Continued uncertainty around the future of the TikTok app may have provided the Snapchat app a big boost during August of this year, or maybe it was just a Snapchat filter called the Disney eye filter that went viral. This filter ‘Disneyfies’ your pets. In any case, Sensor Tower’s data indicate that Snapchat’s smartphone application across Android as well as iOS recorded nearly 28.5 million new downloads during August of this year. This was the single biggest month for first-time installs since May of last year. Snapchat’s mobile application saw 41.2 million new installs in May 2019. Sensor Tower’s data is considered preliminary as it has only been finalized through Aug 26 of this year. The data may change are the remaining days of August 2020 are also finalized, however, likely, those changes will be minor.
According to the app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower’s findings, Snapchat downloads increased 29% year-over-year in August of this year. In comparison, Snapchat downloads were up 9% year-over-year in July 2020. Although it is not clear what combination of trends or updates may have shaped the download data of Snapchat over August, one significant area of interest in the social media applications space has been the ongoing news about a possible TikTok ban in the United States. News coverage of the TikTok ban in the United States had a significant impact on the top charts of app stores during the past few weeks. In August, several TikTok rivals such as Byte, Triller, Dubsmash, and Likee recorded significant increases in weekly active users in the United States.
But it is difficult to pinpoint how larger TikTok competitors such as Facebook’s Instagram and Snapchat were impacted by news coverage of the TikTok ban. Broader social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat tend to continuously grow on a month-over-month basis. Furthermore, these apps also regularly add new features that could directly impact downloads as well as usage.
Although Snapchat is not a direct TikTok rival, it has also been working to attract the same young demographic that currently favors TikTok. Recently, Snapchat started testing a new feature that allows users to set their snaps to music. The app has also been benefiting from a prominent position on Apple App Store since Snapchat is currently features in an editorially curated ‘New to iPhone?’ list of app suggestions on the App homepage of Apple App Store.
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According to the app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower’s findings, Snapchat downloads increased 29% year-over-year in August of this year. In comparison, Snapchat downloads were up 9% year-over-year in July 2020. Although it is not clear what combination of trends or updates may have shaped the download data of Snapchat over August, one significant area of interest in the social media applications space has been the ongoing news about a possible TikTok ban in the United States. News coverage of the TikTok ban in the United States had a significant impact on the top charts of app stores during the past few weeks. In August, several TikTok rivals such as Byte, Triller, Dubsmash, and Likee recorded significant increases in weekly active users in the United States.
But it is difficult to pinpoint how larger TikTok competitors such as Facebook’s Instagram and Snapchat were impacted by news coverage of the TikTok ban. Broader social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat tend to continuously grow on a month-over-month basis. Furthermore, these apps also regularly add new features that could directly impact downloads as well as usage.
Although Snapchat is not a direct TikTok rival, it has also been working to attract the same young demographic that currently favors TikTok. Recently, Snapchat started testing a new feature that allows users to set their snaps to music. The app has also been benefiting from a prominent position on Apple App Store since Snapchat is currently features in an editorially curated ‘New to iPhone?’ list of app suggestions on the App homepage of Apple App Store.
Read next: New Report Sheds Light on the State of Cyber Security and Malware
