The World’s Leading Comm Apps
What makes WeChat, WhatsApp, GroupMe & Houseparty so popular?
Although it’s always nice to get something other than a bill in the mail, the days of pen pals are virtually (pun intended) obsolete. Today, when you want to stay in touch with friends and family, you just open an app, tap your smartwatch, or tell your Voice Assistant to relay a message. Messaging apps now count 20% more active monthly users than social networks globally, with nearly 41 million messages sent out every minute. And by the end of 2020, the average revenue from messaging apps is expected to surpass $15 per user.
As cities around the world continue to navigate COVID-19 quarantines, the need for human connection has only increased, driving massive spikes in usage for apps like WeChat, WhatsApp, GroupMe and HouseParty. So what exactly makes these communication apps so popular, and which key features will help them continue to see user engagement even after stay-at-home orders are lifted?
With over two billion users in 180+ countries, WhatsApp currently reigns as the world’s most widely-used communication app. India, Brazil, and the United States have the biggest WhatsApp audiences, with 340 million, 99 million, and 68 million users respectively, and the app’s user base is quickly growing in markets like New Zealand and Nigeria.
With a steady increase in users over the past year, it’s clear that the app was already popular well before the time of coronavirus. This is largely because WhatsApp is an affordable alternative to carrier-billed text messaging, with the ability to use WiFi to send texts and photos and do video calls for free — an especially useful feature for international communication. WhatsApp is also widely used thanks to group chats and end-to-end encryption.
The app allows users to create work, friend, or family groups with up to 256 people, and every message is fully encrypted, making it one of the most private means of communication out there. With over 434 million DAU and nearly 671 million MAU, these features continue to drive massive engagement around the world.
Another leading communication app is WeChat, which counts over 1.5 billion users globally and impressive engagement across Asia. In 2019, 79% of Chinese internet users reported using WeChat, and by 2021 the app is projected to have more than 674 million MAU. Currently, a staggering 45 billion messages are exchanged in the app every day.
The Chinese-based app has become so popular perhaps because it’s evolved into a tool for users to stay connected in nearly every aspect of their daily lives, from simple voice and text messaging, to news, games, workflow management, and even payment processing. WeChat Work, for example, allows businesses and employees to use the app for task management, work emails, and even customer service and sales communication. And features like WeChat Pay have been a key driver of the app’s international growth, enabling payments in over 60 markets beyond China. In 2019, the number of cross-border payments grew by 76%, and WeChat Pay now counts more than 800 million users.
See how communication apps like these are helping users socialize safely during these unprecedented times: How to Remain ‘Social’ While Social Distancing.
HouseParty
While not as ubiquitous as WhatsApp and WeChat, HouseParty has seen staggering growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. The face-to-face social networking app was downloaded 2 million times in the week of March 16, compared to just 130K weekly downloads in February. From March to April 2020, HouseParty saw a spike of 50 million downloads, quickly becoming the №1 social app in 82 countries and the №1 overall app in 16 countries.
This increase in downloads was particularly notable in European countries with strict lockdowns like Italy and Spain, where installs during the week of March 21 surged at 423x and 2360x, respectively. HouseParty is a less corporate group video chat alternative to Zoom or Google Hangouts, integrating with Snapchat and offering in-app games like trivia or “Heads Up” to easily play with friends. These features have led to impressive engagement, with the average user staying in the app for more than 60 minutes.
However, as stay-at-home orders have lifted, the app has slowly declined to the #14 social networking app in the US. We’re curious to see if downloads pick back up once summer ends and socially-distanced outdoor hangouts aren’t an option.
GroupMe
Another app worth noting is GroupMe, which currently ranks at #16 in communication apps and counts nearly 11 million MAU. The app enables free group messaging with friends, family, co-workers or any group of a user’s liking. While it’s not as widely-used as international apps like WhatsApp and WeChat, GroupMe is particularly compelling because it works on any device and users don’t even need the app to use GroupMe’s features. You can chat with your groups and share photos and videos directly over SMS.
As the world continues to find ways to stay safe and stay connected throughout the rest of 2020, our team of mobile app experts is excited to see which of these communication apps come out on top. Whether joining HouseParty to stay entertained or signing onto WeChat to stay in touch with co-workers, there’s no denying the power of mobile apps to keep us connected now, and in the future.
