of the iOS App Store and Google Play Store revealed that downloads of apps and games increased by about 10%. It happens in the first half of 2020 compared to the second half of 2019. Plus, there’s an additional 5% downloads annually. Global downloads boosted since April 2020 with an annual 25% increase for the month.
People‘s habits really change. Both platforms earn $50 billion all over the world through apps and games in H1 2020, introducing a 10% increase since H2 2019. In May 2020, people will have a total amount of $6.8 billion. According to the report, the greater spending figures a month is after the increase in downloads. It shows that users are not just simply focusing on using apps but also gaining advantages from mobile services.
Throughout the period, games are the most popular among consumers. It surpassed apps with a 35% increase in April 2020 rather than the typical usage in H2 2019.
Because of this pandemic, we should stay at home as long as we can for our safety, that’s why we lean on smartphones. It is a reasonable way for us to be still connected with other people, to find amusements, and to explore. Moreover, it is our way to get information or news and to be creative by learning things. Mobile adoption is very important in this period. That is why companies should be more focused on working and enhancing mobile features, updates, and launches. This will meet the daily needs of the user or else you will lose to your competitors.
A report shows that there’s a 25% growth in the hours in video streaming apps in H1 2020 rather than in H2 2019. This shows a 220% growth in apps that are helpful to work like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. And also a growth in the number of daily waking hours due to the consumption of smartphones with an average of 20% in 2019 and increases up to 27% in April 2020.
The relationship between consumers and technology got stronger. This is due to the effect of this pandemic wherein social isolation is a must.
The Impact of the Pandemic
We are facing a very serious world problem right now. And consumers are being dependent on apps for communication, shopping, and communication. Moreover, it is important for healthy purposes too.
Consumers keep on finding different ways to manage their lifestyles during this lockdown. And in some cases, they tend to embrace the app economy completely. It is because the only thing that can give them a perfect solution. They lean on it to support them in times of critical situations.
The number of people working through a computer or other devices increased. It is not surprising anymore to see online conferences and video chat apps that are experiencing massive growth. In North America, these apps have risen up to 627% downloads and a 121% growth in daily active users (DAUs).
Video conferencing app Zoom increased its worldwide user base by 300% within just a month. The 500 participants or more can be present in a meeting at any one time. That is why it becomes a well-known option for virtual conferences, religious matters, and even festivals. As we are adjusting to an indoor lifestyle, the booming of the Zoom boom is helpful. It provides hassle-free services regardless of the app’s current data privacy and security scandal.
Soaring Apps Amidst Pandemic
The following App can feel the positive impact of Covid19.
- Roblox- a gaming platform that has now a value of $4 billion. This cross-platform game gained 115 million+ MAUs and 50% are mobile gamers.
- Samurai- an app marketing platform that increases $2.4 million Series A by 212 Ventures. The app features a user acquisition platform and real-time detection of mobile ad fraud. Also, it has a prevention solution and an in-app engagement solution.
- Yolo- a Snap kit app for Q&A on Snapchat gained $8 million. It has 10 million users and is included in the top 100 apps.
- Tiktok- this was popular even before the pandemic but it seriously increased its users now. According to Online Casinos, TikTok influencers are already earning a lot of money per sponsored videos.
Mobile apps tracking the disease are also climbing to app store top charts. A developer stated that the installation of the app increased to 20,000 per hour that has now a million downloads.
Technology continued to be a divisive topic. We can’t deny that technology becomes a question to society due to data security scandals and its effect on mental health. Plus the spread of wrong information. Yet it is important for us to stay connected in a time of crisis and for spreading essential information or news during this lockdown.
This pandemic shows how vulnerable we are without technology and how the apps can keep us sane, busy, and informed. Covid-19 absolutely provides a big impact on the apps’ popularity.
The app industry really benefits during these trying times, and people benefit a lot from them too. People are currently spending an average of 3 hours and 40 minutes per day with apps competing with television. Therefore, Apps is not only about helping someone during inactive times but also a huge business.