Zoom’s popularity was sparked by the 2020’s pandemic. It was the time when job meetings and family get-togethers had to become digital.
Now, when the forced lock-down seems to be waning, Zoom still claims a place in the Top 10 hottest apps in the Google Play and App Store.
At the moment, the application has almost 1 billion downloads. It makes it the 6th most downloaded app in the world, competing with the likes of TikTok, Netflix, Instagram, etc.
However, in 2021 the app’s popularity saw some decline. As it’s been reported, Zoom lost about 14% of its installs globally, going from 108 million downloads to 93 million recently. And it’s recorded download rate was 301.4 million in Q2 2020.
There are a few reasons explaining this low tide of popularity. First, Zoom is losing its exclusive monopoly.
Back in 2020, it was, probably, the only possible solution for companies to keep going. It allowed 100 people to be present at a conference, which is quite generous.
Besides, its features like blurred background and high-fidelity video calls made the app stand out even more.
Today, its arsenal of know-how is employed by every video-call app, basically. Skype, Snapchat, Google Meet — these apps can qualify as the full-blown substitutes for Zoom right now.
Second, lock-down measures seem to get lifted gradually. For instance, Singapore refuses to acknowledge Covid-19 as something more than an influenza-like disease, treating it with vaccines.
This country seems to pave the way for the rest of the world with this approach. And if it gets adopted more and more, companies will be returning to the normal office-based workflows, minimizing the need for apps like Zoom.
Even though it’s just speculation, Zoom’s decline in popularity can be a positive sign in some way.
