NewsResearch: Devs Use Updates to Boost iOS App Downloads

Research: Devs Use Updates to Boost iOS App Downloads

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A new research paper titled “Updates Management in Mobile Applications: iTunes vs Google Play” finds that iOS developers are very likely to release minor updates when their app download numbers start slipping. “Our results confirm that updates boost downloads and are more likely to be released when the app is experiencing a poor performance,” said the report. “We interpret this finding as evidence that app developers use updates as a ‘bet for resurrection’ strategy.”

Other noteworthy mobile development industry stats from the report include the following:

  • On average, mobile development firms update their Google Play apps every 28 days and their App Store apps every 59 days.
  • Only 8.3 percent of the top 1000 iOS apps and 1.7 percent of the top 1000 Android apps are paid apps.
  • 56.2 percent of iOS apps and 29.7 percent of Android apps offer in-app purchases.
  • Google Play gets five times as many downloads as the App Store.
  • Most top-1000 apps have more than four stars on their ratings.
  • The top 1000 on Google Play turnover more frequently than the top 1000 on the App Store.

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