What influences you to download an app? Why might you delete an app? And how likely are you to answer “Allow Tracking” on those pesky iOS prompts? These are just some of the questions we asked for our most recent Mobile App Habit Report.
While the third iteration once again focused on overall app habits of mobile gamers - one thing that has become increasingly clear is that “mobile gamers” are quickly becoming all of us. Or at least those of us who are active mobile users. With rapid growth of hypercasual gaming, even if someone doesn’t consider themselves a gamer they’ll still hop into a quick session of Candy Crush, make a move in Words With Friends, or get a quick rush with Crossy Road.
So while we still qualified our report by asking people if they played games on a smartphone or tablet, the Mobile App Habit report should be considered as insight into active mobile users of ALL shapes and sizes. What’s the rest of our methodology? Well - we collaborated with GWI, an audience insights technology company, to ask U.S. mobile users aged 18 to 64 an array of questions about the apps they use, what they use them for, and much more. The report delves into various mobile app categories, including entertainment, retail, finance, food, health and fitness, travel, and games, and specifically, which of these apps mobile gamers found most useful and why they found value in these downloads.
Discovering and Downloading Apps
The survey proved that mobile gamers, like general smartphone users, download apps from all categories. But how do they find them? Discovery is key to the app economy, so we looked into how mobile gamers discover new apps and the factors that influence their decision to download them. We also looked at what drives a person to download a specific app, and what keeps them from downloading an app once they discover it.
Maintaining Engagement Through Trust and Brand Experience
Once an app is downloaded, the work doesn’t end there. There are several factors to consider when trying to prevent a mobile user from hitting that (very accessible) delete button. Trust is becoming a bigger issue for many mobile users. Survey respondents shared factors that drive trust in branded apps and privacy when it comes to using their mobile devices, and what they consider when deciding to uninstall an app. They also shared features and functions built into an app that instill trust, whether they say ‘Yes’ to Apple’s ATT prompt, and how likely they are to remove an app over privacy issues.
Want to learn more about the vast and valuable audience of mobile gamers and their app habits? Read on to discover insights into how mobile gamers engage with the world through their mobile devices.
- 1 in 4 mobile gamers (26%) will download an app because it has better functionality than the website.
- Only 15% of mobile gamers would delete an app over privacy issues.
- 59% of mobile gamers typically play while watching TV.
- 44% of mobile gamers delete an app because they got bored of it and it did not sustain their attention.
- Poor reviews (65%) and cost (65%) are the top two reasons a mobile gamer will decide not to install an app.
- Two-thirds of respondents delete apps that aren’t “relevant anymore.”
- 48% of mobile gamers will consider overall brand image/reputation when trusting an app.
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