Although there was rapid growth in 2020 for apps like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, their popularity was bound to decrease as the years went by and the pandemic gradually decreased its intensity. However, through the delta and omicron phase in India, these apps continued to reign, and it changed the way we work in a virtual environment, which is more than likely going to become the new normal.
Outside of the workplace, apps such as TikTok remained the most popular app worldwide for the second year in a row. Its ban in India has led to a new segment of TikTok look-alike apps, eager to take the crown in the country. Several of these apps have added over 50 million users.
Facebook still dominated the charts with four of the top 10 most downloaded apps published by this social network.
Some newer categories like cryptocurrency and gaming apps saw a much higher download and usage than in previous years. With people encouraged to spend their time indoors, many resort to entertainment apps like gaming and betting, with the likes of 10Cric and LeoVegas Sport notably known as some of top cricket betting apps in India. This, of course, comes to no surprise since cricket is the most popular sport in the country.
Other apps such as travel, transport, and dating, benefited from the opening up of tourism and hospitality.
Below you can find some statistics for 2021 when it comes to the most downloaded apps in India. As you can see, with the ban of TikTok, other apps developed by Indian developers that are based on short videos emerged, such as MX TakaTa, Moj, and Josh.
| App | Downloads 2021 |
| MX TakaTak | 181 million |
| 178 million | |
| 176 million | |
| Snapchat | 166 million |
| Meesho | 158 million |
| Moj | 139 million |
| Flipkart | 133 million |
| Ludo Kingo | 129 million |
| Josh | 127 million |
| PhonePe | 120 million |
When it comes to the top iOS apps in India, Whatsapp, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram reigned the charts. In terms of consumer spending on the Play Store and the App Store, mobile games are becoming extremely popular with Indians.
Play Store registered $315.8 million in in-app spending until December 15th of 2021 while the App Store accumulated $173.8 million. The top apps included Garena Free Fire, Chamet, Hotstar, Call of Duty, and even Teen Patti.