With screen time reaching record highs in recent years and the average American spending a whopping 4-6 hours per day on their phone — we wanted to find out which apps are most likely to be headed for the trash can in 2023.
The Apps the US Wants to Delete the Most
We looked into the top 30 most popular apps people most want to delete in the United States by delving into regional search volumes for “delete” and “deactivate” apps/accounts by each state. We also analyzed the number of active users and downloads for each Android app over the past year using Similarweb. Here’s what we found.
Instagram tops the leaderboard as the most popular app users want to delete
Our research found that, amongst all of the 30 apps analyzed, Instagram saw the highest search volume for “deleting” and “deactivating” at 900,120 searches nationwide. ‘Deactivating’ Instagram app had a search volume of 93,270 across America, whereas ‘Delete Instagram Account’ had a search volume of 642,690. Disinformation, fake followers, NFTs, and surveillance issues are just a few of the top things users like to complain about when it comes to the photo-sharing app. What’s more, according to POPSCI, Instagram’s latest updates have caused an influx in petitions, demanding the photo-sharing app to ‘make Instagram Instagram again.’
Deleting data-hungry apps – Is Facebook on its way out?
Data-hungry Facebook came second to Instagram with 385,410 negative searches for wanting to get rid of the app. According to Forbes, Facebook first started to see its user base decline at the end of 2021 due to a number of factors, with privacy concerns at the forefront.
Oh, snap – Snapchat sees a rise in ‘delete’ searches
Self-destructing photo-sharing app ‘Snapchat’ ranks third in our listings with a search volume of 217,400. Snapchat has raised many concerns since its inception, including issues with Snapchat’s privacy and security, invasive location services, and the common misconception that snaps are private and temporary. Despite the average American Snapchat user spending around 30 minutes a day on the app, our data found that New Mexico (89 searches per 100,000) and Arizona (88 searches per 100,000) were the states most keen to give Snapchat the cut from their phone screens.
Bye bye birdy – Could it be the end for Twitter?
Since Elon Musk was appointed owner, many users are of the opinion that the once-renowned social networking app has been on a downward flight. Our data shows that Twitter has the fourth-highest negative search volume amongst all apps analyzed at 92,490. Could this be due to Twitter’s recent rival ‘Mastodon’? Our data found that California, Maryland, Nevada, and Washington were the states most keen to deactivate or delete Twitter.
Telegram ranks fifth for the app Americans most want to delete
Telegram has raised a few too many eyebrows since its inception. Firstly, the online messaging service’s Telegram chats aren’t encrypted by default. Secondly, according to Wired, Telegram has a serious doxing problem and is a haven for politically motivated vitriol. Since it became popular, Telegram has willingly moderated harmful content and messages on its platform, and now it ranks fifth with a negative search volume of 24,810. New Jersey ranked for the highest negative search volume per capita among all analyzed states.
#Spotifydeleted
At the start of 2022, the music streaming app Spotify faced a lot of controversies after #ByeByeSpotify and #SpotifyDeleted blew up on social media amid the Joe Rogan uproar. This could explain why Spotify currently sits a firm sixth in our listings with a search volume of 14,560. That said, the search volume is marginal when compared to social giants such as Facebook and Instagram. ‘Delete Spotify’ reigned supreme in Vermont, yet had minimal search volume in states such as Louisiana and Alabama.
The rise and fall of TikTok
When compared to Instagram, TikTok — also known as the app that pioneered a new age of instant attention — has a marginal delete search volume of 14,120. Of those searches, 6,320 were for “delete TikTok account.” In November 2022, TikTok caused huge controversy by announcing an update to its privacy policy which would allow employees in both China and other countries access to its European users’ data. That said, research has shown that US TikTok users spend around 45.8 minutes a day on the app. Despite the government’s attempts to remove the app, it seems the US just can’t get enough. Even so, our study shows that the app ranks seventh most likely to be deleted.
Is Linkedin losing links?
There are many reasons why people may decide to delete the business and employment-focused social media platform LinkedIn. They might be tired of unhealthy competition, constant spam messages, or lack of privacy, for example. It seems an increasing number of US residents are edging towards throwing LinkedIn in the trash can, as it takes eighth place on our list with a combined search volume of 8,540: 2,780 searches for “delete app” and 5,760 for “delete account.”
Tinder sees a decline in its dating game
Our research suggests that residents in the US are prioritizing more of an IRL (in real life) attitude to the sport. Tinder ranks ninth in our listings, with a combined search volume of 7,980 — including 4,810 searches for “delete Tinder account”. This could be due to the number of privacy risks of using Tinder, or they’ve simply found their match. With 890 searches for both “delete app” and “delete account” combined in California, 470 in Florida, 350 in New York and 690 in Texas, it seems there are a number of US residents looking to move the dating app into the trash bin.
