‘Downloads of major apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook are declining’

The number of new downloads of major apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter is declining. This is reported by a company that keeps data about downloads. This indicates that there are fewer new users of the underlying services.

The decline observed by app company SensorTower and about which tech site Recode publishes is probably related to the stagnating growth of the smartphone market in general. As a result, there are also fewer new users for apps, which is a new development.

WhatsApp had 41.2 million new downloads in May this year, according to SensorTower and Numero Research, up from 44.6 million last year. Facebook dropped from 42.3 million to 36 million and YouTube from 15.6 to 12.3 million. Exceptions were Snapchat and Uber, of which the number of downloads still rose considerably.

SensorTower collects data about downloads through tracking in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It also maintains a list of most downloaded apps by country available online.