Apple and Google dominate their platforms with pre-installed apps

If you’re using an iPhone or an Android smartphone, chances are that most of the apps you use the most are made by Apple and Google.

That’s the result of a recent study by Comscore, which ranks the popularity of pre-installed iOS and Android apps, along with apps created by other developers. The results show that the majority of applications that users use most often, are pre-installed by Apple or Google.

According to the report, the most basic applications such as weather, clock or photo management applications dominate, and it is difficult for other applications to compete. Even an incredibly popular app like Gmail, ranks below Apple Mail on the iOS platform.

This dominance is making Apple and Google more tightly regulated

Apple and Google are increasingly scrutinized for how they prioritize their apps over competitors, like Spotify for example. US lawmakers are considering a bill that could potentially prevent Apple and Google from pre-installing their own apps or services, to gain a competitive edge over their rivals.

App developers claim that Apple and Google have combined their apps and services with iOS/Android platforms, in an unfair way. Criticisms are getting sharper against Apple, because it tightly controls third-party apps and doesn’t allow developers to bypass its App Store.

A Flourish chart

At the same time, it’s also difficult to know how popular pre-installed apps are compared to apps from other developers, as Apple and Google don’t disclose the number of users of their default apps. The popularity of an application is often measured by the number of downloads, but with pre-installed applications, it cannot be measured by this number.

Comscore’s study is the first attempt at gauging the popularity of pre-installed apps. And its results were unexpected, given the dominance of Apple and Google with their default apps.

Apple considers the results of this report “seriously flawed”.

Apple has denied the results of this report. “This Facebook-sponsored survey from December 2020 was narrowly conducted to create the false impression that the App Store has little fair competition,” an Apple representative said.

It was Facebook that paid Comscore to conduct this study, which aimed to show Apple and Google’s monopoly over its platforms. Facebook has also long criticized Apple for its restrictions on third-party developers that hinder its ability to distribute games and apps to users.

Meanwhile, Google has not yet commented. However, with this result, it is certain that Apple and Google will be more tightly controlled by lawmakers. If the bill to force Apple and Google not to pre-install their apps on iOS and Android is passed, this could be a blow to both giants.

Reference: theverge