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Facebook Messenger is now the second most popular app in the United States

Facebook Messenger is now the second most popular app in the United States

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First place goes to Facebook itself

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Remember when Facebook spun off Messenger and forced you to download it separately? Turns out, even though users initially hated it, the company knew what it was doing. A new report from digital media analytics company comScore shows that Facebook Messenger is currently the second most popular app in America.

Messenger is Facebook’s answer to concerns that younger users are gravitating more to messaging apps like Snapchat. Of late, Facebook has embellished the app, adding in video calling, instant video sharing, peer-to-peer payments and even a personal assistant called M. Whatever the reasons for the increased focus on Messenger, the company’s efforts are paying off.

comscore

According to comScore, Messenger beat out YouTube for the second place spot with the help of the 59.5 percent of iOS or Android smartphone owners who used Messenger at least once a month. With Facebook itself coming in at first place, and Instagram at number nine, Facebook-owned apps make up 20 percent of the list of the top ranking smartphone apps. But Facebook’s other messaging service WhatsApp is missing from the list, despite today’s news that it has over 900 million monthly users.

It may not be a surprise to see that most of the apps on the list are owned by either Facebook or Google. But Apple isn’t one to be left behind — Apple Maps comes in at number 11, while Apple Music has snuck in above Snapchat at number 14, despite having launched less than three months ago.