The latest comprehensive quarterly report compiled by Sensor Tower on the world's most popular mobile apps and games is out, and just in case it wasn't obvious Disney+ is the biggest 2019 success story of the industry, the recently released video streaming platform has earned yet another major title.
Its estimated 31 million combined download total across the iOS App Store and Google Play in the US was more than double the tally of silver medalist TikTok. Naturally, Disney+ ruled the individual rankings of both mobile platforms, but controversial video-sharing social networking service TikTok was actually edged out by Facebook's slightly less divisive Messenger app for second place in Google's Play Store.
Different markets, different leaders
Meanwhile, YouTube narrowly lost to TikTok in the US App Store download battle, settling for the last place on the podium, ahead of Gmail, Netflix, Messenger, and Facebook. Worldwide, of course, Disney+ didn't make the top 20 due to its primary focus on North America and... the Netherlands in 2019, but TikTok had to admit defeat to a different Facebook-owned app.
We're talking about WhatsApp, which managed to offset a fourth place showing on Apple's App Store with a convincing Google Play victory that was enough to give the instant messaging service the overall global win. Nonetheless, TikTok improved greatly from both its Q4 2018 and Q3 2019 numbers, and if the Chinese app can keep its impressive growth pace up, world domination is certainly in the cards for the not-so-distant future.
Speaking of world domination, it's interesting to highlight Google somehow managed to eke out a win against Facebook for the first time in more than five years to take home the top global publisher prize. TikTok creators ByteDance followed in third place, with a host of lesser-known companies eclipsing tech giants like Microsoft or Amazon.
One new game to rule them all
It shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone the least bit familiar with this industry that Call of Duty: Mobile copiously dominated every single Q4 2019 chart for games, winning the worldwide, US, and Europe download trophies across both Android and iOS.
Released on October 1, the hugely popular free-to-play FPS was also the year's sixth most downloaded mobile game overall, behind such global hits as PUBG Mobile, Garena Free Fire, Subway Surfers, Fun Race 3D, and Color Bump 3D but ahead of market veterans like My Talking Tom 2 or Candy Crush.
Even though the gaming category is already the largest of them all in terms of downloads in both Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store, its growth pace remains pretty much unrivaled, at 18.8 and 11.3 percent respectively in Q4 2019.
WhatsApp, TikTok, and Messenger were 2019's most downloaded mobile apps, while Disney+ ranked second in the world's top new apps chart, behind MV Master, a photo editing tool that's mainly big in India.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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