FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chris Grimm – cgrimm@appdevelopersalliance.org
Developers Alliance Releases New Report on Android Customization
Study Surveyed 4000 Android Users in the EU to Better Understand Consumer App Behaviour
Washington, D.C. – The Developers Alliance today released a new Report on Android Device Customization detailing how consumers organize apps on their devices and use the more than 2 million apps available in the Google Play store. The Developers Alliance asked 4.000 Android users in France, Germany, Italy and Spain how they interact with their apps, which apps they use in major categories, and their behavior and attitudes towards customizing their devices.
“The Android marketplace is a growing, dynamic and competitive ecosystem that provides consumers more choices and variety than ever before,” said Jake Ward, President of the Developers Alliance. “There are numerous apps to choose from in almost every app category and an app for almost every need consumers may have, and if there are any unmet needs, developers are at the ready to create new innovative products to meet those needs.”
Android users vary significantly, and the report shows that many customers highly value customization and the ability to make their devices their own. While some prefer only to use basic functions such as calling and texting, others download and use as many apps as their device will hold.
For example, 90 percent of Android users customize to their home screen, and only 10 percent leave the suite of apps that comes with the phone untouched. The report also found that 32 percent of respondents downloaded more than 26 additional apps on their device and 6 percent downloaded over 60 apps. In addition, 27 percent of European Android users added at least one alternative app store on their smartphone and 25 percent downloaded at least one alternative browser to use in place of preinstalled options.
However, users largely enjoy the apps that come standard to their phones. The majority of consumers, 70 percent, prefer to buy an Android device with basic apps already loaded.
The report also found that a majority of Android users use multiple apps in the same category to complete similar tasks. For example, 67 percent of European consumers use the Amazon app, 50 percent use the eBay app, and many use local retailers’ apps for shopping.
Similarly, Android users enjoy rich competition among music apps. While Deezer is the most used app in France, Spanish Android users are the biggest fans of Spotify and 11 percent of Android users in Europe use the preloaded Samsung Music app.
“Consumers are taking full advantage of the competitive app marketplace to find the apps that work best for them,” added Ward. “This is the beauty of the Google Play Store and app marketplaces in general. Unlike traditional software, more than 2 million apps are available to consumers 24 hours a day, at the swipe of a thumb, regardless of the publisher or popularity.”
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The Developers Alliance is the world’s leading advocate for software developers and the companies invested in their success. Alliance members include industry leaders in consumer, enterprise, industrial, and emerging software development, and a global network of more than 70,000 developers.
