If you’re in the process of developing an app, you may want to put that development on hold for a few minutes while you read this article. Neilsen just released some numbers that show how many apps people are willing to download, and what kinds of apps people actually use. You might be surprised at these numbers.
There Is A Limit
According to the report, people don’t usually use more than 30 apps. Once that number has been reached, apps are either erased or new apps are simply not downloaded. Out of all the age groups tested (25-55 years plus), app users did not use more than 30 apps each month. If you’re aiming for the really young group (25-years old), that number goes down to 28 per month. So what does this data tell us? Basically, people – no matter how old – don’t want more than 30 apps per month.
That means that your app will really have to stand out if you want anyone to use it. Neilsen also took at look at the types of apps that people used the most. Where should you spend your app development dollars? Social media, entertainment, and search apps get the most recognition and use. Photography apps got the least amount of use – and keep in mind that this doesn’t include Instagram, since that app is more of a social networking app.
Helpful Details
The information that Neilsen has collected is, indeed, helpful, but it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock either. Just think about the number of apps that you use, and how many apps you may have on your phone or tablet that you don’t use. Those screens can get pretty jammed with apps, and most of us don’t bother with more than a handful at a time. Developers can use this information to figure out what the next bit app is going to be, and I’m going to put my money on social media or entertainment (since games do fall into this category).
There are lots of apps created every single day, but few of them make it onto user phones or tablets. If you want to grab the attention of anyone aged 25 to 55, you’ll have to make an app that falls into one of the three categories listed above. It’s also interesting to point out that people 55-years and older use apps around 22 hours per month, and that compares to the 37 hour per month people ages 18-24 spend using apps. Those numbers should give you something to work with, too, if you are in the development stage of creating an app.
To check out the other numbers that Neilsen has printed, take a look at the company’s website and search for this information. There are a lot of interesting details about apps, demographics, and the types of apps that people do and don’t use. How many hours per month do you spend using apps? Do you use more than 30 apps or less?