Apps And User Behavior: Through The Lens Of Statistics

Every app user is different. They can abandon your app for any issue or use it in many different  “modes” & “moods” throughout the day. Tracking or monitoring user behavior may therefore seem daunting, but it’s not very impossible. Analyzing app user behavior is a process of measuring authentic user interactions with your mobile app to find areas where improvements are required.

This information helps you to understand how a user interacts with your application & to enhance user experience. There are several methods & analytics tools used to track user behavior seamlessly. Proper analysis helps you with valuable insights into what features & functionalities of your mobile app are preferred and increases its conversion rates. Keep reading to know the most fascinating facts & statistics about app user behavior.

10 Fascinating Mobile App Statistics That You Probably Didn’t Know

“Without data you’re just another person with an opinion.”

That quote hits home for me because I firmly believe that if you find statistics boring, you’re simply looking at the wrong statistics.

That is the reason why I have tried to keep a healthy balance between functionality, usability, and curiosity when compiling these statistics.

You can be rest assured that integrity of the statistics will not be questionable — enjoy!

Stat 1: Spotify destroyed YouTube in 2020 with 9.3 Million downloads on Android alone. This is more than double that of YouTube (4.5 million). Statista.

In fact, Spotify has more market share (35%) than Youtube (6%) and Apple Music (19%) COMBINED.

This trend is continuing in 2021 with Spotify already having crossed a further 8.8 million downloads on Android by just mid-May.

Significance: Even Apple device users are now starting to prefer Spotify over Apple Music. 

The only other notable players in the market are Resso and Amazon Prime Music.

Stat 2: 98% of mobile users have Facebook installed on their smartphones. Statista.

This means that 98 out of 100 people have the Facebook app installed on their phone, and given Facebook’s history, that’s scary.

For something to be that popular, there has to be a reason behind it right?

Facebook does something rather sneaky I’ve noticed: most of the newer Android smartphones come preinstalled with the Facebook app on them.

And honestly, who’s going to bother deleting an application from their new device?

However, this does not explain why Facebook was voted an “essential” app in Q3 of 2020 by US residents.

Significance: Seems to be that Facebook is slowly being phased out by other applications like Instagram. 

Conversely, Facebook’s revenue hasn’t taken a hit at all for some reason. With over 1 BILLION monthly active users, it is still a great place to advertise your app.

Stat 3: Mobile applications have increased by 25% because of COVID-19 lockdowns. SensorTower

While this is certainly not a surprise, I was pretty shocked to learn the sheer VOLUME of sales COVID-19 caused in the app sector.

To the human brain, 25% isn’t that much. Let’s put those figures in the real world now.

Summary: COVID-19 caused a $7 BILLION increase in sales… in a single quarter.

Significance: Consumer spending on premium apps/ app features increased by 4.5 billion in the Apple App Store, and by 2.6 billion in Google’s play store.

Notably, Apple still maintained its lead over Google (Apple has been outselling Google by 100% for the past 3 years).

Stat 4: Apps will continue to grow, to approximately $270 Billion by 2025. TechCrunch.

The COVID boom aside, apps are not going to stop growing. With new devices being added to the Internet of Things every day, this makes sense.

Many apps are now adopting freemium subscription-based models, which could drive the app industry even higher.

Significance: If you still have doubts as to whether you should create your app, take this statistic as a sign from above.

If you don’t have your app, you’re missing out on a $90 BILLION market segment.

Stat 5: The top sectors for growth in the future (predicted as well as proven). Various Sources.

(The list is in order).

• Mobile Gaming.
• Ride Sharing/ Ride Hailing.
• Food Home Delivery.
• Education.
• Music Streaming.

Significance: If you’re looking to design an app but don’t know which sector to focus on, this list could be a handy guide on where to begin.

Stat 6: 33% of people say that they would rather give up sex for a week than give up their phone for 24 hours. The New York Post

The same study by the NY post also found these bizarre statistics:

• 62% would rather give up chocolate than lose their phone for a day.

• 40% would rather lose their voice than their phone for 24 hours.

• There is a 51-49 split between the purpose of a phone (49% say a phone’s main use is no longer calling).

Significance: The attachment that people now have to their phones is unbelievable. 

I’m sure everyone remembers the well-known fact that 90% of users’ time is spent inside applications.

