Mobile applications have firmly entered our lives. Nowadays, literally, every company has such products, as they make it easier to work with clients, create the best customer experience, and form loyal communities around brands. If you also think about developing your own mobile version of the service, you should be aware of different types of apps and understand which ones are popular among your consumers.
The correct choice of type dramatically affects its optimization and promotion features. Of course, before starting the creation process, carefully study the market, see what your rivals offer (and how they do it), and find out what your target audience needs. Pay close attention to the target group’s characteristics since you build a product specifically for it. Armed with the latest trends and this article on app genres by Asolytics experts, you will be able to make the best title that will be in demand among your customers and help you attract new users.
Table of Contents
Definition of Mobile Application
Mobile apps are special software built for portable gadgets. You can find both multifunctional platforms and services with narrow usage. They often depend on a wireless Internet connection to work, but there are also products that operate offline.
We will not dive deep into what apps are since you probably use them almost every day. It is more important to understand what they can mean for your business. Having your own product for portable devices provides you with the following:
- boosted brand awareness;
- wide coverage of the target audience;
- enhanced sales volumes;
- customer loyalty and trust;
- competitiveness.
In the age of mobile technologies, businesses must have their own useful mobile applications and utilize them as powerful tools to increase profits.
What Are Apps Used For?
In short, modern apps allow users to do just about anything. Looking for entertainment? Marketplaces have games, streaming services, newspapers with news from the world of sports and cinema, and so on. Need quality communication? The choice of messengers with various instruments and features is awe-inspiring. Looking for a business management tool? The App Store, as well as Google Play, has titles for everything from e-commerce and education to agriculture and fintech. In terms of user experience, apps can be used for various purposes. Mobile application types are formed based on the scope and area of use.
If we consider applications from the point of view of businesses and not their customers, then they can be used for:
- achieving constant communication with the target audience;
- conducting marketing campaigns and promotions;
- increasing sales and user engagement;
- informing customers about new products and upgrades;
- improving the image of your company;
- savings on software development;
- establishment of internal work and interaction between employees.
In general, mobile games and apps can be seen as additional sources of impact on users.
What Kind of Apps Are Most Popular?
Millions of products are published in app marketplaces, and their number is growing every day, even though moderators regularly remove obsolete titles. How many apps are there for iPhone and iPad? In total, the store for Apple devices has more than 2 million items. How many apps are there for Android? According to 2022 data, users of this system have 3.5 million titles at their disposal.
The “Games” group is the unambiguous leader in popularity among both largest stores. It is pretty extensive and includes games of absolutely all genres, unlike apps that are broken down by functionality. If we consider the applications directly (excluding games), the “Entertainment” section is the widest. What is the most popular app right now?
TikTok holds the prime position globally and in many countries. Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram have also made their way into the top five in recent years. These products are tricky to attribute to a single category since they combine the features of news resources, social networks, photo and video search, and, of course, entertainment tools.
Types of Mobile Apps With Examples
So what are the different types of mobile apps? In total, there are more than 20 groups in the App Store, while there are more than 30 of them on Google Play. Despite such a large number of sections, only six main types can be distinguished. Please note that the categories and tags that you can see in the Play Store are completely different things. If you want to learn more about the Google Play tags feature, read our experts’ post.
- Social media
It would be challenging to find a person who didn’t use products from this category daily. Although the social networks and instant messengers themselves might differ depending on the popularity in a particular region, in general, it is a really popular group of apps.
Such items are used for messaging, audio and video calls, arranging conferences, and even sending media files. The most popular services are:
- TikTok;
- Telegram;
- Facebook.
- Lifestyle
The “Lifestyle” category includes a variety of apps that aim to make your life easier and more convenient. Usually, these are services for ordering food and stuff, fitness and healthy eating products, dating and travel platforms, and recommendations for restaurants, hotels, museums, and more. Among the top apps for Android and iOS are:
- Uber;
- Bumble;
- Tripadvisor.
- Productivity
The titles from the “Productivity” section are considered one of the most important apps for Android phones and iOS devices as they optimize the performance of everyday and work activities. You’ll find documentation products, task and password managers, email services, translators, VPN providers, and more in this collection. Prominent examples are:
- Evernote;
- 1Password;
- Todoist.
- Entertainment
This category includes games, but it is much broader. In simple terms, products from this group help users have fun and spend their time usefully. Entertainment content is in demand, and some people return to such items several times a day (especially if the functionality encourages it with rewards, bonuses, and achievement badges). These products include titles like:
- Subway Surfer;
- Netflix;
- Spotify.
- Utility
At first glance, “Utilities” might look like productivity apps, but they are not. Products from this category usually have a narrow functionality and a relatively targeted application. They are incredibly useful for some tasks, but you don’t spend much time on them for fun. The best iPhone apps and Android services from this group include:
- Calculators;
- Reminders;
- Weather apps.
- News
News applications give users access to information about sports, political, cultural, and other events in their country or world. As a rule, they are quite simple but can offer additional functionality, such as the instruments for downloading materials in PDF format or creating notifications of some news. The most popular news resources include:
- Buzzfeed;
- Google News;
Top-Rated Categories of Mobile Apps
At the moment, the undisputed leaders among app marketplaces are Google Play and App Store. They classify apps depending on their purpose and functionality. From an ASO perspective, category definition is vital for several reasons. Firstly, this way, you narrow down the circle of competitors that you need to analyze. Secondly, you clearly understand which expectations from your product can be formed by the target audience. Thirdly, you know how you should market your service.
In addition to choosing a category, it is important for you as a developer to decide whether your application will be native (i.e., built for only one platform) or hybrid (i.e., multi-platform). It affects not only product development but also its promotion, as well as the optimization of page assets. Knowing the features of each marketplace and its requirements, you can form a winning ASO strategy that will raise your item to the top of any lists and categories. Now that you know which groups are considered the most popular among users, you can make the right choice and start developing.
