Business app downloads recorded a significant increase in the UK in the first half of March, App Annie data showed, as more and more users turn to alternative ways to operate after challenges related to the outbreak of Covid-19 (coronavirus).

Average weekly downloads of mobile apps related to business in the first two weeks of the month registered the largest gains, up 36 per cent compared with the same period in 2019, reaching a total of 914,000.

Finance app downloads grew 20 per cent to 1.3 million, with shopping up 7 per cent to 2.1 million and education at 1 million, also up 7 per cent.

But not every category registered an upward trajectory: App Annie noted downloads of entertainment fell 13 per cent to 2.2 million, and photo and video categories at 1.9 million, down 12 per cent.

Social media apps including TikTok, WhatsApp and Instagram ranked among the most popular apps in the UK for the week commencing 8 March. The analytics company noted these apps continued to grow in terms of downloads as consumers sought to stay connected.

App Annie pointed ITV7: Horse Racing Competition, BBC News and Microsoft Teams as the best performing non-gaming apps in terms of weekly rises in downloads. In the gaming sector, Spiral Roll, Drive Hills and Brain Test: Tricky Puzzles saw the greatest growth.