What were the most downloaded apps of 2020? Number one didn’t make top 20 last year

Apple’s most downloaded app of 2020 reflects a pandemic year.

The tech giant released its list of the year’s most downloaded free apps on Wednesday, and video conferencing software Zoom nabbed the top spot — despite not breaking into the top 20 in 2019.

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Zoom use surged as schools, colleges and workplaces took their operations online. In April, Zoom said more than 300 million people were participating in video meetings on the platform each day.

Zoom also made an effort to ease the transition toward virtual gatherings, dropping its time limit for free calls on holidays including Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving to make it easier for families to celebrate safely.

Ranked second was social networking platform TikTok — up from the No. 4 spot in 2019 — which passed an estimated 2 billion downloads globally in April as stay-home orders cropped up across the U.S., according to analysis from Sensor Tower.

Rounding out the top five were Disney+, YouTube (which ranked first in 2019) and Instagram.

Here’s the full list of the most downloaded free apps in 2020:

1. Zoom
2. TikTok
3. Disney+
4. YouTube
5. Instagram
6. Facebook
7. Snapchat
8. Messenger
9. Gmail
10. Cash App
11. Amazon Shopping
12. Netflix
13. Google Maps
14. DoorDash
15. Spotify
16. WhatsApp
17. Venmo
18. Google
19. Google Meet

Apps including Uber, Hulu, Bitmoji and Face App ranked in the top 20 in 2019, but didn’t make this year’s list.

Apple also unveiled its list of the most downloaded paid apps for the year. Here are the top five:

1. TouchRetouch
2. Procreate Pocket
3. Facetune
4. HotSchedules
5. AutoSleep

This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 10:52 AM.