These Apps and Games Have Spent the Most Time at No. 1 on Google Play

Ten years ago today, Google launched the Android Market, the initial first-party app store for its mobile platform. It was reworked and renamed in 2012 to become the Google Play we know today. In recognition of this milestone moment in Android history, we drew upon Sensor Tower App Intelligence to produce the following rankings of apps that spent the most time at No. 1 on Google Play since 2012 in its free, paid, and top grossing categories.

Most Days at No. 1 Free

Only 84 unique apps reached No. 1 on the U.S. Google Play store's top free ranking since the beginning of our analysis period in 2012. This is in stark contrast to the 422 we found had managed the same feat on Apple's App Store July 2010 and July 2018.

Facebook's chat app Messenger dominated this ranking with 900 combined days at No. 1 on U.S. Google Play since 2012. The publisher's core Facebook app came in at No. 2 with 661 days, far ahead of the No. 3 ranked Google Street View standalone app at 110 days. The top ranked mobile game on U.S. Google Play by time spent atop the free chart was Etermax's Trivia Crack at just 59 days total.

Google Play has seen about 3,000 free apps reach No. 1 worldwide, but this chart was also controlled by Facebook owned apps, specifically WhatsApp at No. 1 with 2,416 combined days across all countries. Messenger and Facebook were No. 3 and 4 with 1,773 and 1,353 days, respectively, while Instagram was No. 10 with 192 days. More apps that games occupied the worldwide top 10—just two, compared to six on the U.S. ranking.

Most Days at No. 1 Paid

The paid apps ranking on U.S. Google Play has seen summited by 59 apps and has been topped the longest by Microsoft's world builder Minecraft, at a total of 1,544 days—or about 4.2 years at No. 1.

The only app to even remotely come close has been SwiftKey at 438 days. The popular alternative keyboard app was purchased by Microsoft in February 2016.

Minecraft also ruled the global paid ranking and the more than 1,100 apps that have topped it with 1,944 combined days at No. 1. SwiftKey was also up there with 734 days, but ranked behind No. 2 app Poweramp and its 1,275 days.

Most Days at No. 1 Top Grossing

The U.S. Google Play store's top 10 apps by time on the grossing ranking are all games—with two clear standouts among the mere 21 apps that have reached its top.

The list is led by Supercell's strategy title Clash of Clans with 822 days. Runner-up Candy Crush Saga from King managed to spend 683 days at No. 1.

The order was swapped on the worldwide top 10, which has seen 668 top apps, with Candy Crush at No. 1 at 1,810 days—or almost five combined years—and Clash of Clans at No. 2 with 1,694 days at the peak. Unlike the U.S. ranking, the global version contains two non-games, Netflix and IAC-owned Tinder at No. 9 and 10 with 736 and 723 days, respectively.

Overall, Facebook ended up having the longest reign on any of the three charts, with WhatsApp's more than 2,400 days at No. 1 free worldwide. With it being the No. 1 downloaded free app each month in 2018 so far, we don't see that record being surpassed anytime soon.