When you look at the list of “most downloaded” apps year on year it’s normally a social media app, food delivery app or something like that, but for 2021 the list of Top Free iPhone apps is dominated by State and Federal Government apps related to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The list, released by Apple today shows the top ten list of paid and free apps across iPhone and iPad for the year to date.

At the very top of that list was the Express Plus Medicare App – used nationally to view and share your Digital Vaccination certificate. This app is the key to Australia’s ‘opening up’ plan, and has proven effective with integrations into state based apps across most of Australia.

Those State based apps were also big features.

Queensland’s Check-in QLD was the number 2 most downloaded free app for iPhone this year, ahead of Service NSW and Service Victoria.

Despite the size of the population in NSW, it’s likely the QLD app topped it because it was developed later, enforced as mandatory later and was not in use at all before the pandemic, unlike the NSW Government Service NSW app which has been the Digital Drivers licence for NSW for a little while now.

Even MyGovID featured as fifth, the new identity verification app from the Federal Government.

From there on it was content and streaming, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook.

If ever there was a demonstration of the role played by digital transformation in the response to the pandemic here in Australia – this list is that.

Here are the most downloaded apps in Australia for Apple iOS devices for 2021:

Top Free iPhone Apps

  1. Express Plus Medicare 
  2. Check In Qld
  3. Service NSW
  4. Service Victoria 
  5. myGovID 
  6. Instagram 
  7. TikTok
  8. YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream 
  9. Snapchat
  10. Facebook 

Top Paid iPhone Apps

  1. WikiCamps Australia
  2. The Wonder Weeks 
  3. Monash University FODMAP diet 
  4. TripView – Sydney & Melbourne 
  5. Forest – Your Focus Motivation 
  6. Procreate Pocket 
  7. Rain Parrot 
  8. TouchRetouch 
  9. AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch 
  10. 75 Hard 

Top Free iPhone Games

  1. Among Us!
  2. Project Makeover 
  3. Water Sort Puzzle 
  4. Roblox
  5. High Heels!
  6. 8 Ball Pool™
  7. Subway Surfers 
  8. Count Masters: Crowd Runner 3D
  9. Parking Jam 3D
  10. Stacky Dash 

Top Paid iPhone Games 

  1. Minecraft 
  2. Bloons TD 6
  3. Heads Up!
  4. Plague Inc. 
  5. Monopoly 
  6. True Skate 
  7. Geometry Dash 
  8. Bloons TD 5 
  9. Papa’s Freezeria To Go!
  10. My Child Lebensborn

Top Free iPad Apps 

  1. ZOOM Cloud Meetings 
  2. YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream 
  3. Netflix
  4. Disney+ 
  5. Google Chrome 
  6. Spotify New Music and Podcasts 
  7. TikTok – – Videos, Music & LIVE
  8. Microsoft Teams 
  9. The Calculator 
  10. 7plus 

Top Paid iPad Apps 

  1. Procreate 
  2. GoodNotes 5
  3. Notability 
  4. Book Creator for iPad 
  5. WikiCamps Australia 
  6. Toca Life: Hospital 
  7. Teach Your Monster to Read 
  8. Toca Life: Neighborhood 
  9. Popplet
  10. Green Screen by Do Ink 

Top Free iPad Games 

  1. Among Us!
  2. Roblox
  3. Phone Case DIY
  4. Project Makeover 
  5. Hair Challenge 
  6. Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game 
  7. Chat Master!
  8. Bridge Race 
  9. Tiles Hop – EDM Rush
  10. DOP 2: Delete One Part 

Top Paid iPad Games 

  1. Minecraft 
  2. Bloons TD 6
  3. Geometry Dash 
  4. Plague Inc. 
  5. Monopoly 
  6. True Skate 
  7. Terraria 
  8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 
  9. Stardew Valley 
  10. Five Nights at Freddy’s 

Top Arcade Games

  1. Sonic Racing 
  2. NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition 
  3. Cut the Rope Remastered
  4. Skate City 
  5. Sneaky Sasquatch 
  6. Mini Motorways 
  7. SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit 
  8. PAC-MAN Party Royale 
  9. Angry Birds Reloaded 
  10. Hot Lava