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Top Apps Worldwide for January 2021 by Downloads

By Julia Chan·Feb 26, 2021·2 min read

Summary

In January 2021, Telegram was the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide with over 63 million installs, 3.8 times its downloads in January 2020. India contributed 24% and Indonesia 10% of Telegram's installs. TikTok ranked second with nearly 62 million installs, driven by China (17%) and the US (10%).

Signal, Facebook, and WhatsApp completed the top five. Data from Sensor Tower excludes Apple and Google pre-installed apps, counting unique installs on App Store and Google Play. The report provides insights for app marketers on trends and geographic distribution.

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