No, no – that headline wasn’t intended as commentary on the hygiene of Android users (though if a good chunk of the Android devotees I know are any indication, it very well could be. Zing!) Earlier this morning, mobile analytics group Flurry gave us an exclusive sneak peek at their Smart Phone Industry Pulse report for June. Flurry’s June report harvests data from 1,100 applications running across 4 platforms (iPhone OS, BlackBerry, J2ME, and Android) on over 40 million handsets, and sheds a bit of light on the usage habits (stickiness included) of smart phone users over the past few months.
Though Flurry offers statistical analysis for the four aforementioned platforms, adoption of Flurry’s statistical analysis agent (the bit of code that developers add to their app to enable Flurry to track usage) has proven to be substantially more popular on the iPhone and Android platforms. As such, much of the most interesting data from this report comes from these two operating systems.
Before we dive in, a quick look at Flurry’s sample group: of all the applications using Flurry’s stats agent, 79% are iPhone applications. The next largest group is Android, at 16%. BlackBerry and J2ME tail far behind, at 4% and 3% respectively.
Interestingly, the number of Flurry-enabled J2ME apps has seen an incredible drop over the 3 month period, while the iPhone has seen an equally huge growth. Don’t take this as if all of the J2ME developers are switching to the iPhone, however; the iPhone has seen a ton of growth from developers new to the mobile realm.
Nothing too surprising in the consumer usage numbers. The app numbers above already indicated that Flurry tracks far more iPhone apps than any they do for any other platform. More apps tends to work out to more users, so the iPhone absolutely dominates here. Here too, J2ME has seen dramatic shrinkage over the past 3 months.
Here’s where it gets interesting: by taking the two most heavily represented platforms (again, Android and iPhone) and comparing user loyalty on an App-by-app basis, Android wins hands down. As time increases, Android users continue to stick with apps longer.
At 30 days, the proportion of Android-vs-iPhone user retention is roughly 31% higher. By 90 days, it’s roughly 42% higher. That’s huge.
Here’s what Flurry chalks it up to:
One reason we believe retention rates vary is that Android offers far fewer applications compared to iPhone. With applications coming out on iPhone at a faster rate, iPhone users move onto other apps more quickly. For Android users, they make more use of what’s available, with less temptation to move to the next application. Other factors that could also play a role:
- The Android base tends to be “older,” have less time and interest to try new applications. Once they find an application they like, they stick with it.
- The Android base is more tolerant, tend to be more tech savvy and find ways to appreciate what they have, even if their applications aren’t perfect.
While I can’t speak for the latter two, I’d imagine that the first theory is spot on for what’s going on here. Apple’s selling the App Store to people under the idea that for any given need or interest, “There’s an App for that.” It ought to be “There are 14 apps for that”. For nearly every app, there’s an alternative or ten waiting to drag people away. It’s rough for developers, but great for the end user.
Not only are Android users using their applications longer, they’re using them more often:
37% of iPhone users use the applications they downloaded less than 5 times per month, while only 11% of Android users were in the same category. Flipping that around, roughly 35% of Android users are tapping into their apps more than 50 times per month, while only 15% of iPhone users are doing so.
Again, the reasoning behind this is likely the same as above; fewer alternatives means more usage of the apps that are already there.
If you’re a developer looking to determine which platform to port your application to next, take these numbers into mind. By the end of 2009, Android will be on enough handsets around the world that the cumulative user count may make the platform much more viable for development. If there’s an Android Market gold rush even half that of the App Store’s, you don’t want to be 25 thousandth app to go live.
Before anyone freaks out because I called Android users smelly: I carry two handsets primarily. One of them is a G1.
Do you know why this blog doesn’t carry any news on Chinese censorship and monitoring of internet application?
Such news is essential for any serious web startup, and may go far in explaining my observing several truly “distruptive” startups staying away from techcrunch.
Of course they are sticking with their apps longer… It’s not like they have a lot to choose from.
Quantity != quality
Apple has down a great job of worthless marketing making consumers feel because of the high # of apps in their store, that somehow they are superior. Sorry, I prefer to hit a website or read a review about a BlackBerry app and download right there from a link OTA.
hahahah! you beat me to it.
Which is cool–Windows users did that for years when comparing with Mac OS.
