As the first quarter of 2022 closes, we thought it would be good to quickly summarise all the insights - powered by Measure’s behavioral data solution Retro - we’ve pulled together so far this year. 

Why do we need behavioral data?  

As outlined in our blog title “How wrong can you afford to be?”, Our spending behaviors have become fragmented.  Once upon a time the financial inputs and outputs were simple. That’s no longer the case. Now asking someone “how much did you spend on subscriptions this month” produces both under and over-reporting. The power of our behavioral data is that’s it 100% accurate. Here we compared survey and Retro data and the results were not surprising. 

TikTok’s usage and MAU’s are rocketing up  

One unique tool of Retro is that it can collect iOS data. Now we’re no longer restricted to just iOS installs. Here we track TikTok’s rise throughout 2021, analyzing both the active user count and the average time the TikTok app is used. The standout stat is that TikTok is now approaching YouTube’s MAU while combining this with a total app usage that’s unparalleled, over 10 hours for 18-25’s and 7 hours for 26+.

The popularity of the cash apps for young adults in the US

‍Here we took at the most popular finance apps in the US for young adults. The Cash App stands out as the leader in its class, again combining a high engagement and active user count.  Some of you pointed out that a finance app that drives a high time used is not necessarily a good thing. Who wants to spend ages paying someone?  While investment apps such as Robinhood, and cryptocurrency platforms like Coinbase may see a positive relationship between time spent and revenue. 

‍Accidental Worlde app breaks the App Store

Five years ago a young engineer called Steven Cravotta uploaded an app to the Apple app store called “Wordle” but didn’t develop the app further.  Cut to 2022, a browser-based game with the same name went viral. Thousands shared the familiar pattern of blocks on their socials.  Now when you search “Wordle” -  the first app iOS users find is Steven’s old (and unrelated) app. He’s vowed to give the profits to charity.

‍In fact, the iOS app Wordle was mistakenly downloaded so many times it appears high in Measure’s weekly and monthly data.

‍And some final posts that you may be interested in…

‍A deeper dive into why Retro is the solution for passive tracking.

Here we rank the Top10 most used iOS games in December, with Roblox leading the way. 

‍Here we see how Reddit’s usage surged due to r/wallstreetbets, but then dropped back down.

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Finally, for the most in-depth Retro insights, download our MobielLife report.