localytics
Latest
Grindr reportedly shared HIV statuses with other companies
Grindr's privacy issues may extend beyond access to data with a login. BuzzFeed News and Norwegian non-profit SINTEF report that Grindr has been sharing its users' HIV statuses (including their last test date) with two app optimization companies, Apptimize and Localytics. As that data is attached to info like email addresses, GPS info and phone IDs, it's possible for an intruder to link specific people (beyond just their public profiles) to their health info.
So, how "engaged" are you with your apps?
That's a question app marketing platform Localytics was interested in, and they have provided some enlightening answers in a recent report. The firm defines "engaged" as using the same app 10 or more times per month. The percentage of apps meeting that criteria soared from 25 percent in the third quarter of 2014 to a high of 30 percent in December, 2014. But user retention –- the percentage of users returning to an app within a three-month window –- declined, ending the year at 12 percent as some people abandoned apps when switching over to new devices or upgrading their operating system. According to the research, media and entertainment apps performed the best for overall app stickiness in Q4 2014 peaking at 26 percent, a 4 percent increase over Q3. Localytics defines app "stickiness" as the average of an app's engagement and retention. Business productivity and technology apps experienced the most improvement over the course of 2014, starting at just 15 percent and increasing app stickiness to 23 percent by the end of the year. Travel and leisure apps experienced the biggest increase in the volume of app launches per average user per month growing from 10 in Q3 up to 12 in Q4 –- reflecting the season's Q4 travel trends. Meanwhile, media and entertainment apps remained consistently high with users launching them 12 times per month, on a par with Q3. By contrast, games apps had the lowest number of launches per month, just fewer than eight. The Localytics Indexes provide marketers with a benchmark against which to measure and refine their app engagement strategies. They are compiled through the continuous analysis of 28,000 apps across more than 1.5 billion devices. To see the study in detail, head to this link.
The character of what we buy on Black Friday/Cyber Monday is changing
That's the word from data analysts at Localytics. Data they collected over the last few days makes clear that the days of lining up for those Black Friday sales is gone. With major retailers like Walmart and Amazon starting their deals a full week before Black Friday, the big shopping day appears to be losing some its luster. Localytics examined the weekly new device growth during the weekend before Black Friday and Black Friday weekend (including Cyber Monday). By isolating only new devices, Localytics was able to observe which devices saw the most new activity each weekend. The company was able to see the effect that these early deals have on thrifty shoppers by comparing new device growth to a baseline average from the previous 3 weekends. The weekend before Black Friday saw certain devices increase by over 200% compared to the baseline. The biggest winners for the weekend were older iPhone models – specifically the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s and iPhone 4. By the time Black Friday rolled around, the big winners were devices like the new iPads, the iPad mini 3 and the iPad Air 2. Those sales were spurred by low prices like US$100 off from Best Buy, and up to $140 gift cards from Target. These devices, says Localytics, did not have the same stellar prior weekend that the older iPhone models did, but instead were the only two Apple devices to stay true to the traditional Black Friday weekend. For this analysis, Localytics examined the percentage increase of new devices on the weekend prior to Black Friday (Nov. 21st – Nov. 24th) and Black Friday Weekend (Nov. 28th – Dec. 1st) to a baseline of the prior 3 weekends in November (Oct 31st – Nov. 3rd, Nov. 7th – Nov 10th, and Nov. 14th – Nov 17th). With Localytics' sample of over 28,000 apps, a new device is defined as a device that is seen by Localytics for the first time by downloading one of the apps incorporating its SDK. Other data of interest came from an IBM Analytics study showed that online shopping from iOS devices absolutely buried Android devices. Apple iPads and iPhones accounted for 21.9% of total Black Friday online sales, while Android based devices totaled 5.8%.
The old iPad 2 is still the most used iPad
That's a surprising metric coming out of new research from Localytics, and pertinent as we expect to see new iPads from Apple. According to the study's data, the now discontinued iPad 2 has the largest share of online use at 27%. Both the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display, released last year, have a 14% and 5% share respectively. The study also notes that people use their tablets and smartphones in fundamentally different ways. For most, their smartphone is always with them, whereas their tablet usually stays at home. By having access to smartphones throughout the day, this naturally lends itself to more app launches. On average, iPhone apps are launched 36% more frequently than those on iPads. However, the study says that iPhone sessions are typically shorter since people are generally on the go when using their smartphone. The average session length for an iPhone is 5.2 minutes, which is over a minute shorter than their iPad counterparts at 6.4 minutes (a difference of 23%). Whereas a smartphone may be used for quick news or sports updates, people typically use their iPads for longer activities such as reading or watching content. Screen size is also a factor. The larger the screen size, the more time spent in an app. It will be interesting to see if the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will change some of these iPhone numbers. For this analysis, Localytics examined over 100 million iPhones and iPads from when the iPhone 6 was released on September 19th to October 13th.
