25 Most Important Apps Of The 2010s

Over the last decade, apps have played an important role in our lives. Google Play and the App Store were launched in 2008 and have since included millions of apps helping us communicate with our friends and family, make new friends, entertain, work, etc. And out of those millions of apps, here are the most important ones of the past ten years.

Instagram

This photo, video-sharing app has changed how we think about photos. It has also proved to be an effective tool for marketing, and it’s still growing and has got 1 billion monthly users. One possible reason for this continuous growth is that it’s evolving in meaningful ways with new useful features such as Boomerang and Stories.

And Instagram remains one of the most entertaining and simple social networks existing.

Twitter

This is a micro-blogging platform where you can post pictures, videos, and text. After thirteen years, there’s no denying Twitter has changed how the world communicates, including politicians. Even world leaders like US President Donal Trump can now send messages immediately to any connected person across the globe. And while Twitter hasn’t managed to effectively combat hate speech on its platform, this remains one of the most informative ones.

Facebook

Similar to Twitter, this social media platform debuted before this decade began. However, it has thrived to become the leading social network on the planet, registering almost 2.5 billion active users. With Facebook, you can easily connect with your old friends as well as family with a load of other fun features. However, since 2016, the social network has faced a lot of problems with its privacy practices.

Tinder/Grindr/Bumble

These are dating apps that have become popular for simple filtering mechanics. They have made it much easier to find a person that matches your needs. They can get you anything no matter if you want a quick hookup, a casual date, or a long-term relationship. Grindr, specifically for LGBTQ community debuted first but Tinder is the one that changed the dating scene. You can now filter your choices so get to what you want more easily.

Google Maps/Apple Maps

These are the most widely used directions/map apps around the world. With Google Maps and Apple Maps, you don’t even need to know street names or remember where to turn, or even know where the place is. All you have to do is following directions and you’ll get where you want.

Spotify

This is a music-streaming platform debuting back in 2011. It made a significant change in the music industry. The app offers both premium and free services for different segments of users.

Spotify was launched with 50 million songs that outdid all of its competitors. The success of Spotify even pushed Apple to develop its own music app, which rolled out in 2015 under the name Apple Music.

Slack

This instant messaging app is different from others due to its integration with other apps as well as how it can feel like the center of everything that happens at work. Slack is essentially another version of the email. And the app is not only for work but also for communicating with family.

Uber/Lyft

These apps have made transport easier as you just have to order a ride from your smartphone, state the location you want to go to and pay via your card. However, as popular as this type of commute has become, these companies have faced a number of lawsuits over sexual assaults by drivers. Cities have tried to regulate them while drivers battle to be paid higher.

Venmo

This app lets you make digital payments to others, which is useful for those who rarely have cash with them.

Angry Birds

In this game, you shoot birds at structures with the final goal of killing pigs. The game got popular quickly and was liked by many people at different ages. After many versions of this game and two movies about it were released, Angry Birds remains a popular franchise and it has continued to grow.

Candy Crush Saga

This is among the most favored tile-matching games ever created. It’s easy to play, has a good gameplay mechanic and you can play it while doing some other things.

Pokemon Go

This is the first virtual reality game based on the Pokemon universe. When the game was introduced three years ago, it was a phenom. Despite losing most of its players, the game is still very popular with a billion downloads as of this year. It has a simple formula for success: a successful franchise plus a new technology plus heavy social ties.

Vine

This is a Twitter-owned video platform where you can make videos of up to six seconds and share them. Vine was launched in 2012 but discontinued by the owner four years later due to fierce competition from rivals like Instagram. However, at the time of its launch, it was one of the most awesome things to be able to make a six-second video then post it immediately.

Flappy Bird

This is a very difficult game that doesn’t exist anymore in its original platform. But its app used to have the most downloads on the App Store, which lasted for a month then the developer took it down suddenly. He said that it was too addictive.

Though the game was crazy hard, people wanted it so much that even after it was removed, people still tried to sell phones that had this game with a price as high as $100,000.

Facebook Messenger/WhatsApp

They are chat platforms and they are both owned by Facebook. Essentially, they do the same thing but in different ways. Messenger was separated from the Facebook app 8 years ago and became a popular, preferred way for communicating.

On the other hand, WhatsApp is a lighter app using less data and offering end-to-end encryption. This app is more secure and widely used in Asian countries.

Netflix

This video-streaming app focuses on original content. It gives you access to its ever-growing library of original series and movies. You can even download most content to your device. In spite of growing competition, it remains the leading streaming app on the market.

Snapchat

On this platform, people exchange messages and videos, all of which are gone after a certain time. Rolled out in 2011, the app’s popularity peaked from 2013 to 2015, after the addition of Snapchat Stories, video sharing, ephemeral text messaging, and the rainbow vomit feature.

YouTube

People come here to post and watch videos. The platform altered how we consume media, switching from posting viral clips to original content produced by YouTubers. You can watch them all for free, but if you have a premium account, you won’t see ads and be able to play clips in the background.

Google Play/Apple Pay

Mobile payment apps allow you to pay online stores or at retail using just your tablet, smartphone or watch.

Google Assistant/Siri/Alexa

These are the best voice assistants existing. When Apple launched Siri in 2011, that was the first digital assistant, but it was outpaced by rivals. Google Assistant is now the most popular voice assistant. But no matter what, keep in mind that the assistants record you.

Amazon

It’s the largest online retail app on the planet. It has almost everything you want and with a dedicated app, shopping online with Amazon is even faster and easier.

Skype/Facetime/Zoom

These apps let you make real-time video calls. It helps you see and talk with your co-workers, friends, and family from a great distance.

Fortnite

This game has the cultural impact that few or even no other games can ever achieve. In Fortnite World Cup 2019, the winner was awarded $3 million.

Uber Eats/Postmates/Grubhub/DoorDash

These apps are for ordering food for delivery even from restaurants without a delivery service. Of course, the change they make is helping you get your favorite dishes without having to set a foot out the door.

Google photos

This is a storage app for photos on both iOS and Android devices. It offers more storage compared with iCloud and searching in Google Photos is more useful and robust. Now, you can even search a word in the picture or by pronouns if you cannot remember who took the photo.