John,
Two observations:
(1) You sound just like a Mac user when it’s pointed out that Windows has way more software.
(2) lack of quantity != quality, either
1) I don’t recall M$ marketing that they had more applications as a selling point. Yet every iPhone commercial I see, says “The app store has 50 thousand apps”. The approach is much different and unfortunately consumers are like sheep.
Apps on phones have existed long before the iPhone came along, yet every thinks Apple invented the idea of putting applications on phones. Sorry I was running apps on WinMo and BB’s years before the iPhone was launched or even mentioned.
2) Agreed, but you don’t see 8,000 fart or lightsaber applications on BB’s or WinMo do you?
John:
I totally agree with the points you’re making – but what’s up with the M$ stuff? It was probably clever back in 85 when someone first used it – but homie it’s 2009 and well, saying it’s been played out ad nauseum would be the understatement of the year ;-)
Everyone knows its Microshaft… not M$.
quanity != quality
5 billion fart apps is a lot to pick from.
Perhaps Java here should be called J2ME, because Android and BlackBerry also are “Java” phones. BlackBerry is also primarily a J2ME platform with some enhancements. The “core” OS of Android is Linux-based, but applications are written in Java, and talk to the Android Java VM, and not directly to the Linux kernel.
I had referred to it as “JavaME” a few times in the post, so I figured it was clear enough for anyone who would understand the difference. That said, edited for clarity. Thanks.
Incorrect, Android does not contain a Java VM and programs on Android to not execute Java bytecode.
You can develop applications for Android in Java and Android phones can run J2ME apps.
Two things I’ll add…
How weird that June data is coming out halfway through the month? What’s up with that?
Second, I think iPhone will start to perform better with alerts and background notifications. Most of my Android apps tell me when they have new/fresh data to look at, so I’m compelled to click more often when I’m not even thinking about it.
How does someone get access to the Pulse Report? I couldn’t find it on Flurry’s web site.
I think the only public place you can find it is at admob (http://metrics.admob.com/) this one refers to Flurry’s May Pulse report
hmh, I reckon stickiness is higher due to less choice of apps on Android compared to the App Store.
Great post..techcrunch needs more of THIS type of analysis not the biased stuff being pushed around constantly.
I do think that the reason why android users tend to stick to one app more or use one application more is not just because the iphone has a lot more apps, the users on Android are just not as fickle. In addition with the refund feature for the Android Market, android users only buy what’s necessary. Iphone users are more then willing to buy fart apps or stupid sound apps. These apps are performing EXTREMELY poorly on Android.
And your point being…? As an iPhone user, I’d rather have OPTIONS than being stuck with an app only because it’s the only one available. Yes, I too downloaded a FART app, but it was free, so big deal.
I just love how people forget the elephant in the room. Windows Mobile does a heck of a lot more than the iPhone, Android, or Blackberry.
I’ve recently defected to Android, but there is a significant user base that Flurry is convieniently omitting.
Makes you wonder if Flurry even HAS a working plugin for windows mobile!
I agree that the problem are the FAR different number of apps that each platform has. The right thing to do would be to pick a specific set of apps (5, 10) and then analyze the specific data for them on both iPhone and Android.
It would also be interesting to see some data from Windows Mobile. In my personal experience usability was in general not very good (both of the apps and the OS itself), but I agree that it is still a major player out there.
How about Symbian OS? Is that one also Java based?
Symbian is its own OS.
Symbian is the OS for all Nokia Smart Phones. Quoting Wikipedia.
“Symbian OS is the leading OS in the “smart mobile device” market. Statistics published November 2008 showed that Symbian OS had a 46.6% share of the smart mobile devices shipped in third quarter of 2008, with Apple having 17.3% (through iPhone OS), RIM having 15.3% and Microsoft having 13.5% (through Windows CE and Windows Mobile).[5] Other competitors include Palm OS, Qualcomm’s BREW, Google Android, SavaJe and MontaVista Software.”
Java on Symbian is technically from J2ME kind.
@A.T. (”Java on Symbian is technically from J2ME kind.”)
Well, not really. There are two kinds of “Java” runtimes on Symbian. One is J2ME compatible and the other is “PersonalJava”, which in fact is Java 1.1+AWT
While it is a very popular platform as it is now in almost all Nokia phones, as a runtime for applications it will quickly loose ground to iPhone and Android IMO. I would ignore it as well.
