PYMNTS Daily Data Dive: 2016’s Top Apps

According to Nielsen, last year was a big year for digital, including new devices, new apps and the market for virtual reality (VR) devices.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Facebook topped the smartphone app category with 146 million average unique monthly users, up 14 percent over last year. Its sister app, Facebook Messenger, came in second place with nearly 130 million unique monthly users. YouTube came in third, with 113 million.

    Amazon and Instagram saw year-over-year growth in app use of 43 percent and 36 percent, respectively. Other top downloaded apps included Google’s Maps, Search and Play apps, as well as Gmail and Apple Music.

    Smartphone penetration grew to 88 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers by the end of Sept. 2016, with 53 percent of users on Android devices and 45 percent on iOS devices. About 3 percent had a Windows phone or BlackBerry.

    Here are the numbers:

    146 million | Average unique monthly users for Facebook’s smartphone app

    Advertisement: Scroll to Continue

    14 percent | Year-on-year growth in unique Facebook app users over 2015

    130 million | Average unique monthly user for Facebook Messenger

    113 million | YouTube’s average unique monthly users

    43 percent | Year-on-year growth in the use of Amazon’s app

    36 percent | Year-on-year growth in the use of Instagram

    88 percent | U.S. smartphone penetration at the end of Sept. 2016

    53 percent | Users on Android devices

    45 percent | Users on iOS devices

    3 percent | Users with Windows phone or BlackBerry