The World’s Most Popular App
▼ Summary
– Bria Sullivan’s Focus Friend app, built with Hank Green, unexpectedly became the #1 free app in the US on both major app stores for one day in August, far exceeding her initial modest goals.
– Reaching the #1 spot is extremely rare, with only 568 apps achieving it since 2012, and most top-ranked apps, like Temu or ChatGPT, hold the position for extended periods while many others last only a few days.
– The primary value of being #1 is the lasting prestige and marketing credential, making it easier to secure partnerships, rather than guaranteeing long-term user growth or business viability.
– Achieving the top rank typically requires a major launch, a cultural event, or promotional offers, and is estimated to need roughly 200,000 downloads in a day, though the exact ranking algorithm is opaque.
– A #1 ranking often brings a temporary, viral surge of downloads and attention, which can strain resources and attract fleeting users, leading developers to emphasize building lasting products over chasing another spike.
Achieving the top spot on the App Store is a monumental feat, a fleeting digital crown that can transform an app’s trajectory overnight. For developers, it represents a pinnacle of visibility and validation, a moment where their creation briefly becomes the most sought-after download in a sea of nearly two million competitors. The journey to number one, however, is often as unpredictable as it is exhilarating, revealing much about the volatile nature of digital success.
Last summer, developer Bria Sullivan experienced this whirlwind firsthand with her app, Focus Friend, a tool designed to help users manage their screen time. Her initial ambitions were modest, hoping perhaps to crack the top ten in the productivity category, a daunting space occupied by giants like ChatGPT and Gmail. After a quiet launch, a promotional push from creator Hank Green and his brother, alongside media coverage, propelled the app into an unexpected ascent. Sullivan watched in disbelief as it climbed the charts, eventually refreshing the store to see Focus Friend as the number one free app in the United States on both iOS and Google Play. The triumph, though monumental, lasted precisely one day before ChatGPT reclaimed its throne.
That single day, however, cemented a permanent badge of honor. The achievement now headlines the app’s website, and Sullivan cherishes the screenshots, contemplating printing one as a backdrop for video calls. The true value of being number one, she discovered, isn’t necessarily in sustained user growth or revenue, it’s in the indelible bragging rights. It’s a credential that opens doors, a fact no one can ever take away.
The rarity of this achievement is staggering. Data indicates that since 2012, only 568 different apps have reached the summit of the U.S. iOS free charts. That’s less than 0.02% of all available apps. A small group, including Temu, Facebook Messenger, ChatGPT, and TikTok, have enjoyed extended reigns of 100 days or more, forming a kind of digital hall of fame. Yet for the vast majority, 478 of those 568 apps, the stay at the top is brief, lasting ten days or fewer. A full 130 apps have held the position for just a single day, creating a fascinating snapshot of pop culture moments, from fast-food promotions to streaming events.
So, what does it take to get there? Developers estimate that roughly 200,000 downloads in a 24-hour period is often the threshold, though the exact algorithm remains Apple’s closely guarded secret. The most reliable paths appear to be a high-profile launch, a promotional campaign offering free goods for downloads (a tactic used by chains like Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A), or riding a massive cultural wave. Apps for events like the Olympics, a solar eclipse, or even a city marathon routinely spike to the top on the relevant day.
For Cesar Kuriyama, CEO of 1 Second Everyday, that cultural moment arrives predictably every New Year. His app, which compiles one-second daily videos into a year-long timelapse, sees hundreds of thousands of downloads as people share their annual recaps, consistently pushing it toward the top of the charts each January 1st.
Reaching the pinnacle feels akin to going viral on social media. Ben Moore of BeReal describes an immediate frenzy of Slack messages, buzzing phones, and screenshots flooding chat apps. Investors take notice, and meetings with potential partners become easier to secure. This spike in attention, however, is often temporary. It can attract users who aren’t genuinely interested in the app’s core purpose, leading to high churn rates after the initial excitement fades. Furthermore, a sudden surge can strain technical infrastructure and attract a wave of press, both positive and negative, along with copycat apps seeking to capitalize on the trend.
Alex Chernoburov of Ticket to the Moon witnessed this with the photo-editing app Gradient, which soared to number one after a celebrity-driven feature went viral, only to face backlash and a swarm of scammy clones. The experience underscored that while the spotlight is powerful, the real work lies in building a lasting product, not just chasing a viral moment.
Ultimately, the compelling truth is that every app developer should aspire to hit number one, not as an end goal, but as a milestone. It won’t guarantee long-term success, and obsessively chasing downloads is a futile strategy. Yet, securing that single day at the summit provides an intangible, permanent reward: the screenshots, the celebratory messages, the website banner, and the undeniable claim that you built the world’s most popular app, if only for a moment. That distinction, once earned, is forever.
(Source: The Verge)
