In some instances, non-Muslim specific apps that offer Muslim content also play a role during Ramadan: “My Spotify and shopping apps aren’t very spiritual. But during Ramadan, I might be more inclined to open those spiritual and festive Raya playlists that Spotify advertises. On some days, I listen to verses from the Quran and Surah on Spotify too,” stated Ainna from Malaysia.

5. Iftar-time is family time

Although Ramadan is centered around fasting, traditions relating to food are equally important. This is illustrated by the 220% increase in food-related search queries during Ramadan in Indonesia and the 140% hike in Malaysia.

Recipes and video tutorial searches also spike on YouTube, with a 35% increase in Indonesia and a 28% increase in Malaysia. When asked about meal preferences to break fast, 76% of Indonesians and 67% of Malaysians surveyed said they would prefer home-cooked meals—unsurprising, because the iftar (the meal eaten at sunset after a full day of fasting) is traditionally practiced at home.



Kuala Lumpur resident Esmi, 29, sees the irony in food-related searches during a month of fasting, “It’s funny because Ramadan is when people spend a lot of time looking for recipes to cook and break fast. It’s like a love-hate relationship; you’re hungry, but you also like looking at these yummy recipes. But it’s a thing people do, to get inspiration for what to eat and make.”

Some younger users also watch cooking tutorials because they’re expected to help prepare the meals. Kuala Lumpur-based Ariena states, “I watch cooking videos now more than any other month as I’ve become my mum’s ‘sous chef,’ so watching videos on what food to prepare during fasting month and especially for Hari Raya does help.”

For Muslims pressed for time, it’s not always possible to get home in time to prepare a home-cooked meal—using grandma’s tried-and-true recipe. The next best thing is to find substitutes that don’t sacrifice flavor. For others, getting home to sit down together to break fast is also difficult. “I drive a lot in KL, only on certain days I will make it home to break fast. Usually out of seven days, four days I will break fast in the car because I’m really busy—the commute to my destination is very far. I have a lot going on, my girlfriend, my parents, my university,” says one 22-year-old male student based in KL.

There’s tremendous effort put into spending time with the family first and trying to get home on time to break fast—even if that means meeting up to eat at restaurants, picking food up on the way home, or connecting via a video call from the car or the office.

This is demonstrated by the 1.5X surge in searches for restaurants two weeks after Ramadan, and during Eid al-Fitr when people hold Halal Bihalal (the first week is presumably spent at home with family). Bakery-related keywords reach their peak in the last week of Ramadan, but see a gradual climb the week before the holy month starts. Meanwhile, fast food searches gradually increase throughout Ramadan, and see a 1.6X growth in quick service restaurant (QSR) searches throughout Ramadan. We also see a 51% increase in Waze navigations to restaurants during Ramadan in Indonesia.