The Apps with the Most Active Users
Using Similarweb, we looked into the active amount of users and downloads to analyze the current and past popularity of each Android app across the last six months. Which shifts have taken place? Which popular apps have been dethroned? And which new platforms are on the rise? Our findings are listed down below.
Twitter vs. Mastodon Unpacked
The app that saw the biggest increase in active users in the past six months was Mastodon whilst Twitter saw a decrease of 2.33%. When Elon Musk became CEO of Twitter at the end of October, the company saw a decrease of -5.59% in active users between November and December. December was the lowest month for active users (13.3 million) over a six-month period. This indicates that Musk’s acquisition likely prompted people to search for alternative platforms for their everyday musings. For most people, that app was Mastodon. The new upcoming social media app saw an impressive increase of 4231% in active users and an 8602% download increase in the past six months. Clearly, many individuals were looking for a taste of this “decentralized social medium.” That said, Mastodon saw a 15.46% reduction in active users and a 53.40% reduction in downloads between November and December 2022. This could be due to Twitter beginning to block links to Mastodon or people going back to the familiarity of Twitter.
BeReal – hype or hit?
BeReal saw an increase of 268.46% in active users in the second half of 2022. According to Business of Apps, in July 2022, BeReal hit the number one spot on Apple’s App Store in the US. In the past six months, the upcoming social media app saw a 56.38% increase in downloads. So the question is, will BeReal continue to be a hit?
Paramount+ sees a rise in active users
Between November and December 2022, the Paramount+ app saw a 33.55% increase in active users. This could be due to the popular content that Paramount+ dropped in December, which includes the movies and shows Little Women, A League of Their Own, the latest Yellowstone prequel, 1923, and Top Gun: Maverick.
Nintendo’s new update pleases users
In March 2022, the Nintendo app had a sizable update, which brought great improvements to the user experience. In the past six months, Nintendo has seen a 76.72% increase in active users, reflective of the update.
The Most Downloaded Apps in America
We’re now aware of which brands saw the biggest increase in active users in the past six months, but which apps have the largest number of downloads? If apps are gaining traction in downloads each month, it shows their ability to attract new users.
Instagram is the most downloaded app of 2022
Instagram ranked the most popular app of 2022 with over 11.8 million downloads on average each month — highlighting that the controversies of the photo-sharing app didn’t slow down its downloads. It seems Instagram’s introduction of reels and other videos could have been a smart change. Research suggests that as “Instagram shifts away from photography, long-time, successful Instagram photographers are coming to terms with the fact they may have to shift back to a multi-platform marketing strategy.” Yet, when October hit, the number of downloads decreased back down to 1,300,000. This highlights that apps are temporary: people download and are active on them right up until they feel they no longer gain anything from the app — which, in this case, was new episodes of the Lord of the Rings prequel.
Between November and December, TikTok saw an 8.7% increase in downloads
Recently, President Joe Biden approved the ban of TikTok from federal government phones and vitriol towards TikTok, claiming the video-sharing app invades its user’s privacy by potentially passing on data to the Chinese government. Our research has shown that the social media platform has a current average of 21,705,714 active users (ranking fourth) and a download average of 6,442,847 (ranking third). Interestingly, in the past six months, TikTok saw a 13.97% decrease in downloads. However, between the months of November to December, there was an 8.70% increase. TikTok isn’t expected to be decreasing in popularity: according to Statista, the video-sharing app is set to have 15 million users by 2025! that is, unless the US government steps in and bans the app once and for all.
Apps with the Largest Decrease in Downloads Over the Last Six Months
Facebook Messenger’s downloads plummet – fast
With the highs inevitably come the lows: our data has highlighted that, in the past six months, Facebook Messenger has seen its fair share of percentage lows, with a decrease of 52% of active users. Not only are fewer US residents using the once-unrivaled messaging app, Facebook Messenger additionally saw an 80.42% decrease in downloads from new users in the past six months. In comparison, the rival messaging app WhatsApp saw a 35% decline.
Conclusion
From the takeover of Elon Musk to the vitriol of harmful content, there are various reasons why users all around the United States are choosing to fling some of their once-beloved Android apps into the trash can. The question is, are these changes here to stay, or will social giants such as Instagram and Facebook be able to learn from their mistakes and create a fresh start?
Methodology
We analyzed search volume using keywordtool.io for the 50 states across the US to find out which apps they wanted to delete the most. We researched similar keywords like “delete Instagram app” and “deactivate Instagram account” to help give us the full picture. We then researched the number of users actively utilizing the apps on a daily basis, and the number of users downloading the app on a daily basis in America using Similarweb to further recognize the apps that were losing popularity.