Stat 7: People between the ages of 14 and 24 are the heaviest users when it comes to apps. AppAnnie, ComScore.

Two important things to note here:

• The attention span of this age group (particularly the younger side) is significantly lower than the second-biggest user group, millennials.

• Gen Z (this age bracket) will soon overtake millennials as a whole.

Significance: If possible, you should target this age group when designing your app(s) as it will likely give you more of an audience, resulting in increased revenue.

Stat 8: Free and Freemium apps still dominate the markets. Statista.

This holds true for both the iOS and Android segments, with most of the “most-downloaded” list being made up of free apps.

22% of apps on Apple’s App Store are free, along with 24% of apps on Google’s Play Store.

That said, these free apps also account for a major chunk of app revenue. This is possible thanks to advertisements and upgraded subscription plans.

Significance: This goes to show that making your app free with a subscription is more effective for revenue than locking it away behind a paywall.

Stat 9: The most common reason why people uninstall an app is that it isn’t being used frequently enough. Forbes, Statista.

We’ve all been there: that nasty popup on the phone telling us “your phone is running out of storage space”.

Following this, we proceed on a biblical purge of all currently non-essential apps on our phones.

Well, as it turns out, the rest of the world does this too.

Significance: Businesses should focus more on why the app isn’t being used than on marketing an unpopular app.

Marketing demographics are important too: the problem could lie simply in targeting the wrong audience.

Stat 10: Less than 10% of all users will continue to use an app if it has a poor layout or user experience. Google APIS

Today’s fast-paced world has increased a person’s need for instant gratification; the “I want it now” mentality.

People have developed an increasingly short fuse, and having a bad layout on your app could mean a 90% user base loss.

Significance: Don’t be like other players and just slap the word “beta” on an unfinished app. 

Release your app only when it is actually complete — break a deadline if need be.

Stat 11: The total number of smartphone users will reach 6.3 billion by end-2021, and 7 billion by the end of 2023. Statista.

This figure only takes into account smartphones with subscriptions (SIM cards); the actual number is likely to be 10-20% higher.

Considering that the world has 7.9 billion people, this means that over 88% of people on the planet will have a smartphone.

Significance: Designing just a web, tablet, or desktop app isn’t going to be enough. 

These figures indicate the mobile users will soon outnumber desktop and tablet users COMBINED.

Releasing a mobile-friendly version of app is, therefore, not a choice.

Stat 12: The average mobile user checks their phone 63 times a day, and 70% do it within 5 minutes of waking up. BankMyCell.

Companies are actually compiling “public mass smartphone addiction” reports, like these ones by Forbes, Statista, Bloomberg, and TechCrunch.

If someone does something 63 times a day on average, you can rest assured that you will not need push notification on the hour, every hour.

Significance: Lay off a bit on the annoying push notifications. 

That said, do not skimp on the personalization experience of the app, because customers still want it. For now.

 Stat 13: 7 out of 10 people will abandon your app if the wait times are too long, or if the app buffers too much. Google APIS

Most of us have pretty much grown up on 2G, 3G, and even dial-up connections, but we still feel the horror of those load times.

Similarly, people simply do not want to wait for things to load. They want things done, and they want things done yesterday.

Here are some things you can do to increase your app usability:

• Offer “one-tap” functionalities.
• Use historical data-based form autofill features.
• Reduce the total number of steps taken to complete tasks in the app.

Significance: You need to make sure that there is as little “friction” as possible in your app, from the actual processes to things as small as menu transitions.

Where possible, I have linked back to the original source of the information for further reading. 

As a bonus, most of the sources have additional information related to the statistic they are linked with for a more “in-depth” analysis if need be.

I’ll be honest; I’m no Tim Cooke. My information is only as good as the sources where I get it from.

However, that’s no reason to use this as an excuse. These stats are sourced from the best analytics firms like Statista, BuildFire, Forbes, Business Insider, and Clearbridge.

Final Words

The study of app user behavior provides top-notch insights into the dynamic relationship between the digital world and active users. By analyzing large amounts of data, experts can uncover trends, patterns, and correlations that shed light on how users interact with applications & the latest technologies. As modern technologies continue to grow, user behavior analysis will remain an important tool in the ongoing quest to fill the gap between users and their applications. For more info, feel free to talk to our professionals.

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