What are the best social media apps on iOS and Android in 2022? There’s a lot of choices when it comes to what apps to download these days to get your social media fix. It can be somewhat overwhelming, and you may find yourself split between a few favourites or looking for different apps to fulfil different needs from, short-form video to job networking to chatting with friends.
In our best social media apps guide, we outline the best social media apps available you can download right now. No doubt you’ll have heard of most of them, but if you’re looking to ditch one and pick up something new, or maybe you’re just searching for the one social media app to rule them all, then our list below is for you.
The app downloading doesn’t have to stop there though. We’ve also got some excellent guides to the best shopping apps on iOS and Android as well as the best Fitbit apps, should you be an avid user of the smartwatch. It’s never a bad thing to make sure you’re spending time on the best of the best.
The best social media apps
TikTok
TikTok is a fairly new contender in the social media space if you look at the timeline as a whole. But it’s not entirely new, given that it’s actually a redesigned mash-up of two popular Chinese apps, Douyin and Musical.ly. When short-form video app, Vine, shut down, there was clearly a market for more bitesize, easy-to-digest video content on social media and that’s where TikTok stepped up. It’s a video app with challenges, live streams, and trends that make it a very popular choice in the social media space for consuming quick videos and sharing with friends.
It wouldn’t be a social media app list without Facebook, would it? Over 2.9 billion users have signed up to the social network since its launch in 2004, and although it’s faced its trials and tribulations, it still remains one of the most popular choices for sharing content, chatting with friends, and updating your social feed. It’s one of a few social media apps on our list that fall under the media conglomerate Meta, so it clearly covers the market when it comes to creating popular social media apps.
Twitter is a social media app for anyone looking to digest content fast. Each tweet you write, and post, has a 280-word limit meaning you’re forced to keep it short, succinct, and quick to get to the point. It’s a prominent platform for keeping up-to-date with breaking news, instant social reactions, trending topics, and for consuming content directly from celebrities themselves. You can follow your favourite accounts and gain followers in return with customisation to your own profile from a header, to colours, to profile photo, to a pinned tweet that sits atop your page.
Another entry from the Metaverse is Instagram. This app is about images and videos, giving each user their very own separate feed to fill with 24-hour stories, long-lasting Reels, or photos (which can be edited in-app). There’s a lot to consume on Instagram, and the app begins to offer suggestions for content you might like based on what you usually look at. This feature causes some criticism, but it’s definitely one that’s enjoyable if you like tailored content.
Also from Meta is the social messaging app, WhatsApp. Used by over two billion people across 180 countries, its range of social features are vast. Essentially, it’s about chatting to friends and families, but you can also make and receive calls, launch video chats with up to eight people, and share pictures, videos, and documents. WhatsApp works across a variety of platforms with an in-built secure encryption service making sure everything you do on the app stays private.
Reddit is a social media platform that’s all about community. Whilst Reddit is the network, the service is split into subreddits, each with its own interest, hobby, and niche that users can join up to and be part of the conversation. You can also upvote or downvote each submission you see on Reddit depending on what you think of it, bringing it up the ranks or sending it down. It’s not just text though, as users can share images, videos, and links of their own making or shared from elsewhere online.
If you’re looking to network with other like-minded individuals in your line of work or even searching for a job, LinkedIn is a great social media app that provides the platform for just that. It’s social media for professionals as your individual feed is crafted to be your own professional landing page, displaying your education, experience, skills, certifications, and much more, all to promote you as a person in business. As well as being a platform for connecting, LinkedIn also provides its own professional development courses, which users will receive their own certificates for completing, building up that profile even more.
If you like a mood board, you’re going to love Pinterest. This image-sharing social media app is all about exploring, finding inspiration, and gathering it all in your very own digital vision board simply by ‘pinning’ it. Whether you’re redecorating your home, starting a new craft project, looking for new recipes, or just looking for inspiration, Pinterest is a hub for it all. The social media aspect is all about following and liking other people’s boards or sharing your own publicly to invite others to like and comment. It’s all about sharing ideas and embracing creativity.
There you have it, the best of the best social media apps available to download on iOS and Android right now. Remember, no matter the app, make sure you stay safe, filter your content, and keep anything you want to stay private – private.