How Many Apps Do Smartphone Owners Use?

Most apps are not even retained for a full day

Toronto, ON (Dec. 7, 2015) – There’s almost always an app for that, whether “that” is a taxi service, food delivery or a video game. But with so many popping up all the time, how often are any of them being used?

A Localytics survey, conducted by Research Now in October 2015, reports that 49% of US smartphone app users use six to 10 smartphone apps each week.

A November 2015 Pew Research Center report goes into more detail: 30% of US smartphone app downloaders had one to 10 apps downloaded on their phone as of February; another 32% had 11 to 20. The report paints a slightly different picture when it comes to weekly usage, however, citing 46% of respondents using one to five apps per week, whereas only 35% use six to 10.

According to AppsFlyer, most apps are not even retained for a full day. July 2015 data showed that 29.1% of apps downloaded by Android users were retained it for at least a day, while just 25.5% of apps downloaded to iOS-based devices were retained that long.

At the end of 30 days, a tiny 3.3% of Android apps and 3.2% of iOS apps still had active users.

Apps installed for organic reasons, as opposed to the result of paid app-install ads, were more likely to be retained. After 30 days, an organic app install was 156% more likely than an ad-induced install to result in continued usage on Android phones, for example.

About eMarketer

By gathering the latest research and news from over 1,000 sources, eMarketer has established itself as the world’s leading provider of internet and e-business statistics. eMarketer’s Web site is at www.emarketer.com.

eMarketer bases all of its forecasts on a multipronged approach that focuses on both worldwide and local trends in the economy, technology and population, along with company-, product-, country- and demographic-specific trends, and trends in specific consumer behaviors. We analyze quantitative and qualitative data from a variety of research firms, government agencies, media outlets and company reports, weighting each piece of information based on methodology and soundness.

In addition, every element of each eMarketer forecast fits within the larger matrix of all its forecasts, with the same assumptions and general framework used to project figures in a wide variety of areas. Regular re-evaluation of each forecast means those assumptions and framework are constantly updated to reflect new market developments and other trends.

SOURCE: eMarketer