Based on AppBrain Stats, there are currently 1,415,408 apps in the Google Play store as of November 29, 2014. Hundreds of apps each day are added in the different categories. It’s almost impossible for apps created by new startups and developers to break through in Google Play’s ranking. Top players such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter dominate the Social category both in Google Play and the App Store. Recently, however, a new player in the Social category climbed to Top 12: Veems.
Veems is a social photo sharing app that allows users to snap a photo and record a four-second sound or voice. It outranks other big players in the social category such as Vine and LinkedIn. LinkedIn has been in the industry for more than a decade. While Vine was only founded in 2012, it’s still considered a formidable opponent considering that the microblogging giant, Twitter, bought it. Unlike LinkedIn and Vine, Veems’s Android version was only released in May 2014.
In August 2014, we published an article about Veems focusing on private messaging. The focus on private messaging seems to be the current trend. With Facebook buying Whatsapp and forcing its users to install Messenger, Veems’ decision seems to be in the right direction. In fact, Iddo Goren, Veems co-founder, reported, “There is a 650% growth on the private messages being sent in the beginning of November.”
In the Philippine social media landscape, Veems is also becoming a favorite among Filipinos. Fifty five percent of its users are from the Philippines, mostly coming from Makati and Quezon City. While it might be an uphill battle for Veems to reach the ranks of Facebook and Twitter, it isn’t impossible.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
