Social media and social apps have become a massive part of our lives. We use them to stay connected with friends and family, get news and information, be entertained, and much more. With so many social apps available on phones today, which ones are the most popular and why? Let’s take a look at 10 of the top social apps dominating phones right now.
1. Facebook
With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook remains the king of social media. The Facebook app allows you to connect with friends and family, join groups, and keep up with news and events. Key features include:
News Feed
This is the core of Facebook, an endless scroll of updates from friends, groups, and Pages you follow. The algorithm shows you content it thinks you’ll engage with most.
Messaging
Message friends or start group chats using Facebook’s built-in messaging platform. Share photos, videos, GIFs and more.
Events
Create, find and manage events ranging from birthday parties to large scale conferences. Invite friends, sell tickets and more.
Live Video
Go live to share moments and connect with friends in real time via video. Live broadcasts can be viewed by followers.
Stories
Share photos and videos in a slideshow format that disappears after 24 hours. Others can react and respond to your stories.
2. Instagram
Owned by Facebook, Instagram focuses solely on visual sharing through photos and short videos. It has over 1 billion monthly active users. Key Instagram features are:
Photo Filters
Instagram’s filters transform your photos with stylized edits and unique color grades. Make your pic pop with the perfect filter.
IG Stories
Just like Facebook, Instagram has stories that let you share short photo and video narratives that expire in 24 hours.
IG Live
Go live to share spur-of-the-moment videos with your friends in real time. Followers are notified when you go live.
IG Reels
These are short, entertaining videos similar to TikTok that you can record, edit and share with creative effects.
IG Shop
Shop and purchase items you discover on Instagram directly through the app with Instagram Shop. Brands can tag products in posts.
3. Snapchat
Snapchat pioneered the idea of ephemeral messaging – photos, videos and texts that disappear after being viewed. It now has over 280 million daily active users. Some core Snapchat components are:
Lenses
Snapchat’s augmented reality Lenses transform your look by adding effects, filters and more to your face. New ones are added daily.
Discover
This section has content from brands, publishers, influencers and more. Read stories, watch videos and shop directly in Discover.
Spotlight
A TikTok-like feed inside Snapchat where you can watch short-form, entertaining videos posted by Snapchatters and creators.
Snap Map
View Snaps and stories posted by friends on a map to see what they’re up to around the world. You control who can see your location.
Chat
Snapchat’s messaging feature lets you have fun, visual conversations that disappear once viewed. Doodle on photos, react with emojis and more.
4. Twitter
The go-to app for real-time news and commentary, Twitter has over 300 million monthly active users creating and consuming bite-sized content. Key Twitter features are:
Tweet
Broadcast short messages called Tweets of 280 characters or less to the world. Your followers see your Tweets in their feed.
Retweet
Quickly share someone else’s Tweet with all of your followers. This helps content go viral on Twitter.
Live Tweet
Tweet about something as it happens, like a sports game or news event. Follow trending hashtags to join live conversations.
Threads
Post a series of connected Tweets in one continuous thread by replying to your own Tweet. This allows longer form storytelling.
Moments
Curated stories showcasing Tweets, photos and videos about news topics and events. Brands and media outlets create Moments.
5. WhatsApp
The privately owned WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app with over 2 billion users globally. Key features include:
Encrypted Chats
Messages and calls on WhatsApp have end-to-end encryption so only you and the recipient can read or listen to them.
Group Chats
Have conversations simultaneously with up to 256 people using group chats. Share messages, photos, videos and documents easily.
Voice and Video Calls
Make free, high-quality voice and video calls over WiFi with individuals or groups for real-time conversations.
Statuses
Share text, photo, video and GIF updates that disappear after 24 hours in your status. See the statuses of family and friends.
WhatsApp Web
Message people directly from your computer browser by linking WhatsApp to the WhatsApp Web client.
6. Messenger
Facebook’s Messenger app has over 1.3 billion users, making it one of the most used messaging apps globally. Useful Messenger tools include:
Chat Heads
Keep chats with friends accessible in floating Chat Heads while multi-tasking on your phone. Tap to re-open conversations.
