Half Of US Smartphone Users Download Zero Apps Per Month (recode.net)

Apple's iOS users may have downloaded more than 140 billion apps since the App Store was launched in 2008, but the reality is that a huge number of people just don't try out so many apps anymore. We noted a few weeks ago how people were showing less interest towards apps, and now we have more confirmation on that front. According to comScore, some 49 percent of U.S. smartphone users download zero apps in a typical month. Recode reports: Of the 51 percent of smartphone owners who do download apps during the course of a month, "the average number downloaded per person is 3.5," comScore's report says. "However, the total number of app downloads is highly concentrated at the top, with 13 percent of smartphone owners accounting for more than half of all download activity in a given month."

Comments

You mean new apps right?

[SuperKendall]

Because quite a lot of those people supposedly not downloading apps in a month, are downloading updates...

There is a certain amount of mental energy used just to keep up with app churn.

Re:You mean new apps right?

[Austerity Empowers]

Because quite a lot of those people supposedly not downloading apps in a month, are downloading updates...

In other words we have the apps we like... which is kind of why this article makes me roll my eyes. The apps I have I cannot live without, but 99% of the app store is shit I won't download on a bet.

Re: You mean new apps right?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

I use an old Android 2 device for an alarm clock. Old phones make the perfect alarm clock because even if the power goes out, it can last for a day on battery.

A whole day? Will wonders never cease...

Seriously, just go spend 5 or 6 bucks on a travel alarm clock. They'll run for months on a single AA battery.

people are annoyed with too many apps

[denis-The-menace]

Storage and attention span is limited.

Wouldn't it be great if you could just use ONE app to browse a web site.

I don't know what it would called but I if it did exist, Apple would removed it as a feature.

Re:people are annoyed with too many apps

[skam240]

Maybe we could call it a "Web Browser"?

Re:I use a phone as a phone.

[110010001000]

I agree. She makes some real nice photos.

I no longer view them as apps

[QuietLagoon]

Instead I now view them as self-inflicted malware and eavesdropping opportunities.

.
I see no reason to intentionally install malware on my phone.

Re:I no longer view them as apps

[CastrTroy]

Yeah, I got a lot of flack for commenting on the article about the Pokemon Go related malware, but I think this really doesn't get enough emphasis. Stop installing so much junk on your phone. I am very selective about the apps that I install. Doesn't matter if they are on Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, Windows App Store, Steam, or whatever other place you get you software from for your phone or computer. Every thing you install is a possible vector for attack or snooping at your data. I get by pretty well with my cell phone with just email, browser, a few games, and a couple other basic utilities. After the first month, I might install one new app a month, but they mostly get removed pretty quickly after I realize that I actually don't need that many apps. How many people go installing new software one their PC 5 times a week? Why would you treat your phone any different, especially with such limited resources.

Flipphone users

[avandesande]

How many of these 'non downloaders' are former flip-phone users that bought a smart phone due to their low price and obsequiousness?

Re:Flipphone users

[rubycodez]

er, if you only lived through smart phone era you're young. Older people will have had a flip phone. Older people are less likely to use their phone as entertainment/consumer targeting system and more likely to download app for useful practical purpose. I loaded two extra apps onto my phone: weather and bar/QC code scanner. Thus my phone can do everything I need it to do besides the built-in telephony, alarm clock, texting, email, browser

Re:Flipphone users

[The-Ixian]

I would probably fall into that category.

I have a Microsoft Lumia phone. The only non-Microsoft app I have purchased is a podcast app. Other than that, I just have Netflix and Kindle apps. That's all I really need.

Re:Flipphone users

[Hognoxious]

It's exponentially amusing when people do that.

Duh!

[Ol Olsoc]

Some of us use our phones as phones. I have all of the applications I need installed now, weather, a few other things, and nothing since. Smartphones make for shitty computing devices, shitty game devices. They do okay as phones though.

Re:Duh!

[j2.718ff]

Some of us use our phones as phones. I have all of the applications I need installed now, weather, a few other things, and nothing since. Smartphones make for shitty computing devices, shitty game devices. They do okay as phones though.

