Research: 26 Percent Of Android, iOS Apps Used Only One Time

Users are often willing to give iOS and Android apps a try -- but they don't always come back for more. That's the conclusion of a new research report that found 26 percent of the apps downloaded in 2010 were used only one time. The report, developed by research firm Localytics, looked at some 400,000 iPhone/iPad apps and 200,000 Android apps available on their respective stores. The firm formed an analysis of the competitive mobile market, and recommended developers look past download stats when evaluating engagement. Localytics says it studied new customers of given apps in 2011, logging the first use of the app and then tracking to see whether users open the app again on a quarterly basis. According to the analysis, among those who used an app for the first time between January and March 2010, 22 percent never opened it again. In the second and third quarters, the one-time usage rate remained at 26 percent, and grew to over 28 percent in the fourth quarter, "but some of those customers may still use the app again in early 2011." "On the other hand, having 74 percent of new customers go on to use your app at least once more is pretty encouraging," Localytics adds. "More good news is that the number of US smartphone users grew from 42.7 million in November 2009 to 61.5 million in November 2010," continues the report. "But at the same time, the number of apps also increased dramatically." "High download numbers always feel great, but if those customers never open the app or abandon it after just a few uses, those high download numbers are really part of a high churn rate," concludes the analyst group.