COVID-19 Mobile Apps Trends Derived from Long-Term Google Play Analysis

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Mobile Health Applications
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic spurred rapid development and adoption of digital health tools.
• Mobile applications became a key platform for disseminating health information and services.
• Understanding trends in health-related apps is crucial for public health strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the 5-year trends of COVID-related mobile applications on the Google Play platform.
• To identify the prevalence and changes in COVID-19 apps over time.
• To understand the landscape of mobile health solutions during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of app descriptions on the Google Play platform.
• Identification and categorization of COVID-related mobile applications within "medical" and "health and fitness" categories.
• Trend analysis of app prevalence over a 5-year period.

Main Results:

• Out of 21,764 "medical" apps, 161 were COVID-related.
• Out of 48,750 "health and fitness" apps, 143 were COVID-related.
• A significant rise in the prevalence of COVID-related apps was observed in January 2021.

Conclusions:

• Mobile applications in the "medical" and "health and fitness" categories showed a notable presence of COVID-19 related content.
• The surge in COVID-19 app prevalence in January 2021 indicates a responsive digital health ecosystem.
• Further research can explore the impact and effectiveness of these mobile health interventions.