Brazil: most popular social network apps 2017

During a 2017 survey fielded in Brazil, over nine out of ten participant internet users stated that they used WhatsApp. Meanwhile, around 86 and 60 percent of respondents mentioned Facebook and Instagram, respectively. These were also the three apps most commonly found on smartphones' home screens in Brazil in 2020.

WhatsApp: a Brazilian favorite

The number of WhatsApp users in Brazil in 2021 is estimated at 148 million, around 21 percent more than four years earlier. The instant messenger is not just an app in this South American country: it is a lifestyle. As of February 2021, approximately 1.75 million catalogs were created on WhatsApp Business in Brazil. This spin-off mobile app – also owned by Facebook, Inc. – allows small and medium-sized enterprises to interact with clients and create catalogs showcasing products and services. Moreover, Brazilians’ preference for WhatsApp goes beyond the realm of messaging: it is their third favorite app for food delivery, according to a survey among smartphone users conducted in 2020.

Mobile instant messaging in Brazil

As of July 2020, WhatsApp still was the app Brazilians used the most for texting, sharing pictures and videos, exchanging voice messages, and making voice calls. But it was not the only one. The number of users of Facebook Messenger in Brazil oscillates around 120 million. Furthermore, as of early 2020, over half of Brazilians on Telegram used this app created by the Durov brothers every day or almost every day.