Blackout apps leaving most in the shade
YOU’D be mistaken for thinking the most popular apps in the country would be the ever-favoured Facebook, Instagram or BBM.
But think again – two out of three of the most downloaded free iPhone apps are load-shedding schedule and alert apps. They are only beaten out of first place by WhatsApp – the most popular application in the world, according to App Annie, a data and mobile analytic website.
The two load-shedding apps have overtaken Facebook Messenger and Facebook, which are now in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Of the free apps, EskomSePush is in second place. The name of the app is a play on words for a well-known Cape Flats insult, and the app enables users to choose from over 50 000 areas to get load-shedding push notifications and predictions.
In third place is the Loadshedding – Notification and schedule for Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban area app.
Claire Booty, of App Annie, said the index was reporting the app store free rankings and was determined by downloads rather than usage. “EskomSePush entered the top five on May 18 and Loadshedding returned to the top five in May. (It) has been there a few times since (its) launch earlier this year,” she said. The creators of EskomSePush, Herman Maritz and Dan Wells, who are based in Stellenbosch, predicted that their app would surpass WhatsApp. Maritz said the pair created the app a month ago and it has so far been downloaded 50 000 times.
“For us, the app was about meeting a need. About a month ago we saw that apps made for load shedding were really not that great. We are trying to make this the best loadshedding app. We’re also looking to secure funding as it grows.
“People are negative about load shedding. They’re always complaining and we’re giving them something to stop complaining.”
‘YOU’D be mistaken for thinking the most popular apps in the country would be the ever-favoured Facebook, Instagram or BBM…” So begins a piece in our news pages today.
It continues: “But two out of three of the most downloaded apps are load-shedding alert apps. They’re only beaten out of first place by WhatsApp, the second most popular application in the world, according to App Annie (an app data-capturing site). The load-shedding apps have overtaken Facebook and Facebook Messenger.”
That’s remarkable. Load-shedding apps are more popular today than Facebook.
It is a stern warning to the government and Eskom, surely the most unpopular state-owned enterprise by far (the SA Revenue Service is not an enterprise).
Among the load-shedding apps is EskomSePush, created in Stellenbosch by Herman Maritz and Dan Wells. It entered the top five on Monday.
Created a month ago, it has soared up the charts and is currently in second place, surpassed only by WhatsApp. The pair have had 50 000 downloads.
Now that they’ve gone viral, they reckon: “We are going to beat WhatsApp.
“For us, the app was about meeting a need. About a month ago we saw that all apps made for load shedding were really not that great.
“We wanted to get notifications when load shedding was going to happen.”
They then designed the app with a push notification service. The pair conclude: “People are negative about load shedding, they’re always complaining about it, and we’re giving them something for them to stop complaining.”
This is a big lesson for any party seeking re-election in the local government elections, mere months away.
The ruling ANC has recognised this and deployed Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to sort out Eskom. Among the first fruits is the departure of Eskom’s suspended boss by way of a golden handshake, a seemingly typically South African thing to do. Like sufficient consensus.
Politicians better wake up. With the popularity of load-shedding apps surpassing that of Facebook, the electorate may just be included to do some load shedding (or blackouts as some conservatives may say) of their own at the ballot box next year.