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According to App Annie, the average daily hours spent in apps in Q2 2021 for the UK was 3.8 hours – significantly up from pre-lockdown figures (Q2 2019).
In the UK, with restrictions gradually easing over Q2 this year (April 2021), there’s been an evident and notable trend in the top breakout apps by downloads:
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- It’s clear COVID-related apps continue to dominate the UK app market with the NHS App at #1 and NHS COVID app at #2, each jumping up several positions vs Q1 2021. Consumers are increasingly spending a huge amount of their time in these apps for reasons such as, travelling ease, the UK’s track and trace system or information and immunisation.
- The NHS App has been downloaded around 7.2 million times, while the NHS-COVID-19 App has been downloaded around 15 million times on iOS and Google Play Combined in the United Kingdom, as of June 2021.
- The Greene King app, ranked at #9, allows users to view menus, order food/drink and pay all from their phone and shows the appetite of the UK population to get out and resume pre-COVID habits once again.
- Tik Tok continues to dominate the app market, sitting at #4 when it comes to downloads.
- As for top 10 apps by revenue in Q2 2021 in the UK, users flocked to a variety of popular apps across verticals like entertainment, social, messaging and video streaming.
- Disney+ dominates the revenue ranking at #1 in the UK. Consumers are set to spend well over 1 trillion hours on video streaming apps on Android phones alone in 2021, as consumers turn to mobile to stream their favourite shows even while stuck at home during COVID-lockdowns — proving the accessibility of apps can’t be beat, even if your commute is from the bed to the desk to the couch.
Top 10 games by downloads and revenue (Q2 2021)
For gaming, casual games were one of the strongest performing genres.
- At the top of the UK chart is ‘Hair Challenge’ by Turkish developer Rollic Games. The game invites players to navigate obstacles and pick up rewards that extend/dye their hair. It is a female-oriented game similar to High Heels, which was a big hit in Q1 2021.
- As for the top games by revenue in the UK for Q2 2021, the chart is headed by Roblox, which is more like a platform than a single game. Players can meet and socialise and then choose to play a vast range of games-within-a-game.
- Pokémon GO also continues to have an excellent position in the charts ranked #6 by consumer spend. This makes sense as lockdowns have eased up during the last quarter and the game is typically played by walking around outside.
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