Social Networking App Trends on iOS in Australia: Q1 2021 Overview

The first quarter of 2021 has seen notable activity in the social networking space on the iOS platform in Australia. Data provided by Sensor Tower gives us a glimpse into the performance of the top social networking apps in terms of downloads and weekly active users. Here, we dive into the numbers for the top 5 apps.

Facebook

Facebook started the quarter with a slight increase in downloads, peaking at around 36K in the first week of January before trending downwards to approximately 25K by the end of March. The weekly active users remained relatively stable, hovering around the 14M mark throughout the quarter. Revenue showed a decrease from roughly $50K in the first week of January to about $33K by the end of March.

Messenger

Downloads for Messenger saw a rise in mid-February, reaching over 36K, after starting the quarter at approximately 33K. The weekly active users count saw a brief increase in February, with numbers around 11.8M, before settling back to just above 11M by the end of March. Revenue for Messenger was not a factor, as it remained at $0 throughout the quarter.

WhatsApp Messenger

WhatsApp Messenger experienced its peak in downloads in late February, with close to 30K, after starting the quarter at around 22K. The weekly active users saw a gradual increase, starting at 2.6M and growing to nearly 2.7M by the quarter's end. Revenue for WhatsApp Messenger stayed quite low, fluctuating around $40 throughout the period.

Discord - Chat, Talk & Hangout

Discord showed a consistent performance in terms of downloads, with numbers generally staying around 18K-19K throughout the quarter. The app saw a significant increase in weekly active users, starting at approximately 826K and climbing to over 1M by the end of Q1. Revenue saw some fluctuations but ended the quarter at around $19K.

Signal - Private Messenger

Signal had a remarkable spike in downloads in mid-January, with over 74K downloads, likely attributed to global events around privacy concerns. The weekly active users mirrored this trend, with a surge to 280K in the same period, before stabilizing to around 285K by the end of March. Signal did not generate revenue during this quarter.

The first quarter of 2021 has given us an interesting perspective on the social networking landscape in Australia. While revenue figures varied, the trends in downloads and active users provide valuable insights into user engagement and app popularity. For more detailed analytics and insights, Sensor Tower's comprehensive data platform is the go-to resource.