Wow, you really like watching YouTube videos. Google’s Android video player app, which was first available to the public on the launch version 1.0 of the very first Android phone, has now been downloaded from the Play Store more than ten billion times. Much of that figure has to come from even before the Play Store.

Only one other app has reached this level, and it’s hardly an app in the conventional sense. Google Play Services are the backbone of how Google interacts with Android and user accounts. Arguably, YouTube is the first app for users to reach this milestone.

Of course, just because there are ten billion downloads does not mean that there are ten billion users (more than there are people on the planet right now). App updates, new phone activations, and other multiplier events help complete this download number. But I think it’s safe to say that with over three billion Android devices active at the start of this year, YouTube is installed on the majority of Android devices sold outside of China.

Just for shit and giggles, Ryne Hager booted up his trusty and dusty HTC G1, the very first commercial Android device, to see if the 1.0 app was installed on it. Yes it was, although it is not really functional.

Who is betting on the next ten billion Android app on the Play Store? Gmail is my guess.

Youtube
Youtube