
Back in March 2014, it was reported by Armagh I that Armagh City and District Council had shown interest in developing a mobile phone app. The purpose of this app would be to help promote the local area, with the council being willing to commit £5,000 to the project.
The app overall, however, was said to have cost £20,000 if the project was taken up. To date, there isn’t a dedicated Armagh app that can help to guide visitors, promote the local area, and enhance the visibility of local businesses. Now, over 11 years later, perhaps now is the time to commit to a useful local Armagh app.
UK App Statistics and Trends Show the Rise of Apps
Back in 2014, smartphones and apps were prevalent, but nowhere near as ubiquitous with everyday life and activities as they are in 2025. USwitch statistics point to one-in-nine people in 2023 using their mobiles to go online, which is up by over 60 per cent since 2009. In 2023, 2.3 billion apps were downloaded in the UK alone.
Useful and practical apps continue to do very well. It was found that navigation and travel tools boast a strong 30 per cent usage across all age groups in the UK, per YouGov. This marks them and photo and video apps as quite unique in how they continue to appeal to all forms of British smartphone users.
Of course, the entertainment section also encourages many downloads. You can see it across all forms of digital fun, from mobile games to streaming platforms to the dedicated bingo app. In the entertainment app, the whole website offering, including bingo rooms, live games, and slots, is bundled into the convenient mobile package.
Key to all of this app action is the convenience. Not needing to type URLs or even type terms into Google is a huge driver of app adoption. In fact, some studies find that the average British smartphone user will spend 80 per cent of their four hours of daily phone time in apps rather than browsers.
Showing Armagh the Path Forward

Photo by Humphrey Muleba
Having an app that makes visiting, navigating, and enjoying everything that Armagh has to offer can greatly help to make coming and living in the area much easier and more convenient. As proven above, people love apps and are happy to turn to them throughout the day for all kinds of purposes.
As could be predicted, one city that’s greatly enjoyed success by offering a dedicated app is London. The Visit London free city guide app is packed with ideas and inspirations for anyone who downloads it. With it installed, you’re just two taps away from seeing all of your nearby and the best-rated shopping, food and drink, market, nightlife, art and museum, and theatre options to you.
Convenient and useful, the Visit London app perfectly demonstrates how apps can be leveraged to empower local businesses. It’s already been downloaded over 500,000 times on Android devices, with its hand-picked lists being of particular appeal for anyone who wants some insider insight to enjoying their time in the capital.
If Armagh wants to make a concerted push towards making exploring the area more convenient while promoting local businesses and events, it’d be wise to circle back to the idea of making a dedicated app.