Q1 2021 Navigation App Trends in the UK on iOS: Sensor Tower Insights

As the first quarter of 2021 draws to a close, Sensor Tower provides insights into the performance of the top Navigation and Maps applications on the iOS platform in the United Kingdom. In this overview, we delve into the trends of app downloads and weekly active users, highlighting the dynamics of the navigation app market.

Google Maps, published by Google LLC, showed consistent downloads throughout the quarter, starting at 50 thousand in the last week of December 2020 and spiking to over 100 thousand by the end of March 2021. The app's weekly active users saw a fluctuating trend, beginning with 8 million in late December and climbing to nearly 9 million by the end of March.

Another Google product, Google Earth, experienced a steady download rate, ranging from 20 thousand to 30 thousand per week, with a slight dip mid-quarter. Its active users started at around 140 thousand and saw an increase, reaching close to 180 thousand in the last week of March.

WalkSafe, despite its modest beginnings with only a few dozen downloads in late December, witnessed an explosive rise to over 250 thousand downloads in the week of March 15th. However, the following weeks showed a sharp decline in downloads.

For what3words: Navigation & Maps, the quarter presented a downward trend in downloads, starting at 30 thousand and decreasing to 15 thousand by the end of January, before bouncing back to over 20 thousand by the end of March. Active users mirrored this pattern, dipping to around 73 thousand before recovering to 95 thousand.

Lastly, Waze Navigation & Live Traffic maintained a relatively steady download count, hovering around 10 thousand to 15 thousand per week. The app's weekly active users fluctuated, beginning at 2 million, dipping in February, and then climbing back up to over 2 million by the end of March.

For more detailed insights and analytics on app performance, Sensor Tower's platform offers in-depth data and trend analysis.