What I love about this is that it was not trying to get a lift from Apple 3 GS launch or kissing Apple’s you know what. There is no question the iPhone is a great phone, but Apple and AT&T are sucking our blood. The Android is a great alternative and I am happy to see that it is doing well especially on the retention side. Of course people will get a bored of a fart application. I bet they will get bored with the iPhone too!! Great article
Fart apps are the kind of apps that work well on a non-multitaskign system. You load them up, you quit them. No one gets hurt.
Now, I tried Fring to be ableto IM. Or Facebook to keep in touch. On my android, I get notifications when I use these apps. On my iPod, I get nothing if the app is not open.
I think people but fart apps because they’re looking for anything to do with their phone, because most everything barely works. ;)
Having both, I use my apps on my android because they work better for me. Multitasking is important!
Of course, everyone generalizes using a single example. At least, I do.
I am not sure the Elephant in the room is Windows Mobile. It is actually Nokia and Symbian. I wish Flurry can release data on Nokia usage in the US, Japan and Europe. How does Flurry collect its data?
I am not sure I agree that it is just the sheer number of applications on the App Store that creates tis factor. The Google Android crowd is a more serious crowd than the iPhone crowd. This is a good analysis and great information- I like when I get facts and not opinions. Good job TechCrunch. Thanks Greg
“The Google Android crowd is a more serious crowd than the iPhone crowd.”
I love this kind of idiocy. Because my criminal defense attorney friend, my marine corps friend, my Harvard history professor friend, and my formerly Northwest Airline captain friend are not serious people. Painting a group of people with such a broad brush has always made the artist look very, very silly.
I guess “serious” was a wrong choice of words. Apology if this annoyed anyone.
The iPhone stats include the iPod Touch which has plenty of teenage following. Based on the stats that T-Mobile release the G1 is more succesful with the late twenty year olders through the thirties. I would sure hope this demo is more mature than my two teenagers.
Apology accepted. Thanks.
Naaaw… come on… if someone is going to get irked for your opinion, and feel they need to flame you as a response, it just proves your point that iPhone users are more immature than Android users. ;)
It is worth re-emphasizing that the data is limited to developers using the Flurry platform, and is skewed towards web apps ( in addition to being skewed to IPhone and Android) – so any exhortations to developers to use this data when choosing platforms is suspect.
Blackberry applications tend to be native applications and the more popular ones may or may not be using the Flurry platform.
That is true, but I just checked the Flurry web site and they promote all platforms equally. So why aren’t BlackBerry Application Developers going there. I live in Silicon Valley and my opinion might not matter, but I know 20 iPhone developers to every BlackBerry developer. Either way, good point about the “skewed” view of the market, but still extremely interesting findings.
Just because you have a network of iPhone developers, doesn’t mean BB devs don’t exist. Sorry, horrible argument. Regardless, these results are skewed.
A german friend of mine has the G2. It is a really cool phone. It is a more a a BlacBerry killer than an iPhone killer. I guess the missed Elephant in the room is that BlackBerry is a such a small portion of the market. Has anyone tried to download and install a BlackBerry app? That experience tells all. Bad!
I’d disagree. BB apps are great and easy to download and install via the BB Browser.
Also, Android isn’t a BB killer. Sorry. You. Are. Misinformed…and should log off the internet now.
Love the G1! And I love showers too. :)
I just got my new 3GS and I love it. “S” is for speed.
I think the android app retention has everything to do with applications running in the background and push alerts. Encouraging users to check back in with applications. Frankly what use are facebook and twitter apps without push alerts.
I choose the g1 cause I found the text input on my ipod touch to be insufficient and t mobiles unlimited data plan for 19.99 was too good to pass up.
WHY YOU USE THE IPHONE?
MY SIGNATURE OF VIA-CONNECTED.
(www.all-creations.com)
FOLLOW UP ME!
USE A SKK.
Im ORGAZINATIONING THIS PAGE.
NURSE! Dude wants a PRN.
While I don’t know about the number of apps having an effect, I find the number of apps to be a bad thing if it is too large. I don’t want to try 15 apps every time I need some functionality. What users are trying to avoid is learning to use an app, they are not trying to find the best app. I read reviews and check popularity and then download on my G1. And unless there is some overwhelmingly compelling reason to switch, I stick with my app. But I’m 36.
