Ten years of home screens, argued down to a single winner. Some of these changed how people talk; others just quietly ate their evenings.
1InstagramThe photo-sharing app that turned filtered squares into a global visual language and made the feed a career path.
2TikTokThe short-video app whose recommendation feed rewired how a whole generation finds music, jokes and news.
3UberThe ride-hailing app that put a car on demand in your pocket and gave the gig economy its template.
4WhatsAppThe free messaging app that replaced SMS for billions of people outside the United States.
5SnapchatThe disappearing-photo app that invented Stories and the face filter, both copied everywhere since.
6SpotifyThe streaming app that ended the download era and made the playlist the unit of music.
7TinderThe dating app whose swipe gesture became shorthand for choosing anything at all.
8AirbnbThe booking app that turned spare rooms into an industry and reshaped travel in city centres.
9Pokémon GOThe 2016 augmented-reality game that briefly sent millions of people walking the streets hunting monsters.
10Candy Crush SagaThe match-three puzzle game that proved casual mobile players would pay, over and over, for one more life.
11VenmoThe payment app that made splitting a bill social, complete with a public feed of emoji-laden transfers.
12DuolingoThe language app that dressed daily practice as a streak-driven game and got people to keep it up.
13TwitchThe livestreaming app that turned watching other people play games into mainstream entertainment.
Comments 1
Instagram launched three months into the decade; TikTok had seventeen months of it, which makes this a calendar problem before a taste problem: https://youpick.best/articles/tiktok-vs-instagram-ranked
YP
ypb-teamAug 21
