Social media apps remain incredibly popular amongst South Africans and dominate the top 10 most popular free apps for both Android and IOS users.
WhatsApp Messenger is the most popular free App on the Google Play Store and ranks third on the IOS App Store.
TikTok is the second most popular free App on both platforms.
Facebook, Snapchat, Youtube, and Instagram also feature on the top 10 lists – with Facebook Lite (3) and Tiktok Lite (5) popular on the Google Play Store.
With the sudden rise of popularity in AI, Nova – an AI chatbot powered by ChatGPT & GPT-3.5 Turbo – is the most popular free App on the IOS App Store – coming 11th for Android users.
Despite apprehension regarding the introduction of Ai chatbots, banking and legal experts think the new technology can be a major disrupter.
Ridwaan Boda and Alexander Powell from ENS Africa said that chatbots will be useful for lawyers as they can do simple everyday tasks, like sending an email or finding an answer to a legal matter.
However, they noted that ChatGpt relies on human interaction, with users potentially providing incorrect information.
That being said, lawyers from Werksmans attorneys said that ChatGpt does come with disclaimers, which state that the information it provides may be inaccurate.
Heloise Greeff, an eToro Popular Investor, said that AI Chatbots can help investment bankers, as they can process large amounts of data, allowing staff to focus on more value-added activities.
“This is a phenomenal AI tool and, rather than being frightened of it, everyone in the financial sector should learn about it and see how they can use it in their own work,” said Greef.
Regarding banking, the Capitec Bank App was the only banking app to feature on either top 10 list – coming fourth on the Google Play Store free app list.
Capitec recently announced that it just reached 20 million clients. Hence, the popularity of its banking app.
In terms of paid apps, Sasol eBirds Southern Africa and The Wonder Weeks are the only two apps to feature on both top ten lists.
The most popular free and paid apps are listed below:
Free Apps:
| Rank | Google Play Store | IOS App Store |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WhatsApp Messenger | Nova |
| 2 | Tiktok | TikTok |
| 3 | Facebook Lite | WhatsApp Messenger |
| 4 | Capitec Bank | |
| 5 | Tiktok Lite | CapCut |
| 6 | Snapchat | |
| 7 | WhatsApp Business | Youtube |
| 8 | All Video Downloader and Player | Spotify |
| 9 | Weather Forecast | School hack |
| 10 | Shazam | bash |
Paid Apps:
| Rank | Google Play Store | IOS App Store |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sasol eBirds Southern Africa | Shadowrocket |
| 2 | Tag Heuer Formula 1 | The Wonder Weeks |
| 3 | FL Studio Mobile | Ripped Off |
| 4 | MD307 Digital Vibe Watch | Sasol eBirds Southern Africa |
| 5 | Torque Pro | Voice Recorder – Audio Record |
| 6 | The Wonder Weeks | Procreate pocket |
| 7 | Rolex DateJust 10 in 1 | 75 Hard |
| 8 | Gamebooster 4x Faster pro | Textify |
| 9 | Skyview Explore the Universe | e-Sword LT: Bible Study to Go |
| 10 | Roberts Bird Guide 2 | Tv Cast Pro for LG webOS |
Read: The coolest gadgets from MWC 2023 – including foldable phones and exoskeletons
