Let’s face it, we spend a large part of our lives now staring down at our mobile phones. Why is that? Well, almost everything we have in our lives is tied to our phones. In 2021, mobile application downloads rose once again on a year over year basis. It is estimated that there were over 258 billion mobile application downloads around the world or roughly 35 for every person on this planet. Every major brand and platform has a downloadable app these days, and as our reliance on smartphones continues to rise, so too will the number of apps available to download.
Canada has one of the higher percentages of mobile phone users per population in the world. With a national population of about 38 million people, approximately 32 million of those people have a mobile phone. With 5G networks in all of the major metropolitan cities, Canada’s mobile data infrastructure is amongst the best in the world. So what are Canadians downloading to their mobile phones? Let’s go ahead and take a look!
Banking Apps
Canada’s financial sector is dominated by the big national banks: Royal Bank, Toronto-Dominion, Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. A large percentage of the country relies on these five banks for everything from day to day banking to mortgages and insurance. So it should also come as no surprise then that a majority of Canadians have at least one of these mobile apps installed on their smartphones.
Online and mobile banking has become an increasingly important part of twenty-first century life. With mobile banking apps in Canada, users can also take advantage of the country’s adoption of tap payments with digital credit cards. On top of this, Canadians can perform instant money transfers, manage their investments, trade stocks, and even have video calls with financial advisors.
Another reason why Canadians lean heavily on these banking apps? Currently, the country does not have access to other third party payment apps like PayPal’s Venmo or Square’s Cash App. With a lack of alternatives, Canadians are almost forced to go with one of the main national banks. That’s why these banking apps are one of the most downloaded amongst Canadians across the country.
Entertainment Apps
Entertainment apps are always a popular category for people to download. These can include games, streaming services, and even online casino apps. What better way to pass the time when you are riding on the bus or winding down before bed, than playing a game or watching the latest episode of your favorite show. With data usage and mobile plans getting increasingly generous to Canadian consumers, users have been able to stream without concerns of its heavy mobile data consumption.
Casino apps are also in high demand in Canada as they are legal in nearly every province and territory. The lone exception right now is Saskatchewan but it is believed the province will legalize it at some point in 2022. As of now, one of the most downloaded casino apps in Canada has been the DreamVegas CA mobile app. Dream Vegas CA offers all of the classic casino games for Canadians to play and provides generous welcome bonuses for new players. The app is compatible with both Android and iOS phones, and can also be played online via a computer.
Mobile casino gambling in Canada has really taken off alongside the rise in mobile application usage. As of now, the industry is mostly operated by provincial gaming authorities, but there are plenty of sites based outside of Canada, like DreamVegas, which have a mobile app for players to use.
Sports Apps
If there is one thing we know for sure, it’s that Canadians love their sports. With live streaming and betting becoming more mainstream across North America, Canadians have taken to their smartphones to enjoy watching their favorite teams. In Canada, hockey is the national sport, and with seven NHL teams to cheer for, there are plenty of bragging rights to go around the country. Not only does the NHL have its own app and streaming service, but almost every Canadian NHL franchise has its own mobile app as well.
But just because the NHL is king in Canada, it doesn’t mean Canadians do not enjoy other sports as well. The Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Blue Jays are two nationally followed teams that play for the NBA and MLB respectively. On top of that Canadians love both the CFL and NFL to get their dose of football on the gridiron. Finally, with several MLS franchises across the country, Canadians can also enjoy the beautiful game on their home turf.
Social Media Apps
Social media has seen its share of negative headlines over the past couple of years, but it remains one of the easiest ways for people around the world to connect with each other. Social media platforms like Facebook still have several billion users, especially when you add in the other sites the company owns like Instagram and the chatting service Whatsapp. Other social media sites like Twitter and Reddit are the go to platforms for people to get the latest news and information in real time.
There has been an increasing number of social media apps that people use to go viral around the internet as well. Apps like Tik Tok and SnapChat have provided users with the opportunity to get their creative juices flowing and show the world of the talents they possess. These sites are also often utilized by celebrities to reach out to their fans. Social media apps came under fire a couple of years ago for collecting data on their users, but higher security features from mobile phone companies like Apple have moved towards keeping its users protected. Luckily for Canadians, all of these social media apps are available for download, which can’t be said for other countries around the world.
