Apple unveiled its list in 2017 of the most popular apps across the App Store, Apple Music and iTunes in the Southeast Asia region. Accordingly, 2017 was a tremendously successful year for entertainment, when lots of new content from indie artists and development community took prominence.
Some of the innovative trends in the year was the introduction of augmented reality (AR) apps and games, the rise of real-time competitive gaming, apps that focused on mental health and mindfulness, and apps that have transformed reading and storytelling.
Revolutionising AR technology apps like “My Very Hungry Caterpillar AR” has change the way stories are red. With just a few taps on your mobile device, the classic children's book characters come to life.
Some of the apps that are centred in mindfulness, mental health and stress reduction include meditation app Zen Studio and colouring book apps such as Bloom and Lake.
Ride Sharing
This ride hailing app tops the list of most downloaded apps in 2017. Despite Uber's millionaire investment to take over the Southeast Asian market, Grab or Gojek, the question is still there for who remains the favourite ride-sharing app amongst Southeast Asians. Although Grab tops the list, Gojek is also one of the downloaded apps in the region, securing a marketplace in Southeast Asia.
oBike secured its 8th position down the list, competing as a bike sharing app. Based in Singapore, oBike is a stationless bicycle-sharing system with operations in several countries. Thanks to a built-in Bluetooth lock, bikes can be left anywhere at the end of a journey, not necessarily at a docking station. The way that it works is that users use this oBike app to locate and hire bikes. Ever since it was launched in 2017, obike has expanded to 24 countries including Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France and Sweden.
Social
Social networks such as Facebook and Instagram remain at the top of the list of most downloaded apps in the region. Although Facebook retains a powerful position, it is closely followed by Instagram. Meanwhile, Snapchat occupies the 20th position on the list.
Communication
Whatsapp Messenger is Southeast Asia's favourite app to call and message each other. Other apps to communicate with one another, such as Messenger and WeChat, have also secured a good place on the list.
Streaming
YouTube remains the king app to watch and stream videos all across the region, as it was the fourth most downloaded app in 2017, according to results gathered by Apple Store.
e-Commerce
Occupying the 10th position down the list is Carousell, a mobile and online consumer to consumer marketplace for buying and selling new and secondhand goods. Although the app is based in Singapore, Carousell has expanded to Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States.
Food Delivery
The most popular apps for food delivery are Foodpanda and UberEATS. Headquartered in Berlin, Foodpanda is a German mobile food delivery app that allows users to select from local restaurants place orders with just a few taps on the mobile device.
Launched in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, UberEATS is an American online food ordering and delivery platform launched by Uber back in 2014. You can order either on their website or with the app, and accordingly, you should get your delivery within 30 minutes.
Google apps feature prominently on the list, with Gmail - email by Google - as the most downloaded app for email, and Google Chrome as the preferred web browser. Google translate is also amongst the 20 most downloaded apps in Southeast Asia. Google Maps remains the preferred app to get directions and get from point A to point B.
Healthy 365
Also one of the most downloaded apps in Southeast Asia, this app allows you track your daily steps count and calculate the corresponding calories burned as you move. Health 356 accepts data from tracking devices such as HealthKit and Apple Watch. Apart from tracking your steps, the app enables you track your daily food and drinks intake and the calories consumed. The app puts together the concept of caloric balance, providing an overview of your overall daily calories consumed and burned, thus helping you in your weight management journey for a healthier lifestyle.