You only use 20% of your apps one time according to a new study
Localytics recently examined how people use their apps. The study, based on data from 1.5 billion devices and 25,000 apps, reports that 20% of downloaded apps are used only once, which is a 6% improvement over a four-year-old identical study. During the same period, which covers apps used during the third quarter of multiple years, the percentage of apps used 11 or more times increased 13% and now comprises nearly 40% of all apps. Which apps are the most engaging? Weather and social apps. Meanwhile, sports and game apps have the highest abandonment rate. That's probably because of the competition in the sports and games category, while most of us settle in pretty quickly on our favorite weather or messaging/social apps. For games in particular, those apps have a nearly 50% chance of never being opened again if a user doesn't return to the app within 12 hours. The report also notes that Android users are slightly ahead of iOS users in engagement, which may be a result of the greater number of apps available to iOS users. With the relatively larger number of apps installed on iOS devices, competition for an iOs user's time increases and can weaken retention. For an app developer, the best of all possible worlds is for people to use your app over and over. It makes for a very competitive environment which is good for the industry and good for end users. Does this study seem to track with your own experiences? In my case it seems to. I'm a heavy consumer of weather and messaging on my iPhone. I'm always willing to try a new game, but if it doesn't grab me I never go back. Meanwhile, I've had a large turn-over in sports apps, never finding the right app that truly fills my needs. Your comments are welcome.
New study has surprising data on how we interact with apps
Localytics, a firm that tracks statistics about app usage, has released a study today that is of interest to users and app creators. The data tracks how people react to new apps, and tries to predict which apps will attract users and which won't. Here are some of the key findings: If you buy or download a new app there's a 60% chance that if you don't come back to the app within seven days, you will never return. For social and entertainment apps, data shows that if users don't try the app again within 12 hours of their first launch, there is greater than a 50% chance they will never open it again. News apps have some of the longest intervals between their first and second app launches -– almost 24 hours. If users don't launch a news app again for up to seven days after their first use, there is still a 59% chance they will return later. The median health app user returns to the app for the second time after almost 1.5 hours, yet they have a long tail of late-returning users. The median user returns within just under six hours of their first app usage. There are some interesting lessons in the data. It suggests that push messages can keep a user engaged, but too many drives them away. Targeted, rather than broadly based messages are likely the best way to go. And a first impression is really, really important. In my own app experience, I do find that I try a lot of apps and never return, often erasing them right after I downloaded them. Those apps are usually ones I didn't pay for. Localytics tracks more than 1.5 billion devices, 25,000 apps and 5,000 customers. The firm processes 50 billion data points monthly. For this report, they examined new iOS app users in November 2013 and their usage through the end of February 2014. There are a lot of apps just sitting on my iPhone and iPad that it would not bother me to delete. It might be time to cull them. Do the findings in the story track with your experience? Feel free to leave us your thoughts in the comments below.
78% of new iPhones sold globally are iPhone 5s models
For all of the publicity that swirled around the less expensive and more colorful iPhone 5c, the reality is that the new iPhone 5s is the top dog in worldwide sales. That's the report from Localytics, a firm that analyzes mobile stats. In the data analysis that started Friday and ended yesterday, Localytics saw that despite some expectation that the iPhone 5c would fit perfectly with Chinese consumers, the fact is that 91 percent of iPhone sales there were for the more expensive iPhone 5s. Numbers were pretty similar around the world, with the UK having the lowest ratio of iPhone 5s to iPhone 5c sales, with "only" 69 percent of new iPhone sales being for the 5s. Here in the US, 76 percent of new iPhone sales were for the 5s. One possible explanation is the sale of the gold-colored iPhone 5s. The gold color has been a terrific seller in China and the rest of Asia, while black or white phones are less popular. Globally, the iPhone 5s accounted for 78 percent of new iPhones purchased. The US has the highest concentration of new iPhone sales, with 68 percent of iPhone 5s and 5c devices. Japan is next with 13 percent. Sales of both new iPhones were robust, to say the least, with Apple selling 9 million over the weekend.
The iPhone 5s is greatly outselling the iPhone 5c
OK, so we know that Apple sold a record 9 million iPhones over the weekend, but what you might find surprising is that data provided by analytics firm Localytics shows that in the US, the more expensive iPhone 5s is appearing a whopping 3.4 times more often than the iPhone 5c. The chart at the top of this post shows that in the US, the iPhone 5s makes up about 1.36 percent of all iPhones activated in the US market across all carriers. For the iPhone 5c, the number is only about 0.31 percent. To quote Localytics, "That means that the iPhone 5s outshines the 5c by a factor of 3.4x, a clear indicator that the early adopters are favoring the high-end 5s compared to 5c." It's not just Americans who are picking up the iPhone 5s in record numbers. Localytics also provided numbers for international carriers and iPhone 5s usage is outperforming the iPhone 5c by a factor of 3.7x. In Japan, the numbers are even more skewed, with a ratio of about 5x. Eric Slivka at MacRumors points out that this disparity in sales probably won't last in the long run, saying "the lower-cost iPhone 5c will likely improve its relative performance over time as the bulk of customers who are likely to be more budget-conscious purchase new phones as they become upgrade-eligible.
