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It took just one day for Pokemon Go to outstrip Tinder

The day after Pokemon Go launched in North America, the game was installed on more Android phones in the US than Tinder, and now it's close to surpassing Twitter.

Claire Reilly Former Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she's covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She's been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she's a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
Expertise Space, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech Culture Credentials
  • Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
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Claire Reilly
2 min read
Watch this: What you look like playing Pokemon Go

When it comes to finding the perfect catch, it seems most people prefer Pokemon to dating.

It's been less than a week since Pokemon Go launched in the US, Australia and New Zealand, and already Niantic's augmented reality mobile game has pushed millions of Pokemon lovers out into the streets in the bid to catch them all.

The result: Pokemon Go is killing it in terms of popularity, according to new data from Similar Web. Just one day after it was launched in the US, the game was installed on more US Android smartphones than dating app Tinder. By day two, it was on just over 5 percent of all Android devices in the US.

Fans aren't just installing the game -- they're sticking around to play.

"Over 60 percent of those who have downloaded the app in the US are using it daily, meaning around 3 percent of the entire US Android population are users of the app," Similar Web digital insights manager Joseph Schwartz wrote in a blog post. "This metric...has put Pokemon Go neck and neck with Twitter, and in a few more days, Pokemon Go will likely have more users."

Pokemon Go, which is free to download, uses your phone's camera and GPS capabilities to put characters from the game into the world around you.

It is Nintendo's second foray into smartphone games, following the widely ignored Miitomo social app earlier this year, and the company says that, with four more smartphone games coming in its current fiscal year, which ends in March, it expects a healthy boost to its operating profit. Investors seem favorably impressed, with the company's stock soaring to close out last week.

Users are also spending more time on the Pokemon Go app than on WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and Messenger, with players dedicating an average of 43 minutes and 23 seconds per day to the game.

This article is also available in Spanish. Read "'Pokémon Go' desbancó a Tinder en apenas un día".