Google has recently published a list entitled as "Best Apps of 2014." The list features 73 of last year's best-rated Android apps from its Google Play store. If you're looking for a new Android app to download, you may check out this list to see some suggestions.
While the list does not contain any gaming apps, it does include eight news apps, including The Daily Mail, The Guardian, CNN, and The New York Times. Considering the fact that the list includes some of the most popular apps from the past year, it is no longer a surprise why apps such as OK Cupid dating app, music recognition app Shazam, and ride-sharing app Uber have found themselves a spot on the list. Especially since these apps have gained much attention from Android users over the year, finding them as part of the Best Apps list was an expected surprise.
Despite the more popular apps that have been added on the list, there were a few apps that were still less popular to device users. Among these apps include Telegram, a free messaging service app that apparently beat the more popular WhatsApp to be included on the list.
According to mobile app analytics firm called App Annie, the two most popular Android apps in the US and the UK are Candy Crush Soda Saga and Facebook's Messenger app. The data was based on the number of times these apps were downloaded throughout the year.
App Annie also revealed that the number of app downloads on Google Play have exceeded iOS app downloads on Apple's App Store by approximately 60% during the third quarter of the year. However, Google Play was unable to generate more revenue than the App Store as the latter was able to attain a similar 60% margin.
It is notable to point out, however, that for both iOS and Android devices, the most explosive growth among apps this year was Facebook's Messenger app. After Facebook's decision to separate its messaging function to a dedicated Facebook Messenger app, downloads on both platforms have sporadically increased in late July until August before it increased again the month after.
Despite gaining over 500 million downloads, the Messenger app has failed to gain positive impression from its smartphone users. As evident on their nearly two million one-star review posted on Google Play, it seems like users are unhappy with Facebook's decision to separate messaging from its original app. Among the most common complaint cited by users is the fact that they are unhappy about being forced to download and install the app just so they could send messages through the famous social network, when in the past they were able to do so under just one app.
