This post has been corrected.
Next week, Apple will—most likely—be announcing new versions of the iPhone and iPad, along with releasing the newest version of its mobile operating system iOS 9. It remains to be seen whether a new operating system or new devices will affect the types of apps we download. But a new report from app-tracking firm App Annie shows that our habits on our iOS devices haven’t changed much over the years.
Facebook—first released in 2008—is the most downloaded app in the world of all time, and Candy Crush Saga, which debuted November 2012, is the most downloaded game ever.
According to App Annie, which tracks the app stores in each country daily, US iPhone users have downloaded the top 10 apps of all time the most. The US dominated revenue earned for game downloads as well, apart from two games—Puzzle & Dragon and Monster Strike—where the Japanese spent the most. App Annie also said Apple’s Pages app is the only app on the list that doesn’t have a free version or in-app purchases (meaning it made all its revenue from people buying the app). Facebook-owned apps accounted for 40% of the most downloaded apps, a week after the company announced 1 billion people accessed the social network in a single day. Facebook also happens to be the only app in the top downloads chart that’s lasted since the initial launch of the App Store in 2008.
If you’re producing a casual game, a messaging app or a dating app for the next iPhone, you can hold out some hope that your app, like some of these enduring success stories, might just make it too:
Game downloads
| Game | Release date |
|---|---|
| Candy Crush Saga | November 2012 |
| Fruit Ninja | April 2010 |
| Angry Birds | December 2009 |
| Subway Surfers | May 2012 |
| Despicable Me | June 2013 |
| Clash of Clans | June 2012 |
| Temple Run | August 2011 |
| Angry Birds Rio | March 2011 |
| Temple Run 2 | January 2013 |
| Words With Friends | July 2009 |
App downloads
| App | Release date |
|---|---|
| July 2008 | |
| Facebook Messenger | August 2011 |
| YouTube | September 2012 |
| October 2010 | |
| Skype | March 2009 |
| May 2009 | |
| Find My iPhone | June 2010 |
| Google Maps | December 2012 |
| October 2009 | |
| iTunes U | January 2012 |
Games by revenue
| Game | Release date |
|---|---|
| Clash of Clans | June 2012 |
| Candy Crush Saga | November 2012 |
| Puzzle & Dragons | February 2012 |
| Game of War — Fire Age | July 2013 |
| Monster Strike | September 2013 |
| Hay Day | June 2012 |
| Boom Beach | March 2014 |
| Slotomania | November 2011 |
| Big Fish Casino | August 2012 |
| The Simpsons: Tapped Out | February 2012 |
Apps by revenue
| App | Release date |
|---|---|
| Pandora | July 2008 |
| LINE | June 2011 |
| Zoosk | January 2010 |
| Pages | April 2010 |
| Spotify | July 2011 |
| Badoo | November 2010 |
| Skype | March 2009 |
| MLB.com At Bat | October 2008 |
| Grindr | March 2009 |
| LINE PLAY | November 2012 |
Correction (Sept. 4): An earlier version of this post said that Japanese users accounted for the most revenue earned for game downloads, when in fact they account for most revenue for just those two of the top ten games, Puzzle & Dragon and Monster Strike.
