Facebook, Maps Rule Android Apps

Gmail comes in third in Nielsen's study of the 20 most used Android applications.

Ed Hansberry, Contributor

September 13, 2011

2 Min Read
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Among Android users, Women users spend the most time on Facebook catching up with friends and family. Men spend the most time in mapping software, because there is no way a guy is going to stop and ask for directions. This, according to a Nielsen study of metered Android devices used by adults in the United States.

The second most popular app, according to Nielsen's blog, was Gmail, and this was for both men and women. Facebook, Google Search and YouTube rounded out third through fifth places overall.

Interestingly, Advanced Task Killer Free came in sixth, used by 26.1% overall of the sample audience. For men that fell to 24.2% but for women, it climbed to 28.3%. What is going on with that platform that one of the most popular apps is one that shuts down other apps, and why do women feel the need to use it significantly more than men?

When it comes to social media, it is a mixed bag. Facebook of course far surpassed the competition. Twitter and Google+ were near the bottom of the list, garnering only 14.8% and 11.8% usage, respectively, among both men and women.

Amazon placed two apps on the top 20 list. The Amazon App Store came in at 17.7% and the Kindle e-book reading app barely made the list, with 12.4% usage.

Rovio also had two apps make the list, Angry Birds and Angry Birds Rio. Despite Rio being newer to the market, the original game is considerably more popular. That is an insanely addictive game. It makes you wonder if Angry Birds will be seen in the same light years from now as games like Zork and Doom are today.

Not everything was about goofing off though. QuickOfficePro made an impressive showing at 25.3% for both men and women, showing people are using these devices in the workplace.

If you use Android, which apps are you using most?

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