App Markets Trends & Insights: Top Keywords on the App Store in 2022

What were the most popular App Store search terms in 2022?  We looked at six of the biggest app markets, The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and India, to determine which phrases saw the most search activity this year.

Definition of top keywords

Searches that received the highest possible search volume scores at some time during a year are used to determine the most popular keywords. The volume score is a determined and obtained number from Apple that ranges from 5 to 100. The number of searches for a keyword on the App Store will increase as it becomes more popular and common. 

Top 20 App Store keywords in 2022 (US)

• instagram
• snapchat
• facebook
• tik tok
• wordle
• youtube
• twitter
• roblox
• tinder
• truth social
• whatsapp
• cash app
• discord
• messenger
• netflix
• reddit
• grindr
• spotify
• amazon
• google

The top 20 App Store search terms varied significantly between 2021 and 2022. Only six terms from the top 20 in 2021 - "instagram," "snapchat," "facebook," "tik tok," "youtube," and "messenger" - remain in the top 20 in 2022. 

Meanwhile, prominent search terms including "mario kart," "zoom," "among us," "disney plus," and "free games" dropped out of the top 20 this year.

The most popular App Store keywords

The 20 most searched-for keywords in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and India are shown in the following table.


Similar to the US, the top keyword searches in the other 5 markets underwent significant changes between 2021 and 2022. Each country's top 20 most popular searches include at least 10 new keywords from 2021.

Changes in this year

As mentioned above, this year's annual keywords have changed a lot, so let's take a look at the specific trends in which they have changed.

Generic keywords lost popularity on the App Store in 2022

Brand names were frequently the most popular search terms in each country in recent years, and this will likely continue in 2022.

There were 19 generic keyword searches conducted in 2021 throughout the six markets, and each nation had at least one generic keyword that was ranked in the top 20. But this year, we only track a total of 6 generic keyword searches throughout the top 20 markets. There were no generic keywords from the US, France, or Germany in the top 20. Here is a summary of the six markets' top searches for general keywords:

• USA – no generic searches
• UK – 3 searches: “vpn,” “new profile pic,” and “vpn free unlimited”
• France – no searches
• Germany – no searches
• Spain – 1 search: “salud andalucia”
• India – 2 searches: “free fire” and “phone pay”

Many branded terms are present in the top 20 most searched searches. Although it may be tempting to use your competitors' trademarked keywords in your metadata to increase traffic, this is not permitted on the App Store (and not recommended to include in your keyword field).

Dating apps dominate the most popular App Store keywords

When compared to last year, dating apps like "tinder" and "grindr" dominate the top keywords. The only dating app to place in the top 20 in all 6 markets last year was Bumble (US). Seven dating apps are among the most popular searches this year, and at least one dating app from each country is among the top 20.

COVID-related keywords are less popular in 2022

It's interesting to notice that while there were just three COVID-related searches this year, there were six previous year that were the most popular across the six areas. As an illustration, "Tous Anti Covid," which was ranked 8th in France in 2021, is currently the 13th most popular search, while the Corona Warn App, which was ranked 1st in Germany in 2021, is currently ranked 4th on the App Store. This might be because this year's global COVID-19 immunization campaigns changed the course of the pandemic.

Another thing to note is that "Zoom" didn't appear in any of the top 20 searches for any of the six markets this year, although it did for four of the six cities last year. In a post-pandemic world, this might be ascribed to more workers returning to working surroundings.

Like the previous year, social media and networking apps like "instagram," "twitter," "snapchat," "tiktok," and "facebook" continue to dominate the top keywords in the App Store.

Communication & gaming keywords among top searches in 2022

Communication and game searches are the second and third most common categories of top searches in 2022, respectively. "WhatsApp" is the most common search word for communication searches, placing in the top 20 in each of the six markets. In terms of game searches, "Roblox" is the most common phrase, placing in the top 20 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Video-related keyword searches are also common, with "Netflix" and "YouTube" placing in the top 20 for each of the six areas. 

Knowing the popular keywords of the year, do you have any new idea for your app store keyword optimization? Welcome to Appranking, which can make the most of keywords and help your app growth.