A newly released State of Mobile 2025 report by Sensor Tower has unveiled the most widely used mobile applications in the UAE for 2024, confirming TikTok as the nation’s most popular app. UAE residents collectively spent a staggering 7.63 billion hours on the Chinese-owned short-video platform last year, averaging nearly 2 hours per person daily. This equates to approximately 700 hours per year spent on TikTok by an average user. The report highlights a growing trend in digital consumption, with social media apps leading the charge, followed by AI chatbots, media and entertainment platforms, and online shopping.
How Much Time Do Residents Spend Online?
For many UAE residents, TikTok has become an integral part of their daily routine.
Haleema Saud, a student in Dubai, shared her screen habits:
- Weekdays: She spends three to four hours on TikTok and six hours in total on her smartphone.
- Weekends or leisure days: Her screen time skyrockets to 12 hours, with at least 8 hours on TikTok watching content on cooking, baking, Islam, and computer engineering.
This extensive usage reflects a broader trend where social media continues to dominate online activity in the UAE.
TikTok’s Global Impact and Controversy
TikTok has not only dominated UAE’s digital landscape but has also remained in global headlines. In the United States, concerns over data privacy led to discussions on banning the app. While a law to prohibit TikTok in the US was initially proposed, an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump delayed the ban by 75 days due to ongoing legal and policy debates.
Telegram: The UAE’s Second Most Popular App
Apart from TikTok, Telegram emerged as the second most used app in the UAE, with users spending an average of one hour daily on the Dubai-based messaging platform.
Other widely used applications in the country included:
- WhatsApp Business
- MX Player
- Google Phone & Google Maps
- PLAYit
- Gmail
Most Downloaded Apps in 2024
While TikTok was the most downloaded social media app last year, overall VPN Proxy Master was the most downloaded application in the UAE.
Top 5 Most Downloaded Social Media Apps
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TikTok
- WhatsApp Messenger
- Telegram
Most Downloaded Finance Apps
The UAE witnessed a surge in buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) apps and digital wallets in 2024. The most downloaded finance apps included:
- Tabby (BNPL app)
- Taptap Send (Digital wallet)
- C3Pay
- Mashreq Egypt
- ADCB Hayyak
- ADCB
- e& (Telecom and finance)
- ILOE (Insurance app)
- Binance (Crypto trading platform)
- Tamara (BNPL app)
Temu: UAE’s Most Popular Shopping App
Chinese e-commerce platform Temu topped the UAE’s shopping app charts in 2024, along with 15 other major markets. Known for offering affordable products, Temu became a go-to choice for consumers navigating inflation, rising interest rates, and economic uncertainty.
Temu’s direct-from-factory business model eliminates middlemen, allowing it to offer competitive pricing and enhanced operational efficiency.
Other Popular Shopping Apps in the UAE
- Trendyol
- Shein
- Noon
- Amazon
Growing Digital Dependence
The findings of the State of Mobile 2025 report highlight how digital consumption is evolving in the UAE. With increasing reliance on social media, e-commerce, AI, and finance apps, smartphone usage is expected to grow further in the coming years.
As the demand for entertainment, communication, and seamless online transactions continues to rise, the UAE’s app ecosystem is set to become even more diverse and technologically advanced.
