Facebook has now become the most widely used app on Android devices in the USA, a recent study conducted by the market research company Nielsen concluded. The study was conducted over a period of a month through the use of the firm’s own proprietary monitoring software that was installed on a voluntary basis by panelists all over the country.
It was conducted specifically to determine which were the most widely used Android apps available currently, and Facebook took the first prize ahead of Google’s own app offerings like Gmail, YouTube, Google Search and Google Maps. However, these rankings did not include the Android Market, which is Android’s equivalent of the App Store.
Facebook won out as the most-used app across all age categories, with Google Search coming in at second in the 18-24 age bracket with around 77% of all the panelists opening and using the app over the last month. Google Maps and Google’s mail app, Gmail, came in at third with 79% of the share apiece. YouTube came in last in the Google app suite with 64% of the panelists using it over the past month.
Pandora Radio a distant sixth after Facebook and all the Google suite apps with only 30% of the panelists using it over the past month. The market research firm Nielsen had in fact conducted a study based on the same premise back in July in which it had found that the Facebook app was indeed the third most used app behind Gmail and Google Maps on the Android platform.
In the 25-34 age group, 81% of the panelists used the Facebook app over the past month while around 80% of them had used Gmail at some point. Google Maps was next with 79% and YouTube again came in last among the Google apps with 56% after Google’s search app was used by about 78% of the panelists.
The most widely used non-Facebook app that didn’t belong to Google was the popular game Angry Birds, which came in at about 29%. The same story was repeated across the 35-44 age bracket, with Gmail and Facebook tying for first spot in terms of usage with 77% and Google Search coming in next at 75%. With 73% and 51%. Google Maps and YouTube were fourth and fifth respectively. Angry Birds was then again a distant sixth with only 35% of the panelists opening that app over the past 1 month.
