"Not TikTok"... Which App Had the Most Downloads Last Year?

Sensor Tower "Instagram is No.1 in Downloads"
Instagram Downloads Up 20% Year-on-Year

Last year, the most downloaded app worldwide was the social networking service (SNS) Instagram.

On the 8th (local time), the British Financial Times (FT) reported, citing data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, that Instagram app downloads reached 768 million last year. This represents a 20% increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, China's ByteDance's TikTok saw 733 million app downloads last year, a 4% increase from the previous year.

Sensor Tower attributed Instagram's surpassing of TikTok to the introduction of Instagram's 'Reels.' Launched in 2020, Reels are posts similar in format to TikTok's short-form videos. Sensor Tower analyzed, "Instagram has combined its basic SNS functions with the popularity of Reels, making it the preferred choice over TikTok in recent years."

Some analysts suggest that TikTok, now in its ninth year, has entered a growth plateau. In the fourth quarter of last year, TikTok's monthly active users (MAU) decreased by 12 million to 1.12 billion. During the same period, Instagram's MAU increased by 13 million to 1.47 billion. However, TikTok users spent an average of 95 minutes on the app, while Instagram users spent 33 minutes less, averaging 62 minutes.

Mark Shmulik, an analyst at the American investment bank Bernstein, said, "With Instagram's introduction of Reels, existing users no longer have the incentive to switch to TikTok," adding, "Influencers also find Instagram more attractive than TikTok." He explained, "TikTok is a great place to become an overnight sensation, but Instagram is a better platform for earning money based on followers."

In the past, Instagram was primarily classified as a photo platform, TikTok for short videos, and YouTube for long videos, but these distinctions are now becoming blurred. Instagram continues to add various options and features, such as extending the length of Reels, enabling filter use, and allowing downloads.

Meanwhile, in the United States, on the 5th, 20 members of the House of Representatives introduced a bill to either ban TikTok's service in the U.S. or require the sale of TikTok. The bill mandates that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, divest TikTok within 165 days, and if not complied with, TikTok's service would become illegal. Currently, there are approximately 170 million TikTok users in the U.S.