Call us biased, but we do love our apps here at AdColony. And clearly, we’re not the only ones … As comScore’s 2014 U.S. Mobile App Report notes, Americans are spending seven out of every eight minutes on their smartphones or tablets in apps.
In some cases we’re shopping and searching. In other cases, we’re streaming music, getting driving directions, and of course, sending IMs. In the majority of cases though, you might want to say we’re app addicts – because well over half of all Americans (57 percent) used at least one app every single day of the month. Hit read more to find a few other interesting tidbits like these …
The Leaders of the Pack
Not surprisingly, comScore found that only a handful of apps draw the majority of users. Facebook is the kingpin, followed by Google, Apple, Yahoo, Amazon and eBay. In total, these market giants account for nine out of the top 10 mobile apps on the market in terms of time spent.
As we’ve seen, this creates a difficult landscape for smaller apps to emerge and acquire users. But the report also found that more than a third of all smartphone owners downloaded at least one new app per month – meaning apps with great content and smart UA strategies still have the opportunity to get onscreen.
Android vs. iOS
There are big distinctions between iOS and Android, the two dominant mobile operating systems (OS), so naturally, there are big differences between how iOS and Android users interact with apps.
First, some stats on who they are. iPhone users tend to be slightly younger than Android users – around 43 percent of iOS users are aged 18-34 – while only 39 percent of Android users fall into that bracket.
On the other hand, iOS users tend to be a bit more affluent, with an average annual income of $85,000, compared to $61,000 for Android users.
Digging a bit deeper, comScore also found that iOS users spent more time with social media, radio and photo apps than their Android counterparts. Along with search, email and games, Android users also spent more time with retail apps – a sign that Google’s mobile OS may finally be ripening as a platform for mobile commerce.
Check out the full U.S. Mobile App Report, available for download here. It’s chock full of interesting stats that can help anyone – from app developers and growth hackers, to mobile media buyers and brand managers – gain a better read on the ever-evolving app landscape.
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