Instagram is now the most used app among Indian smartphone users, according to a new report by BofA Global Research.
The average user spends nearly 50 hours every month on the Meta owned platform, putting it ahead of YouTube and the mobile game Garena Free Fire.
The numbers have triggered a fresh debate online about how much time people are losing to their phones.
How the numbers stack up
The data went viral after being shared on X by the account Indian Tech & Infra. Instagram led the pack with 49 hours and 42 minutes of average monthly usage, followed closely by YouTube at 47 hours and 23 minutes.
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Garena Free Fire came in third with 41 hours and 12 minutes, showing just how big mobile gaming has become in India.
Other apps on the list included Facebook at 24 hours 45 minutes, JioHotstar at 22 hours 13 minutes, Netflix at 19 hours 22 minutes, MX Player at 19 hours 19 minutes, and WhatsApp Messenger at 18 hours 49 minutes.
Further down were PLAYit, Kuku TV, Moj, Zoom Workplace, Amazon Prime Video, Ludo King, X, WhatsApp Business, Carrom Pool, Reddit, Google Chrome and ZEE5, all ranging between 10 and 18 hours a month.
How people reacted online
The figures struck a nerve online, with many pointing out how much time is quietly slipping away on social media. One user wrote, “49 hours a month on Instagram and yet everyone still claims they ‘don’t have time to read.'”
Another did the math and put it in blunt terms, saying, “49 hrs on Instagram a month = 2 full days of your life. Every. Single. Month. And we still call it just scrolling.”
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A third user broke it down further, noting, “Almost 50 hours a month on Instagram is wild. That’s roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes every single day. It really shows how short form content has become the biggest competitor for people’s time and attention.”
Someone else compared it to a job, writing, “Average Instagram user is spending more than a full working week there every month. ‘Just checking one Reel’ has become a part time job.”
Free Fire steals attention too
Garena Free Fire’s high ranking also drew plenty of reactions, especially given how far ahead it was of everyday apps like WhatsApp.
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One user joked, “Free Fire at No. 3 is actually crazy. Instagram and YouTube make sense but 41 hours on Free Fire means some people are living their second life inside the game. Meanwhile WhatsApp is only 18 hours. Indian parents would be shocked.”
FAQs
Which app do Indians spend the most time on?
Instagram tops the list, with Indian users spending an average of 49 hours and 42 minutes on it every month.
Which apps come after Instagram in usage?
YouTube ranks second with 47 hours and 23 minutes a month, and Garena Free Fire is third with 41 hours and 12 minutes.