An update of the most downloaded free apps for the Apple iPhone in the Caribbean as at April 2016.
What a difference a year makes! Last year June, we updated our findings of most downloaded free software applications (apps) for the Apple iPhone in the Caribbean. In this article, we update those findings. Again, these apps would have been downloaded from the Apple Store, and the data collected was drawn from a number of sources, such as iOSappstats and App Annie, as at 21 Aprl 2016.
Snapchat
In our last review, Snapchat was nowhere on the list; now it is within the top three most downloaded apps for the iPhone in most Caribbean countries. Launched in September 2011, Snapchat began to gain prominence around 2 years ago, and now has over 100 million daily active subscribers, especially those in the 13–34 age demographic (Source: Snapchat). The app is somewhat similar to other instant messaging services, but the ‘snaps’, which could be text, images or video messages, are only accessible for a fixed period of time. Thereafter, they disappear.
WhatsApp Messenger
Instant messaging app, WhatsApp Messenger, continues to be widely popular across the region. Worldwide, it has over a billion subscribers (Source: The Verge). The key features of the app have remained virtually unchanged since last year. However, last week, on or around 14 April, WhatsApp upped the security of communication on that medium by implementing end-to-end encryption of all user messages.
3. Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger still has some traction in the Caribbean, since our 2015 review. Worldwide it has over 900 million active users per month (Source: The Verge), and can see considered Facebook’s answer to WhatsApp and Snapchat. In the app space, Facebook Messenger is considered an add-on, but separate, app to Facebook, but uses the credentials of the latter to sign-in.
4. Facebook
As Facebook membership continues to grow across the region, as recently reported in Snapshot: Facebook membership trends, 2016 update, so are the uses of its mobile app. Worldwide, Facebook has 1.6 billion subscribers, and is trying to uncover new and innovative ways to leverage this enormous network to generate revenue and realise profits.
5. Instagram
The photo and video sharing social network, Instagram, rounds out the top five most downloaded apps in the Caribbean. Worldwide it has over 400 million subscribers, and is especially popular among the 16–24 years age group. (Source: DMR).
image credits: Sean MacEntee (flickr); Twitter (Snapchat); iTunes (WhatsApp); Google Play (Facebook Messenger, Facebook, Instagarm)
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Good thanks. There is a little typo in the Facebook section though as Facebook has 1.6 billion subscribers, not 1.6 million.
Hi David. Thanks for highlighting that typo. I’ve corrected it.