Amazon's Alexa app topped Apple's App Store on Christmas

Image credit: Amazon

Amazon's voice-controlled Echo devices were quite the popular gifts this Christmas, judging from the way the Alexa app shot up to the top of the list of the most popular free apps on the iOS App Store on Christmas Day.

It's slipped a bit since then, but only a bit. As of right now, it commands second place, sitting just behind YouTube.

It's a remarkable achievement in that it confirms Amazon's statement yesterday that the Echo Dot was the bestselling Amazon device over the holiday season. In fact, according to Amazon's statement, the Echo Dot was "the best-selling product from any manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon."

The jump is thanks almost entirely to new users, as the App Store ranks free apps according to downloads. In other words, if you already have an Echo device, there's not much of a chance you were going to be downloading a new one unless you recently reset your phone.

In this case, the downloads were likely almost entirely from people who were trying out their new Echo devices shortly after unwrapping them.

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As TechCrunch notes, this is a step up from last year, when the Alexa app only managed to reach fourth place. The site also points out that the app reached high points in markets outside the US, revealing just how popular Echo devices were for holiday gifts. Not only did the Alexa app reach second place in the UK, but it also reached fifth place on the charts for both Germany and Austria.

Prior to the holiday season, the app was much farther down the scale, hovering around the 60s and 90s in rankings.