- New research shows Facebook is the least reliable mobile app, with a reliability score of 1.92 out of 5
- Zoom is the most reliable out of the apps analysed, scoring 4.51 out of 5 on reliability
- Last year, there were 673,500 Google queries a month relating to the YouTube app being down
- Over a third of Brits allow apps to access their personal data, making them more vulnerable to cyberattacks[1]
- Catherine Hiley, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com, offers advice on how to protect your personal data from cyberattacks
WhatsApp has gone down this morning, affecting over 40 million users in the UK alone. A new study from Uswitch.com has determined which mobile apps are most unreliable and most likely to leave Brits unable to access their services.
As part of the mobile statistics hub, experts analysed the top 24 mobile apps against a variety of factors, such as the volume of reported outage issues per million monthly downloads, the volume of Google searches during outages and app ratings. The results reveal the popular apps that are the most unreliable on a scale from zero to five.
Table 1: Facebook is the most unreliable app
| App | Reported issues per million global downloads | Avg monthly Google searches for ‘[app] down’ | iOS rating (out of 5) | Google Play rating (out of 5) | Overall reliability score (out of 5) |
| 15 | 247,020 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 1.92 | |
| YouTube | 36 | 673,500 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 2.36 |
| 195 | 33,170 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 2.54 | |
| McDonalds | 36 | 2,080 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 2.94 |
| Tinder | 9 | 12,800 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.93 |
| Uber | 23 | 40,980 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 2.95 |
| Discord | 75 | 620 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.02 |
| Amazon | 18 | 74,490 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3.06 |
| 9 | 450,000 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.12 | |
| 20 | 1,050 | 4.7 | 4 | 3.21 | |
| Spotify | 23 | 740 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.28 |
| Twitch | 50 | 110 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.47 |
| Telegram | 4 | 165,030 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.49 |
| Gmail | 7 | 40,570 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.53 |
| Snapchat | 5 | 228,100 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.55 |
Source: Uswitch.com
With a reliability score of 1.50 out of 5, Facebook was revealed to be the most unreliable mobile app. On average there are 15 reported app issues for every million monthly downloads, two-thirds more than fellow Meta app, WhatsApp which had 9 issues per million downloads.
YouTube is the second most unreliable mobile app, with a reliability score of 2.36 out of 5. There are 36 reported app issues per million monthly downloads on average – four times the amount of Soundcloud [9]. Additionally, in the past year, there have been 673,500 search queries relating to the YouTube app being down, the highest of all apps analysed.
Twitter ranks as the third most unreliable mobile app. On average, for every million monthly downloads there are 195 reported app issues, the highest of all apps analysed. However, due to Twitter receiving 86% fewer search queries [33,170] relating to the app being down than Facebook [247,020], Twitter receives a slightly higher reliability score of 2.54 out of 5.
Zoom is the most reliable mobile app
With a reliability score of 4.51 out of 5, Zoom is the most reliable app out of all apps analysed. There are just 3 reported issues per million monthly downloads on average, the lowest of all apps analysed.
Zoom received an average of 120 Google queries a month relating to the app being down last year, almost six times less than the number of queries Netflix received [600].
Over a third of UK adults allow apps to access personal data
A Censuswide survey of 2,012 UK mobile phone users, conducted by Uswitch.com for the mobile statistics hub, has revealed that over a third (34%) of UK adults allow their mobile apps to access their personal data. The survey revealed that men (40.19%) are more likely than women (29.33%) to allow apps to access their private information, with almost half (49.38%) of 16–24 year olds stating that they do not refuse access to personal data when installing apps.
Mobile expert at Uswitch.com, Catherine Hiley, provides tips on protecting your personal data from outages caused by cyberattacks:
Catherine Hiley, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com, says: “There are several reasons why mobile app outages can occur, such as server issues, out-of-date software and cyberattacks.
“Apps which users have not updated recently may bare out-of-date software and so are at higher risk of being hacked. These attacks can also lead to app outages, so it’s important to make sure your apps are as up-to-date as possible.
“When you install a new app, it will often ask for permission to access personal data within your phone, such as your camera, microphone and location. It’s important to be aware of what each app has access to, so you don’t overshare or offer access to more information than it needs.
“As easy as it is to skip past the T&C’s, make sure you have a read of the app’s privacy policy to understand how your data will be shared. And if you’re not comfortable with the policy, avoid downloading the app.
“If the app asks for permission to access your location or camera, pay close attention and assess whether this is a necessary part of the app’s function.
“Keep your downloaded apps up-to-date and review their permissions regularly. You can check your settings anytime and only allow them access to your personal data when using the app.”
For more advice on how to keep your mobile safe from cyberattacks or outages, visit the Uswitch guide.
