Alexa Tops Apple’s Free App Downloads

A large number of people received Amazon Echoes and Fitbits this holiday season, according to Apple’s App Store, CNBC reported on Thursday (Dec. 26).

Amazon’s Alexa app, which assists users in setting up their devices, topped the App Store’s free apps list. Last week’s top app was Disney+. YouTube took second place this week, followed by Disney+. The Fitbit app, which is used to track and monitor the wearer’s health, ranked seventh.

Other top app downloads included Spotify at eighth, Google Home at ninth and Netflix at 10th. These displaced three different game apps, a tattoo drawing app and Amazon’s mobile app.

The Facebook app, which is usually in the top 10, dropped to 13th place this week. Facebook Messenger, another top 10 app, dropped to 12th. Instagram was the only Facebook-owned app to make the top 10 this week.

YouTube placed second, up from sixth last week, while Snapchat came in at number four, up from eight. TikTok ranked in fifth place, up from fourth last week, and Instagram was sixth, up from seventh.

The Amazon Echo app ranked No. 2 in Google Play, while rival Google Home placed seventh, Fast Company reported. Amazon Echo holds 70 percent of the smart speaker market, while Google Home has 25 percent, according to the Consumer Research Intelligence Partners.

Apple ranked the top apps of 2019 and dubbed the Spectre Camera by Lux Optics as the iPhone app of the year. The iPad app of the year was Flow by Moleskine. Mac’s app of the year was Affinity Publisher (Serif Labs) and the Apple TV app of the year was The Explorers by The Explorers Network.

Companies are vying to become consumers’ “super app,” the everyday app that becomes the entry point for consumers to interact and purchase goods and services as they go about their daily activities.