Facebook-commissioned ‘study’ identified Apple and Google pre-installed apps dominate smartphone industry

Facebook-commissioned ‘study’ identified Apple and Google pre-installed apps dominate the smartphone industry

Whether you use an iPhone or Android, there’re many chances that the top most-used apps on the devices are made by Google and Apple. The first party apps or you can say pre-installed apps on your handsets have been dominating in the smartphone industry because they can’t compete with other apps or services. The reason for competency is the system behind the apps, for instance, by default you have pre-installed Apple Music then why would you be installing Spotify. First-party apps or services have been dominating mobile phones, including basics apps of Messages, Clock, Photos, Weather, Camera, etc.

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Therefore, Facebook paid the Comscore to know from over 4000 users of iPhones or iOS for asking which apps they prefer to use, whether pre-installed or any other apps by their own choice. The result found by the Comscore clearly claimed that people mostly use first-party or pre-installed apps provided by the system as a default. Hence, the apps and services developed by Google and Apple are dominating the apps. Also, they are overcoming and getting rid of the other apps developed by other hard-working developers.

The Facebook commissioned study-Comscore found that out of the top 20 apps, 15 were made by Apple in the iPhone. The five third-party apps or other than Apple itself that came to the list were YouTube (9th), Facebook (12th), Amazon (16th), Instagram (19th), and Gmail (20th). Interestingly, Facebook was the only third-party app developer to see two of its apps i.e. Facebook and Instagram in the top 20 apps list in the iPhone. Moreover, the Facebook commissioned study gave results that in the US market, almost 75 % of apps out of 20 most used apps in the iOS have been developed by Apple. On the other hand, in the case of Google, approximately 60 per cent of apps most-used apps are being from Google itself.

To recall, Facebook has always been a major critic of Apple, especially it has been targeting iMessages most often over time. Whereas Apple has completely rejected the methodology used in the research or the study by the Comscore. According to Apple, there were some major flaws in the study conducted by the Facebook commissioned survey. In addition to this, the Facebook supported study or survey had false allegations of less or no competition in the App Store to other apps by several developers, according to Apple.

After the Facebook commissioned study result, Apple has been seen pressure from the legislations of the USA and Europe for first-party apps or services. The same allegation was faced by Apple from the lawmakers of Russia in the first quarter of this year. However, there might be some alarming thing that many big international markets are criticizing Google and Apple for dominating the apps over already indexed apps in the Stores i.e. Apple Store and Google Play Store.