Lets VOTE: Who do you think is the biggest threat to iPhone 3GS
http://polls.linkedin.com/poll-results/43816/xhuwa
Being used to Jobs’ Reality Distortion Field, and somehow “immune” from it, I’m afraid that your article is just trying to push your own reality distortion field to combat Apple’s own :)
The Flurry report seems to be more intellectually honest in their conclusions than you in your extrapolations: there are more apps to choose from on the iPhone, so stickiness is lower on the iPhone. This has absolutely nothing to do with either the quality of the Android apps, the age band of its user base, or the relative “seriousness” (as commented) of that very same user base.
This is the kind of correlation I’d be expecting from a marketing team at Microsoft, but definitely not from TechCrunch :) Correlation != causation (just to keep the trend here :) ).
If Microsoft claimed that “far more people use Microsoft Word than any other word processor, and that’s because it’s better than all others”, I’m sure that you would flag that kind of correlative nonsense as completely unscientific and just a marketing ploy.
Nevertheless, you’re using exactly the same claims on your comparison between Android and iPhone, and lead your readers to believe that a causation is actually implied by the correlation you’ve found, where none actually exist.
You could also do a series of similar nonsensical correlations like, “applications on the Android consume less mass than on the iPhone, because, on average, Android phones weight less” or “Android users buy more software tools online, while iPhone users tend to buy more music on iTunes”.
In fact, your graphs look uncannily like this one comparing the decrease of pirates in the world with global warming. There is no doubt that the correlation does, in fact, exist (there are far less pirates today than in the 18th century, and there is no doubt that the average temperature since the 18th century has increased a bit). But, again, the causation is simply not there. You can plot correlation charts against any set of independent variables, and that will still not “make it interdependent”.
So accept Flurry report’s conclusion — there are more apps on the iPhone, so iPhone users tend to use each application less than Android users — and let’s keep at that. :)
What? Where did I make any assumptions about the age of Android users or the quality of apps? If you mean:
Note that those are in grey, along with the paragraph above it, indicating that the block of text is a quote. Those are Flurry’s own words, which I actually dismiss immediately below.
The only assumption I made is that it’s largely influenced by the number of available iPhone apps – exactly what you’re saying I should have done.
I would say that the reason Android apps get used more often are because Android can multitask.
No?
Any “market research” that leaves out Symbian (4x the market of iPhone) and Windows Mobile (approx equal market share to Apple) is unworthy of the name.
Why are Americans so insular and blinded to how the wider world works? The iPhone reminds me of the 1990s US obsession with SUVs. Yes, they delivered fat profits within the US, but they proved to be unsalable in the wider world. US car companies focused on their domestic market and when conditions changed, they had nothing left to sell outside the US, or even eventually within the US. I blame the poor state of US education.
Could you explain a little more clearly how the iPhone relates to US automakers. I don’t Quite understand.
His point seems pretty obvious to me.
Symbian = Rest of World. iPhone = USA. The US car industry focused on SUVs and totally failed to compete globally like the Japanese and European car builders.
As an iPhone user I admit to browsing the app store daily and trying out many new apps (using app sniper to find reduced ones). But I have core apps I use far more often than the stats, even for Android. My top uses: Stanza-often 3 times a day. App Sniper-3-5 times a day. Wedding Dash-3 times a day. Solebon-5 times a day(great little time-waster). There are many others. So I would suggest that while a lot of switching does happen, most of us probably have a few core apps we’re really loyal to-and Android has so few to choose from that we’re probably loyal to as many as Android users have got!
Think there’s a really simple explanation for this: iPhone apps are skewed towards games, which characteristically have lower retention. Not exactly a indicative of the quality of the app library nor of the loyalty of the user base.
Iphone still the hottest ..