Active Status
See when friends are active and available for chatting based on their Active Status. Yours turns green when you’re online.
Group Video Chat
Video chat with up to 50 friends simultaneously in high quality using Messenger’s group video calling feature.
Games
Play games like chess, pool, basketball and more with friends directly inside Messenger without leaving your chat.
Payments
Send and receive money securely right in your conversations using Messenger Payments. Add a debit card and start sending cash.
7. TikTok
The wildly popular short form video app TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users. Its key features include:
Video Effects
Amp up your videos with tons of augmented reality effects, filters, stickers, text overlays and editing tools. Add music too.
Duets
Record your reaction video alongside a TikTok video, splicing it together in a duet using this special effect.
Challenges
Take part in trending dance, comedy and other challenges by creating a TikTok video responding with your attempt.
Live
Go live to broadcast real-time videos to your followers. Viewers can interact through comments and gift virtual coins.
For You Page
TikTok’s algorithmic For You feed serves up a endless stream of videos tailored to your interests and engagement.
8. LinkedIn
With over 722 million users, LinkedIn is the go-to professional social network. Useful LinkedIn features include:
Profiles
Create and customize a professional profile showcasing your background, skills, accomplishments and recommendations from colleagues.
Feed
Your feed displays posts, news and updates from your connections and companies. Share your own posts and media here.
Jobs
Search for and apply to jobs on LinkedIn, which uses your profile to match you with relevant openings and recruiters.
Learning
Take online courses and develop new skills through LinkedIn Learning. Expert-led courses help build your professional brand.
Articles
Publish your professional insights and thought leadership by posting articles to LinkedIn to boost your reputation.
9. Telegram
Offering secure messaging and calling, Telegram has over 500 million active users. Notable features include:
Bots
Add useful automated bots with abilities like forwarding messages or providing weather/news updates to conversations.
Supergroups
Telegram’s group chats can include up to 200,000 members. Communicate en masse with discussion groups based on shared interests.
Channels
Broadcast one-way messages to unlimited audiences. Create channels for announcements, internal communications or broadcasts.
Telegram Cloud
Store and access your photos, videos, files and more from any device using Telegram’s built-in cloud storage option.
Telegram Passport
Store identity documents, contracts, receipts and more securely in the cloud and share them privately as needed.
10. Discord
Discord’s 100 million+ users make it the top voice and text chat app for gamers. Key features include:
Servers
Communities are formed around shared interests in topic-based servers. Join existing servers or create your own.
Channels
Servers can have multiple text and voice channels for members to socialize in. Channels help segment conversations.
Direct Messages
Privately chat one-on-one or in groups with fellow server members by sending direct messages.
Video & Voice Chat
Hang out in voice channels to talk to other server members live. Hop in group video calls too.
Friend Discovery
Find new gaming friends and communities through Discord’s friend suggestion and server discovery features.
In Conclusion
Social media and messaging apps have become a huge part of our mobile lifestyles. The top apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok give us versatile ways to stay socially connected, express ourselves, and be entertained. More niche apps like Telegram, Snapchat and Discord allow us to further customize our social experience to match our interests and needs. With so many social apps to choose from, our phones provide a portal to connect with friends, family and interests virtually wherever we go.
FAQs
Q: Which social app is best for sharing photos?
A: Instagram is the most popular app for sharing high quality photos and short videos, with powerful editing tools and filters to enhance your visual stories.
Q: Which apps are best for chatting with friends and family?
A: WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram and Snapchat are great chat apps, supporting both individual messaging and group conversations.
Q: What app is best for communicating with professional contacts?
A: LinkedIn is the top professional social network, great for building your online resume, networking and communicating within industries.
Q: Which social apps are best for meeting new people?
A: TikTok and Snapchat allow you to discover new personalities and influencers to follow. Dating apps connect you with potential romantic matches.
Q: What’s the best app for live streaming?
A: Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat all offer robust live streaming capabilities to broadcast in real-time to your friends and followers.