Study finds many iOS activations during the holidays
We all expected that iOS sales would be incredible during the holiday season, but now a study by Localytics reported on GigaOM shows that the activation level for new iOS devices was even greater than expected. The study showed that 12.5 times more iOS devices accessed games and apps using Localytics' platform during the holiday weekend than over previous weekends. That's the worldwide average -- in the US and Germany, the average was 15 to 16 times greater than the average new device activations. For the competing Android platform, the gains were in the 11 to 12 times greater range. Other fascinating numbers from the Localytics study include the fact that in the US, activations of iPod touch devices were 21 times greater than usual, while iPhones were activated at 14 times the standard rate. Apple ruled the roost in terms of activation gains in the US, UK, and Germany, while Android won the contest in other European countries and in Asia.
AT&T still top iPhone carrier in US
It's a three-way battle in the US for the iPhone and AT&T is keeping its lead as the #1 iPhone carrier, says data from analytics firm Localytics. Localytics collects device and carrier information from 1,500 mobile applications including those from Skype, Turner Broadcasting and News Corporation. The most recent data shows that AT&T accounts for 56% of iPhone 4S handsets on its network of applications. Verizon is in second with 32%, a surprisingly high percentage for a carrier that's only had the iPhone for less than a year. All those who bought the iPhone 4 earlier this year are still under contract which suggests most 4S owners are new Verizon iPhone owners who waited for the 4S. Sprint, which just launched the iPhone on its network in October with the 4S, accounts for 12% of Localytics measured traffic. AT&T is also the leader for the iPhone 4 with 60% of the iPhone 4 traffic, a number that is down slightly from the 68% recorded earlier this year. This dominance is expected as AT&T has sold the iPhone almost twice as long as Verizon. AT&T started carrying the iPhone 4 sixteen months ago in June 2010 and is selling millions each quarter. Verizon is also selling millions each quarter, but it introduced the handset a relatively short nine months ago. Time is only one factor helping AT&T keep its lead. A higher-than-expected retention rate is also contributing to AT&T's dominance. Even though AT&T customers could switch to Verizon (and now Sprint), many are choosing to stay with the carrier, despite its network woes. Localytics believes AT&T is aggressively targeting customers who are at the end of their contract and enticing them to upgrade instead of leave.
Verizon iPhone 4 responsible for 32% of US iPhone 4 traffic
Data from mobile app analytics firm Localytics suggests the Verizon iPhone 4 now accounts for 32.3% of the U.S. iPhone market share. The CDMA version of the iPhone has been steadily climbing since launch, while the AT&T iPhone has apparently declined. Verizon confirmed during its Q2 earnings conference call that it activated 2.2 million iPhones in the first few months after launch. The debut of the iPhone 4 was the most successful handset launch in the carrier's history. Localytics attributes this rise to Verizon's unlimited data plan, a feature the company ironically discontinued this week. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues in July and August now that the unlimited plan is unavailable. It's also possible the rumored fall launch of the iPhone 5 may slow the uptake rate of the fourth generation handset. [Via AppleInsider]
15% of mobile apps launched while offline
Real-time analytics firm Localytics has issued a report that says 15 percent of all mobile apps are launched while the device they are running on is offline. That's a clear sign that developers would be serving their users better if they built "offline" modes into more apps, according to Ryan Kim of GigaOm. After all, while wireless networks are expanding all the time in the form of 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi, there are still many places where you can't get connected (like in a subway). Kim is correct is his assertion that developers should keep lack of a connection in mind and build in offline modes to their apps. This is especially true for mapping applications. I travel to foreign countries a lot, and there isn't a better example of when you need access to maps then when traveling internationally. But if you don't want to pay international data fees, you're stuck with using your iPhone or iPad in Wi-Fi zones. This is why I've always been an advocate of aggressive map caching, or even building a feature into the Google Maps app that allows users to download complete tile packs of cities so that they have access to maps when not on a data network. But Kim makes another excellent argument for offline mode in apps: As a developer you want users to be as engaged with your app as possible. Adding Instapaper-like features (essentially saving content offline) or more aggressive caching to your apps would allow users to use them to some degree even when not connected to a network, rather than getting a useless login screen. Localytics used its proprietary product to come up with the numbers for offline data use on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 devices by comparing the time difference between when an app was opened and when its analytics data was uploaded to their servers.
