Is Facebook Losing Its Grip On The Top 10 Apps?

Facebook is constructing the next generation of digital connectivity. Meta creates tools to facilitate connections, community discovery, and business growth. 

According to a review of iPhone app store statistics, Facebook is struggling to keep its top 10 positions in the US App Store this year. As younger people flock to growing social networking experiences like TikTok and, more lately, BeReal, the internet giant’s massive blue app has lost popularity in the App Store’s top charts.

For instance, Facebook only left the US’s Top 10 Free iPhone Apps last year seven times. However, by 2022, that number had already increased to 97, a sign that Facebook would be losing ground as new apps soar to the top of the App Store charts.

In contrast, the Facebook app only dropped out of the top 10 apps in the App Store six times in the first half of 2021. However, it has dropped out of this grouping a total of 59 times in the first half of 2022.

The company reported that it even missed the Top 10 for a stretch of 37 days in 2022, up from only two days in 2021.

The business did not consistently hold a major spot in the Top 10 in prior years. A company’s ability to attract new users is the only thing that ranking in the top 10 applications demonstrates; it does not demonstrate how well a company can retain existing users. Regarding this matter, Facebook has not yet bowed out. It is more challenging for Facebook to lose its Top 10 ranking to social networking newcomers than it would be if it were to do so due to growth, such as the current No. 1 app, BeReal.

According to a Bloomberg analysis from last October, as of March 2021, the “time spent” statistic for US youths on Facebook had decreased 16% year over year. In the US, young adults were using Facebook 5% less frequently. According to the data, there were fewer new teen signups as well.

The business informed investors in February 2022 that Facebook had lost daily active members for the first time ever and that its monthly active user base was unchanged. A single market loss might threaten Facebook’s expansion, even though daily active users increased marginally in the following quarters. Following the ban in Russia, the site saw a significant decline in monthly activity.

In terms of monthly active users worldwide, meta-owned programs took the top four spots last year, with Facebook coming in first, according to data.ai’s annual “State of Mobile” report. Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger came next, much ahead of TikTok, which had been positioned sixth in the previous quarter. Tiktok has moved up to position five. These figures hide the fact that adults support Meta’s programs, and Facebook in particular, and that both established and developing Internet economies use them extensively. For instance, India has the most Facebook users due to its vast population. Because of this, it is difficult to forecast Facebook’s future development. After all, the younger generation of social networking users will be the ones driving the platforms of the future.

To get a feel of where that market might be going, it helps to keep a watch on the top charts of the App Store. These graphs offer a window into fresh app installations when combined with installation velocity and other characteristics. It is also crucial to look at US data because the US is one of the largest markets for social networking apps and because it contributes considerably to revenue growth.

An additional independent study shows that attracting a new generation of US users is becoming harder and harder for Facebook to do. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, only 32% of American teenagers aged 13 to 17 reported using Facebook, down from 71% in a survey conducted in 2014-2015. But while Pew’s studies are important, they are based on what users claim to have done, whereas the App Store numbers show what people are actually doing.

For the time being, it appears that individuals are looking for Facebook alternatives in the form of unique social networking experiences powered by recommendation algorithms, such as TikTok, or real-world friendships, such as BeReal and Snapchat.

Final Thoughts

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