I am a g1 user… and I will tell you exactly why I use my apps more often… like someone mention earlier it is because we choose quality apps… but its not entirely due to the app itself… its because we have been trained to do so… with every g1 owner within the week we all come up with the same realization… this thing has shitty internal memory that only let’s us download.. a certain number of apps before we nerf our phones… so we choose the what we need not what we want… with iphone you choose what you want.. then forget you have it… so it kinda explains that’s how they got 1 billion downloads… they designed it for numerous downloading of applications… but not multitasking… sounds pretty moronic right? What’s even more moronic is that people continually pay for variations of the same app and never use them… one day… when they develop android to run off of the sd without root… u will see a better android system with an exponential increase in the number of downloads like iphone. Android will always continue to evolve faster than any other smartphone os… and its simply because …. Android is exponential.
I’m looking for features on mobile that will enable us send free SMS like this site do: http://tinurl.mobi/fullfreesms
I’m looking for phones that enable us to send free SMS like this site do: http://tinurl.mobi/fullfreesms
I have to agree with Q Dub. The iPhone users are mostly young people or hypes. Android users are mostly people that needs the phone in a daily basis as a portable PC (yours truly). If you want to add another statistic on this is the number of users that hack the phone to get the apps. I bet the iPhone on this case would win easy.
I think all of you have forgot this important point:
The Cocoa and iPhone SDK is pleasant, so developers like it.
The only reason I don’t go to other mobile device development is because I don’t like J2ME or C++, and their unpleasant IDE / API.
The iPhone is keep on improving at its young age, and if other platforms are still ugly as I see it, I can see a reason of more developers are switching to iPhone, when they got the chance.
Less developers on other platforms, less apps will be produced, so ?
Android SDK is very nice developer environment as well, at least I prefer it over iPhone SDK. The great thing about Android is it is very easy to take existing “services” and provide a great mashup that is more than a sum of its parts. Something Apple promised to deliver in OpenDoc many years ago, but never delivered. Android is a dream target platform in that regard.
Don’t get me wrong.
I like the the concept of Android, it’s a good concept, besides the fact that it’s influenced by Google’s decision.
I tried Android once, before I move to iPhone, and I haven’t moved back, because I’m not a Java developer.
Development on Android is not as easy as iPhone, and I’m not talking about which one has the best technology or software development tools, it’s more on ease of use and development.
I’m not sure how do you build OpenGL apps on Android, or how do you use the existing C library on Android, and I don’t know if Android has Core Animation like iPhone ?
Other than that, I still believe Apple has made the right decision by choosing Objective-C as its main programming language for their frameworks. They don’t need their apps to be cross-platform (no need for Virtual Machine, and they have their own market for their hardware), and they use the most convenient OOP I have ever learned so far.
Anyone who makes the claim that the available Android apps are higher quality is deluded. I have both kinds of phones, including the new GS iPhone and the Google Ion Android that they gave out at IO. The best Android apps are ports of iPhone apps. I haven’t seen a lick of innovative development on Android.
The quality of the apps depends on the point of view. Take the Skype app for instance. On Android you can get it for free, you can use other applications while it is open, so whenever a user sent you a msg or a call it will switch back to the Skype and you can use the 3G network for it without needing to hack it. As far as I know, for iPhone, if you are using the Skype and move to another app it will disconnect and if you decide to use it on a 3G network or any other network other Wifi, you will need to hack to get it (based on a friend’s experience – I don’t have an iPhone – mean no offense).
was cut short…
finishing above ..
Point is the quality of the apps will vary according with the users that are using it. If you got a different kind of user, a younger type, the quality of the app for him will be different from one that is older that can be looking to functionality other than looks.
Personally, I believe the main reason why Android Apps stay longer than iPhone apps is because many android apps are there to enhance, improve or replace some of the functions already on the phone. Things like widgets, something that is used on my home screen always, my messaging app which replaces my regular messaging, weather app, birthday app, all these are just sitting on my phone working.
Where on the iPhone, the app just adds another service, like a new game, or the ability to make fart noised. You cant do away with the standard iphone apps (as far as I am aware).
Just my 2p!
You’re right Cameron.
One thing that irritates me is when I encourage people to enrich and expand the unofficial iPhone development community, which has produced several useful software in the jailbreaked iPhone community (The effort by Jay Freeman a.k.a Saurik, etc.), they think it’s an unprofessional activity which they consider as “amateur hacking”.
I guess iPhone users and Apple themselves are not into those device-enhancement, and collaborative development.
This is a good point. I never thought about it this way. I would add that Android users think they have a phone while iPhone/iPod Touch users think they have a gaming device that can make phone/skype calls.