Explained: What are super apps, why it is great!

YOUSSEF

1 Mar, 2023

Imagine not having to install 20 different applications for every purpose, but only having to install one link to do everything. It would be almost magical, right? Well, super apps have the ability to perform all the functions that users demand and much more.

Super apps are the latest challenge for software developers, and they are here to stay.

This term was coined in 2010 by the founder of BlackBerry, Mike Lazaridis, who defined them as “a closed ecosystem of many applications that people use every day because they offer a seamless, integrated, and efficient experience”.

Later, the word began to resonate in Southeast Asia after companies achieved tremendous success and started calling themselves “super apps ". Now American companies like Facebook, Google, and Paypal have begun to take an interest in this emerging sector.

What is a super app exactly?

Let's say super apps are off-road applications, an "all-in-one" that you carry on your smartphone and that solves any need of the 21st century: buy a pizza, order a taxi, talk to your friends, and even book a trip.

These applications manage all the user's needs from the same place, without having to open several for each thing. For this reason, they incorporate an infinity of functionalities and features: from social networks to online shopping options.

Having to download a single application is an important element for the user, who is sometimes tired of storing dozens and dozens of applications that he does not even use. Imagine that WhatsApp was not only used to communicate: from the app you can make an appointment to go to the doctor or even check the status of your bank account.

Super apps on both Android and iOS

A survey conducted by Tencent in 2019 revealed that 40% of Chinese netizens believe that the super app model will eventually replace the classic apps. Can we trust them? Super apps? I'd vote yes! Because apps like the Mega app Beeda is coming up for the first time in the Android and Apple app stores, with tons of multi-services. Visit the app website for more information.

As we have said before, it presents a great challenge for developers. Integrating so many features takes a lot of work, but don't think that a super app will perform slower or be less secure than a traditional app, on the very contrary; super apps make your device more functional with fewer apps on it. As such, super apps offer a higher degree of privacy and security than regular apps, as these ecosystems have far more resources to protect themselves from threats.

A new lifestyle

One of the great benefits of having a super app on your cell phone is that it implies a change in your lifestyle since all the previous benefits together imply changes that seem insignificant but that at the end of the day can impact your daily routine by facilitating your life from forgetting the lines at the bank, supermarket, to being able to buy your next vacation in a single click! Wow.

A few of their other benefits are: