In brief
App success depends on meeting a real user need, making downloads accessible, and choosing notifications and ads carefully. The Google data presented in this 2015 article highlights the importance of free downloads, recommendations from friends and family, useful notifications, and skippable video ads.
Apps are an essential part of our lives. Some become overnight successes, while others disappear without a trace after launch. What makes an app successful? What prerequisites does it need?
Whether you are already an app developer or are considering entering the app market, these insights from Google's data are worth a look:
Which Apps Do People Download?
According to the data, users currently have an average of 43 apps installed. Around 17 come preinstalled on their phones, while users install 26 themselves through Google Play. Most notably, only one of those 26 user-installed apps is a paid download. This means that if you want your app to attract more downloads, offering it for free is almost essential.
How Do People Use Apps?
Of all these apps, however, only eight are used daily. Another nine are used regularly, while 14 are never used. Most of the unused apps are probably preinstalled apps, because Google found that users actively delete apps they do not use, whereas preinstalled apps cannot be deleted.
Does Your App Need to Exist?
For some tasks, users simply do not like using apps and are more accustomed to using a browser. For example, more than 60% choose a browser to search for things. For shopping, reading news and information, and business functions, preferences are split roughly equally between apps and browsers.
The activities for which people most often choose apps include gaming, social networking, messaging, and watching videos. When planning an app, developers should consider whether there is a real need for it. Incidentally, across all types of apps, people spend the most time on instant messaging apps, rather than games.
How Can People Discover Your App?
How do users learn about an app and then download it? The most common route is a recommendation from friends or family, or seeing them use it and deciding to join in. Other routes include recommendations from app stores and introductions on websites.
Can You Use Notifications?
Many developers believe notifications annoy users and make an app seem bothersome. However, Google found that 70% of users consider notifications useful, especially those related to social networking and messaging. Used appropriately, app notifications need not be avoided.
Can You Run Ads? Which Types Should You Choose?
Advertising is, of course, one way to generate revenue from free apps. Google notes that many users are accustomed to ads in apps and do not find them particularly objectionable. However, you need to choose the ad format carefully.
For example, pop-up and banner ads are the most disliked formats because users find them unappealing and feel they have lost control. By contrast, skippable video ads are the best received. Videos are more engaging, and users can control playback, giving them a sense of control.