I very rarely use my phone as a phone. However, I even more rarely download new apps. When I first bought my phone, I installed a bunch of apps that I knew I'd use regularly, and have installed very little since then.

The reality is...

[sudden.zero]

...that this is due to the limited storage capacity of said devices. Now if the device manufacturers would stop making phones that don't include microSD slots, and then allow all applications to be stored on said SD cards then people might download and install more apps. As the state of devices currently sits I only install the apps that I absolutely use, and the only games I have on my device consists of a Super Nintendo emulator.

Re:The reality is...

[BarbaraHudson]

It's not due to limited storage. Most downloaded apps either get deleted or are never used after the first blush of "hey, new app!" As far as space goes, remove Facebook and you'll have room for lots of apps.

Not surprising

[dejitaru]

Once you have the apps you need, why change? Mayyybe if you're extremely bored and decide to download a new game, or (especially) if you're an early adopter and have to fulfill some random desire to try new apps.

It's like my desktop computer, as a teen I was downloading a lot of software and installing it out of sheer curiosity... now though... meh. The only new programs I download are games.

Re:Not surprising

[bigman2003]

But that's the problem...

Apps are VERY trendy. If you want to be hip with apps, you gotta get what is hot this week. And the churn is huge.

I welcome a return to mobile web being the preferred way to get information/do things.

I'm on a 'lesser' mobile platform (Windows). I give a damn about apps. Recently Amazon pulled support for their app on Windows Phone- that's pretty serious when even Amazon doesn't want to make an app on your platform.

But I still muddle along with their website- cuz I gotta buy stuff.

I wish they'd pour their efforts into their website, instead of their apps. Then everybody could have a good experience.

Re:Not surprising

[nine-times]

Once you have the apps you need, why change?

I think the problem is that the "new economy" is supposed to be driven by the idea that, every month, a different group of 20 year-olds in California will come out with another mobile app that will revolutionize the economy, solve all of our problems, and change everyone's life. You know, like the way Foursquare changed the way we all socialize, or how Words with Friends completely changed the world? So if everyone isn't constantly buying the trendy new apps, then the world stops improving, the "new economy" collapses, and we all die horrible deaths.

Seriously, though, the way some people talk, you'd think that's how this all works. In reality, a lot of the startup culture is overhyped nonsense that nobody is calling bullshit on because too many people have an economic incentive to keep people believing the nonsense. I'd bet an awful lot of people have something like 10 apps installed on their phone (excluding built-in ones), and only 5 get regular use-- and of those, 3 of them should really just be websites, and there's no real reason why they need to be applications except it makes them slightly easier to access.

Re:Not surprising

[sims 2]

IIRC about a year ago amazon discontinued support on iOS 5.0.1 I'm still disappointed that I can't check my orderers on my ipod touch anymore but their app still works great on my ipad running 6.1.3

Re:Responsive web design

[rubycodez]

Yeah what's this going back to "fat clients" with the apps? "Download our pre-order app!" says your favorite restaurant. That should just be a bookmark in browser to correct place on their web site.

Smart people

[Anonymous Coward]

No shit people don't download apps. It's bad enough using a smartphone. Downloading apps is like licking a genital sore. Why would you do it unless you wanted to be infected with something?

Re:So? This is News?

[ColdWetDog]

I have a number of Apps on my phone. They enhance the features of the phone to do everything I want.
Can someone please tell me why I need to keep downloading Apps when I don't need to?
In the end the phone will run out of space. Does anyone expect that I would delete any on my current apps just so that I could keep on downloading more apps that I probably don't use more than once?

Bullshit.

Because if you don't download new apps, Apple / Google / etc can't have ever increasing volumes and margins. That's un-American. Probably un-natural.

Not a shock

[kuzb]

99.999% of apps are pure unadulterated shit that nobody needs. Most people find everything they need in the first month and only enthusiast level people can be bothered to sift through any app store to try to find stuff worth using. It's so plugged up with garbage that it really is a wasted effort.

The reality is that people will try new apps, but often they have to be recommended by someone.

Car owners buy on average zero cars per month

[sanf780]

They got what they wanted, so no point in replacing it unless it stops and cannot be repaired anymore.