Instagram Overtakes TikTok as World's Most Downloaded App

Instagram has dethroned TikTok to claim the title of the world's most downloaded app, with a significant boost from its 'Reels' feature. According to Sensor Tower, Instagram experienced a 20 per cent increase in app downloads in 2023, totalling 767 million downloads, primarily attributed to the popularity of 'Reels.' This feature, introduced in 2020, mirrors the format of short video content pioneered by TikTok.

Meanwhile, TikTok saw a modest four per cent increase, accumulating 733 million downloads. Despite being a dominant force in global app downloads from 2018 to 2022, the Beijing-based platform faced stiff competition from Instagram's innovative feature adoption.

Financial Times reported that "Instagram has outperformed TikTok in adoption over the past few years, driven by the popularity of its reels feature along with legacy social media features and functions," citing Sensor Tower's Abraham Yousef. From the data, TikTok's growth rate is on a downward curve.

Meta's Instagram reported a significant milestone in active users, reaching 1.47 billion monthly active users by the end of 2023, marking an increase of 13 million users in the final quarter. In contrast, TikTok's user base slightly declined to 1.12 billion, shedding 12 million users in Q4 2023. Despite Instagram's download success, TikTok retains higher user engagement, with an average session time of 95 minutes compared to Instagram's 62 minutes.

Additionally, other social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat must catch up in user engagement, with average session times of 30 minutes and 19 minutes globally, respectively. Sensor Tower data reveals that TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, amassed over $4 billion in revenue from in-app purchases in 2023, dwarfing Instagram's $143 million.

While Instagram celebrates its download victory, TikTok faces continued bans in specific regions like India. Nevertheless, Instagram remains proactive, introducing new features like message editing within its DM section to enhance user experience and maintain its competitive edge in the social media landscape.