Android users spend 17 percent more time in any given app due to a greater number of app sessions in the month, according to mobile marketing automation firm Swrve. The company released its first App Monetization and Engagement Report, which examines the relative rates of retention across platforms using data collected during the month of April.
- Android users typically enjoy 18 percent more sessions a month compared to iOS users.
- On average iOS users spend 45 percent more on in-app purchases than those on Android.
- Users who pay at all spend 10 percent more on iOS.
- iOS users are also 32 percent more likely to make any purchase at all.
- On the other hand, iOS delivered 45 percent more revenue per user than Android users and 10 percent more revenue per paying user than Android users.
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In terms of retention rates, it's pretty much a draw between iOS and Android. |
"In terms of Day 1 Retention rates, Android users retain at a rate just 2 percent higher than iOS users. However, when it comes to 30 day retention that rate is reversed. iOS retains at a rate 2 percent higher than Android," the report says. "It should be noted that even in an analysis of this scale, those rates fall within the margin of error--the conclusion that iOS users are more loyal in the long term can only be a tentative one."
With the percentages this close, the only thing developers can really know for sure is that each of the two biggest platforms are relatively strong, and in some cases may be better positioned for certain outcomes. The strong engagement with Android apps should be good news for developers who are experimenting with things like in-app advertising or rewards that require users to work through multiple levels of a game. For those focused more on revenue, though, iOS may remain king. One other thing is crystal clear from this study: For developers trying to improve the way they measure their success, installs alone may not mean much.
For more:
- download the study here
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