Facebook app tops Southeast Asia survey

AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Facebook, reportedly the world’s most successful social media platform, is the top ranking smartphone application (app) in Southeast Asia, according to a study released by Nielsen.

Based on the Southeast Asia Top 10 Smartphone Apps, Facebook was found to be the most engaging smartphone app in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and was ranked No. 2 in Thailand behind the popular Japanese messaging app called LINE.

Other popular apps included Google Play Store, YouTube, LINE and Candy Crush Saga, all of which appeared on the top 10 rankings in all four markets in Southeast Asia.

The ranking was based on the Nielsen Informate Mobile Insights covering the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

“The importance and influence of apps within today’s highly competitive mobile market has soared in recent years,” said Sagar Phadke of Nielsen’s Telecom and Technology Practice in Southeast Asia, North Asia and Pacific. “Smartphone users in Asia are highly engaged in apps usage, and the app user base in Asia is growing rapidly, presenting huge opportunities for brand marketers to leverage apps to build lasting connections with consumers.”

In the Philippines, the Top 10 apps are (in order): Facebook, Google Play Store, YouTube, Candy Crush Saga, Viber, WeChat, LINE, Google Search, Skype and Facebook Messenger.

The Nielsen study also showed that smartphone owners in Southeast Asia spend around three-quarters of an hour on average per day using apps. Apps usage is most prevalent in Malaysia at 66 minutes per day, followed by Thailand at 46 minutes per day; the Philippines at 41 minutes; and Indonesia at 40 minutes.—Amy R. Remo