- Communication tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have seen downloads spike as people are encouraged to stay in their homes due to the coronavirus.
- Some mobile games have also seen a boost from the coronavirus.
- Apps from several years ago, like Houseparty and Words with Friends, are also seeing a resurgence.
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With people forced to work, learn, and socialize from home, apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Houseparty have seen spikes in downloads as they become essential to daily life.
According to SensorTower’s analytics, some of these apps have had downloads increase by more than 1,000% between February and March when most US shelter in place orders were first issued.
Based on SensorTower’s findings, people seem to be downloading tools for remote work and school, social apps for keeping in touch with friends, and simple mobile games. Instacart’s inclusion also makes sense as fears of COVID-19 stop people from venturing out to the grocery store.
Here are the 12 apps with the biggest increases in downloads in the US.
Phone game Slap Kings increased 140%.
This simple single-player game was released in February and became the overall top mobile game in the world in March.
News app News Break has increased 275%.
Coronavirus coverage has given a bump to news ratings across the country.
Grocery delivery app Instacart downloads grew by 296.5%.
In February, Instacart was downloaded 455,000 times, compared to 1.8 million downloads in March. Since the coronavirus put many under stay at home orders, Instacart has been hiring thousands of shoppers, and workers striked for hazard pay and safety gear.
Another news aggregation app, Smart News, grew downloads by 571%.
Words with Friends 2 saw downloads increase by 614%.
A 2017 sequel to the original Words with Friends, shelter in place orders have led to people redownloading the app to connect with friends in other ways.
Microsoft's workplace chat app, Teams, grew by 639%.
Like other remote work apps, COVID-19 has been a boon to Microsoft Teams. In just one week in March, it added 12 million daily active users.
Online learning platform Google Classroom also saw a jump of 661%.
Downloads increased as schools closed and turned to remote learning, despite some students' attempts to get it removed from the app store with one-star reviews.
Video chat app Houseparty saw renewed interest, with a 1072% increase in downloads.
The app originally launched in 2016. It's now regaining popularity as experts warn about the importance of social distancing in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Video chat app Zoom saw downloads grow 1330%.
In February, Zoom was downloaded 783,000, compared to 11.2 million downloads in March, despite security concerns.
Zoom also had the most overall downloads of any app on this list in March, with 11.2 million, nearly twice as many as any other app.
Google Meet, Google's video chat app, grew by 2,746%.
Some extensions and tools make Google Meet more like the video chat app of choice, Zoom.
Spiral Roll downloads increased 3,629%.
The mobile game, which went from just 118,000 downloads in February to 4.4 million in March, was the top downloaded game in the App Store in March.
Finally, Perfect Cream, a mobile game where users decorate cakes, had a whopping 11,844% increase in downloads.
The game, which had the second most downloads in the App Store in March, went from only 36,000 downloads in February to 4.3 million in March.