Social media app TikTok soared to the top of quarterly download tables during Q1, displacing previous record-holder Pokemon Go, which held the honour for more than three years, Sensor Tower data showed.

The ByteDance-owned video app was downloaded 315 million times in the period, topping the 308 million AR mobile game Pokemon Go achieved in the three months after its launch in July 2016.

Sensor Tower estimated downloads of TikTok in Q1 2019 at 188 million.

The company’s figures showed Facebook-owned apps also fared well in the recent period, with WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Messenger completing the top five in terms of installs.

Globally, app downloads topped 33.6 billion in the period, up 20.3 per cent year-on-year. Sensor Tower noted Covid-19 (coronavirus) played a part in the increase, driving rapid growth in business, education and news app downloads.