Time Magazine’s Top 10 Apps of 2014: A Comprehensive Review

We present to you the top 10 apps of 2014, according to Time Magazine. Let’s jump right in!

10. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood

This celebrity-inspired mobile game by Glu Mobile took the smartphone world by storm. Released in 2014 summer, it surged to the top of the charts, using the same ‘fame-for-being-famous’ model used by its namesake celebrity, Kim Kardashian. This cleverly crafted blend of reality tv and the gaming world reportedly earned Kardashian nearly $100 million that year. It pulled in both die-hard fans and critics alike, helping to solidify the power of the Kardashian brand in popular culture.

9. 2048

Shaking up the mobile and online gaming scene was the creation of a 19-year-old Italian web developer, Gabriele Cirulli. 2048’s charm lay in its uncomplicated objectives, which involved sliding tiles of numbers 2 and 4 in attempts to reach 2048. In contrast to more complex games, 2048’s simple gameplay and open-source code urged millions to download it in the first week alone and spurred developers to create various spinoffs.

8. Rooms

Facebook quietly launched an enthralling new product in October 2014 – Rooms. This standalone app saw users joining anonymous chatrooms for discussions on common interests, signifying a throwback to the early years of social media networking where interactions were more personal yet anonymous. However, gaining substantial users still remains a challenge for Rooms.

7. PhotoMath

The intriguing calculator app, MicroBlink’s PhotoMath, is a dream come true for students struggling with math. By scanning a photo of a math problem, PhotoMath provides step-by-step solutions, though it doesn’t support handwriting or high-level math yet. The app has garnered positive feedback from educators but has also sparked debate on its potential misuse for cheating.

6. Hinge

Hinge, launched in 2013, made a substantial impact in 2014 as it spread across U.S cities. The dating app connects to your Facebook and uses mutual friends to create matches. This refreshing departure from the randomness of similar dating apps helped it carve its own niche in the crowded online dating scene.

5. Flappy Bird

Coming up as a strong contender in addictive smartphone games was Flappy Bird. It rose to global prominence in early 2014 due to its nostalgic interface and uncomplicated objectives. Mystery shrouded the app when its developer, Dong Nguyen, disrupted its soaring success by announcing its discontinuation.

4. Venmo

The mobile payment service Venmo revolutionized how expenses were shared among millennials in 2014. Following the acquisition of its parent company Braintree by eBay in late 2013, Venmo verbified its brand name in a fashion similar to Google, signaling its widespread acceptance and usage.

3. WhatsApp

WhatsApp, the global frontrunner of chat apps collected such an enormity of users; the app reported over 600 million monthly users in August, a 100 million leap from April. It raked in about $22 billion after Facebook’s acquisition, far surpassing Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram.

2. Uber

Even while facing rampant controversies and global protests, Uber’s popularity continued to surge throughout 2014. Despite allegations of uncompetitive policies and inadequate safety measures, the ride-hailing giant remains resilient and still serves millions of users worldwide.

1. Snapchat

Previously viewed as a second-tier player in the social media scene dominated by Facebook and Twitter, Snapchat shared an astounding daily count of over 700 million photos by May 2014! This reflected a drastic jump from the 20 million daily photos shared in 2012, affirming Snapchat’s growing influence. It further solidified its position by securing a $10 billion valuation in August 2014 and ventured into advertising in October as a monetization move.

For a more detailed analysis, visit Time Magazine’s [website](http://time.com/3582114/top-10-apps/) on the subject.

This article was updated in 2025 to reflect modern realities.