Video Conferencing Apps Hit Record 62 Million Downloads in a Single Week
Remote work and social distancing measures drive a massive 90% year-over-year increase in business video app downloads, with Zoom seeing explosive global growth.
Work-from-home policies and social distancing measures cause a massive surge in video conferencing app downloads. A new report from App Annie reveals that business conferencing apps reach a record 62 million downloads across iOS and Google Play during the week of March 14-21. This milestone represents a 45% increase from the previous week and a 90% jump compared to the weekly average in 2019, making it the highest growth of any app category for that week.
Zoom leads this unprecedented expansion by topping the worldwide charts throughout February and March. In the United States, users download Zoom 14 times more than the fourth-quarter 2019 weekly average, while European countries see even more dramatic spikes. The app experiences 55 times the average downloads in Italy, 27 times in Spain, 22 times in France, and 20 times in the United Kingdom, with many new users installing the app directly from work emails and calendar invites.
Other major tech companies also see significant gains as people search for reliable connection tools. Google's Hangouts Meet observes massive adoption in Europe, hitting 140 times its previous weekly average in Italy and 64 times in Spain. Microsoft Teams similarly experiences substantial growth in Italy, France, and Spain, while consumer-focused social video app Houseparty sees phenomenal user increases as people seek virtual social interactions during government lockdowns.