Why Most Apps Are Deleted Days After They’re Installed and How to Avoid it?

…unfortunately, that’s just how things roll in the app market.

Old apps get deleted to make space for installing new ones. A 2016 article stated that Apple Play Store adds 1000 apps each day. The figure was 1300 for the Google Play Store. 

Today, the numbers would have multiplied manifold. You cannot expect people to use all the apps they find on the play store, can you? After all, an average user uses only ten apps each day and only 30 apps each month.
If your app isn’t in the top 30, uninstalls are obvious. And even if your app is in a user’s top 30 today, it won’t stay there forever and you are not alone in this. Even the most successful apps bear the brunt of user churn.

An average app gets deleted in less than six days of install. Also, 3 in 10 users will uninstall an app within 30 days. But all is not left to chance. You can predict the reasons that will get your app to be deleted days after install and once you know the reasons, you can work towards extending your app’s stay in your user’s phone.

Top Reasons For App Uninstallation

Your App Takes Too Much Space

Do you know what is the single most important thing that makes any relationship work? Giving the other person space.
Hogging up other’s space is never good and that logic extends beyond relationships and into the app market too.
The average app size of Android apps and iOS apps is 23MB and 6MB, respectively. (For gaming apps, it is 60MB and 40MB, respectively.)
So if your app takes too much space, people are likely to uninstall it in favor of lighter alternatives.
No one likes a “storage full” notification. And people hate apps that become a cause of such notifications. More than half (50.6%) of users would uninstall such apps.

Your App is Slow

Users like apps that launch within 4 seconds of tapping on the app icon. If your app takes more time, uninstalls are inevitable.
We live in a fast-moving world. And people like to move fast. So if your app doesn’t keep up, it will be left behind.
And it is not just about launching fast. Confusing navigation that slows down the user and a splash screen that seems to stay on forever also lock your app’s fate into being uninstalled soon enough.

The UI of Your App is Clunky And Complicated

Let me tell you a harsh reality of the app market. People are NOT obliged to use your app. People will always have alternatives. If not now, they will get options in the future.
You cannot expect users to keep using your app when the experience is less than satisfactory.
If the user interface is not great, your app is going to be thrown out soon. No one likes app crashes. And no one likes tapping a hundred taps to get where they want to be.

You Made Promises That Your App Doesn’t Fulfil

You: This app will help you find partners and keep creeps away.
Your App: Let’s just about anyone create an account and start spamming others.
Your Users: Uninstall the app.
That’s not too tough to understand, is it?
A financial app that promises to help users manage their finances but gives no tips.
A traffic tracking app that doesn’t work in real-time.
A social media app that looks like a cheap copy of another app when it promised to be something unique.
You cannot blame users for the uninstalls when your app isn’t fulfilling the promises you made.

The App Has Ads

Ah! Who doesn’t hate ads?
You hate them too. So why expect your users to bear the torture?
Okay, I get it. Your app is free for the user, and these ads are your only source of income. But keep it in control, my friend.
An ad for every extra life in a game. Fine.
An ad after every 10 minutes of viewing a video. The shortcut to getting uninstalled.

People Hate Your Idea of A Social Login

How do you allow quick login instead of a long sign-up process?
How do you get user’s information without begging for it?
Two questions. One answer. Social login.
There is nothing faster than a ‘Sign Up With Facebook’ option.
But if it is the only option out there, users get annoyed.
Don’t force your app users to log in with their social media accounts. Give them an option.
Or else they won’t give your app a second chance and just uninstall it right away.

The App Sucks Phone Battery

Do I even need to explain this?
If your app is heavy in battery usage, it is going to get uninstalled.
What? You expect all your users to ‘kill’ the app after user? That doesn’t always happen in the real world. Apps keep running in the background. And if your app keeps draining the phone’s battery, users will not like it.
Another problem is that of overheating. Even if the weather is cold outside, no one wants their phone to boil just to be able to use an app.
You need to make sure your app has a cool-down mechanism and doesn’t drain the battery.
Charge your phone every couple of hours because of a rouge app? Or Uninstall the app and get rid of the problem?
You know which one’s easier and more convenient.

Your App Won’t Work Offline

Yes, people today have access to unlimited data 24/7.
But still, people like apps that work offline. They, in fact, need such apps.
I am a fan of virtual multiplayer games. But an offline play mode would be good.
Also, understand your user’s day-to-day life.
An app that tells you about the coolest treks near you but doesn’t work offline doesn’t seem too functional, right? You cannot expect users to have access to the LTE network in the mountains.
Also, 37% of Millennials said ‘data usage’ was an important factor in deciding if they like an app or not.
So, if you can make it work offline, don’t skip on the option.

You Are Ruining The Experience With A Storm Of Notifications

Ever had a crazy ex who just wouldn’t stop texting you?
Well, that’s exactly how your users feel about your app when you send push notifications, messages, and emails a little too frequently.
Notifications are a great way of keeping users engaged. But don’t be disturbing.
Some people say that a ‘Turn off notifications’ option is the fix. I don’t think so.
Uninstalling an app is an easier option for most users than finding the settings and changing it. 71% of users agree with me on this one.

Users Have Privacy or Security Concerns Regarding Your App

3 out of 9 apps have privacy issues.
If your app involves payment or use of social identity and sensitive information, your users expect privacy and safety.
And it is your responsibility, after all. You cannot back down on that.

The App Isn’t Needed Any Longer

There can be many such situations where users don’t need or want your app anymore.
And it is in your best interest to let them go. Such people, who don’t need your app, won’t use it. So uninstalls are fine. Them having your app on their phone isn’t doing you any good either way.

But This Isn’t Forever…

… Most users reinstall the apps they had deleted before. 

So, you can have a solid win-back strategy to get people to come back. 

(Don’t just keep sending the sappy ‘We Miss You, Please Come Back” emails, though.)

How To Avoid App Uninstalls?

To avoid uninstalls and encourage reinstalls, here’s what you need to do.
Look at your app and find out which among the 11 reasons fit. And then fix those issues.
No marketing or publicity campaign will help you with user retention unless you fix the core issues.
Another word of caution here. Trying to work out ways to retain users and avoid uninstalls after your app is already on the Play Store will do little good.
You will have to go for app modifications. And that costs time and money. Not to mention, a lot of it could have been done right the first time around.
It pays to be prepared.
You don’t have to be scared of uninstalls. However, you need to be prepared for and against it.
Every app has a specific useful life cycle. You cannot do anything to make people keep your app after its useful life is over.
But what you can do is extend the useful life cycle and avoid some uninstalls.
How?
By developing better apps.

Get Off On The Right Foot, Get A Great App Built Toda

Don’t wait for your app to get installed to fix it. Instead, develop an app that doesn’t have the issues that cause uninstalls.
Expert app developers are your only way to do that. Find those who not just understand code and software but also your users and their needs.
Once you have an app that understands user behaviour and requirements, uninstalls won’t be bothersome anymore.

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