Friendly apps in pandemic times

Rita Faria Nunes – Key Account Manager –

How many of us downloaded at least one new app during the atypical year that was 2020?

The arrival of the pandemic brought new needs for governments, businesses and families alike. App developers, in turn, knew how to adapt, responding creatively with solutions that made the new day-to-day easier (softening the impact of the restrictions we've been living with).

Rita Faria Nunes – Key Account Manager –

How many of us downloaded at least one new app during the atypical year that was 2020?

The arrival of the pandemic brought new needs for governments, businesses and families alike. App developers, in turn, knew how to adapt, responding creatively with solutions that made the new day-to-day easier (softening the impact of the restrictions we've been living with).

Looking at the double- (and even triple-) digit growth, there's no doubt that attitudes towards apps have changed.

In this article I'm sharing some global figures on app usage over the past year, the best apps of 2020 and a few Portuguese apps that appeared after COVID-19. To finish, I'll introduce the new Bairro de Alvalade app — developed by Jelly.

Let's start with some numbers:

• In the first half of 2020, app downloads grew 26.1% compared with the first half of 2019;
• In the second quarter of 2020, time spent using apps rose 40% year on year;
• On Google Play, “business”, “health and fitness” and “education” were up 115%, 75% and 50% respectively when comparing the second quarter of 2020 with the same period in 2019;
• On the Apple store, “business” was the fastest-growing category in the second quarter of 2020, led by video conferencing apps. Health and fitness, shopping and medical apps grew significantly, up 30%, 25% and 20% respectively on the same period the previous year.

Looking at the double- (and even triple-) digit growth, there's no doubt that attitudes towards apps have changed.

And which apps stood out in 2020?

Every year, Google and Apple reveal the best applications in their digital stores.

On the Play Store, Loóna was named app of the year — it's designed to help people sleep better;

In Apple's digital store, Wakeout!, a sort of virtual personal trainer for people who want to become more active, took the title of app of the year.

All of this makes sense to me. In 2020, there were days when I struggled to fall asleep, especially during the first week of lockdown. I'm sorry I didn't look for Loóna back then. That was also the year I discovered the power of working out at home.

But we don't have to look that far afield to find good initiatives.

And what about Portugal? What have we done here?

From psychological support to trips to the supermarket or the chemist, “Quero Ajudar” is the Portuguese app that brings together a team of volunteers ready to help anyone in quarantine.

There's also an app that helps you check how busy the supermarket is (“Posso ir?”), another for ordering medicines (“HomeMed”) and another for buying vouchers from local shops (“Preserve.pt”). All of it a matter of national pride.

Bairro de Alvalade app

There are countless initiatives worth praising and highlighting, but there's one more app I can't leave out.

It's called Bairro de Alvalade, it was recently launched by the local council of the same parish and it was developed by Jelly.

The Bairro de Alvalade app sets out to be the big digital shop window for Lisbon's neighbourhood retail.

The app currently promotes 150 businesses and is available for Android and iOS devices. Users can look up the exact location of shops, opening hours, payment methods, promotions and available services, and get in touch directly by phone or through social media.

The app also features articles of interest about the neighbourhood, with new functionality due later this year.

I'll leave you in the company of Inês Lopes Gonçalves, television presenter and Alvalade resident — the face of the app's launch campaign.