What type of mobile apps have become popular due to coronavirus?

Home alone

Even if you have not been following the news, chances are you have still heard or read about the novel coronavirus outbreak by now.

The pandemic has severely disrupted lives across the world.

In less than four months since it originated, more than a million people have been affected, and 50,000 lives lost due to the virus.

Countries have been put under lockdown, and people forced to stay indoors to prevent it from spreading any further.

And unsurprisingly, global economy has suffered as a result, with Standard Chartered estimating that economy could suffer by as much as 42%.

Almost every industry has been impacted by COVID-19, including the mobile app industry.

However, certain mobile apps have seen greater engagement from the people stranded at their homes.

Smartphones have become the escape for the billions of people spending more and more time at their homes, with apps for gaming, social media, fitness etc.

Let’s look at some type of apps which are becoming the staple for quarantined people.

Some apps that are popular right now and their reasons

1. Grocery delivery apps

People stuck at homes can only survive as long as their supplies last.

As it is risky for anyone heading out, even for shopping essentials, it makes sense to get supplies delivered to the doorstep using grocery delivery apps.

These apps have proven to be very popular among people and are functioning at full vigor to ensure that the locals get their amenities on time.

And unsurprisingly, mobile apps for Instacart, Walmart Grocery and Ship have seen their downloads rise by 216%, 160% and 124% respectively.

2. Social media/communication apps

This forced isolation and lockdown has caused people to desire for hanging out with their friends and loved ones and seek out communication in general.

And as a result, social media and communication apps like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram have seen a sharp rise in usage.

From browsing and sharing memes and the latest news, these apps are helping many get through this stressful period.

Even celebrities have been using these apps to connect with their friends or spread positivity.

3. Gaming apps

To entertain themselves during the long hours of spending time in their homes, people have turned to mobile games.

It has essentially become everyone’s favorite pastime. In fact, China saw a colossal download of 22 million mobile gaming applications during the first week of February, when the virus was at its peak in that country.

From simple games like Candy Crush to competitive shooting games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), the market has offerings for every type of gamer.

4. Video-conferencing apps

With people forced to stay indoors, working from home has become the only option for firms and offices to stay operational.

And to try and maintain some semblance of business as usual, offices have adopted video and chat software.

This has resulted in an increase in downloads of workplace software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

These apps have allowed offices to operate efficiently to some extent through video conferencing and screen sharing features.

5. Video streaming apps

Due to the pandemic, malls and movie theatres have been shut off.

And live events like concerts and sports like NBA and NASCAR have been postponed or scrapped.

This has left people at homes with a gaping void for entertainment.

Hence, they have turned to the on-demand video industry to pass time by streaming movies and TV shows.

Apps like Netflix, Ruko and Pluto TV offer a ton on fresh or updated content and have seen a surge in their usage during this period.

6. Healthcare apps

Doctors and medical practitioners have their hands full with the growing number of infected cases around the world.

Thus, the onus has fallen on healthcare mobile apps to help people get more information about the disease.

Apps like DocClocker, Patient Access and Orbita COVID-19 Virtual Assistant have all played their part in helping the public out through video consultations, query addressal and much more.

7. Fitness apps

The pandemic has highlighted the need for keeping fit and maintaining a heathy lifestyle.

This has prompted people stuck at home to download and use various fitness and meditation apps.

These apps allow the user to find exercise regimes and workout routines and carry them out from their homes.

Conclusion

Looking at the popularity of the above-mentioned mobile apps, now might be a good time for you to launch your own app.

And if you are in the lookout for an app development team, then look no further.

Idea Usher is a pioneering web-app development company with years of experience in building robust, scalable, and innovative technology solutions.

Our tech-enthusiastic programmers, designers and testers have experience of developing all types of apps, be it fitness, food delivery or video streaming.

And we understand your needs and deliver products that help you take your business to the next level.

And in case you have any questions,  we encourage you to get in touch with us.