Just a few months ago, our blog reported on a study implying the world’s preference for Android over Apple. However, a new report by Appsflyer suggests that when it comes to application user churn, the results may not be as favorable for Android.

User churn is a crucial metric for app developers and product managers, as it impacts the number of monthly or daily active users. Despite previous coverage on the factors that contribute to user churn, this latest report from Appsflyer reveals that while the overall average percentage of user churn has decreased, the issue remains persistent.

The App Uninstall Report revealed that almost half of Android apps (49%) were uninstalled within a month of being downloaded, with 49% of those uninstalls occurring within just one day. Although this number is still 8% lower than in 2021, it highlights a significant problem for app developers and product managers.

Uninstall rates were found to be higher in developing markets, with an average uninstall rate ranging from 26-43% compared to 36% in developed nations. The report suggests that this disparity may be due to the higher usage of iOS devices in these countries and their larger storage capacity, leading to users having to delete fewer apps to free up space.

To better understand user behavior and improve app retention, product managers should track uninstall rates over time. The report found that the majority of app uninstalls occur within the first day, potentially due to disappointment with app features or false advertising.

Finance apps have a higher uninstall rate compared to other app categories, with a 27% increase in day 1 uninstalls compared to the average. This highlights the importance of delivering on user expectations in this industry, where even a small increase in retention can have a significant impact.

The report emphasized the crucial role of an effective onboarding experience in reducing user churn. However, creating such an experience can be challenging as it requires significant development effort, competing with core features for resources. An easier solution is to use an SDK plugin like Contextual, which enables product managers and marketers to design and launch custom onboarding experiences, tooltips, and feature announcements in real-time, without relying on developer support or waiting for app store releases.

Here are our own key takeaways from the report

If you want to change something then measure it.

Reducing uninstall rates is crucial for app success, and the key is to understand when, why, and from where users are uninstalling. Setting up uninstall attribution is a simple process and is essential to help minimize user churn. With the right tools, like Contextual, Product Managers and Marketers can create and release custom onboarding experiences, tooltips, and feature announcements without relying on developer resources. Plus, track feature engagement to gauge the effectiveness of your onboarding process and monitor feature adoption. Don’t let uninstalls hold back your app’s success, measure it to change it.”

You only get one chance to make a first impression.

Because the uninstall rate is the highest on the first day, it is absolutely critical to nail the onboarding process. Make it seamless and engaging or risk losing your acquired users at the blink of an eye. To reduce the uninstall rate between day 1 and 7, make sure your first interactions are designed to generate a strong, lasting connection with the user.

Maximize User Satisfaction with a Clear Path to Aha!

Ensuring your app users quickly achieve their desired outcome is crucial in retaining them. Be proactive in guiding users towards their “Aha!” moment and help them make the most of your app’s capabilities.   If your app has a single purpose, this may be enough to prevent churn. However, for business apps with multiple features, continuous onboarding through contextual tooltips, FAQs, and in-app announcements can drive long-term success and prevent user churn. 

Privacy is Essential.

New privacy safeguards imposed by operating systems controls and efforts by App developers to protect user privacy means that the mobile user onboarding journey should align. Particularly  in a Web3 world, maintaining user anonymity is paramount for maintaining user trust. That is why Contextual does NOT require traditional user identification like an email address to help preserve user anonymity.

Track User Journey to Prevent Drop-off.

Retaining users requires a deep understanding of their journey within the app. To prevent drop-off, it’s crucial to identify the point at which an active user becomes inactive. This can be achieved by setting key in-app performance indicators (KPIs) to track user behavior. With this information, you can engage with users through personalized in-app messaging, such as promoting new features, reminding them of unused ones, or offering special promotions. Even then if you notice a drop in your funnel after a specific stage, it may be a sign that changes need to be made to the app itself.

To optimize the user experience and prevent drops in the funnel, it is important to track user interactions and understand where users may be exiting the app. This can be done easily with the help of Contextual’s Automatic Feature Tracking and Custom Tags for Mobile and Web applications, allowing Product Managers to track analytics without relying on developers or analytics specialists.

Product Teams can also use these tools to customize labels for clickable elements and screens for easier tracking and reporting. By guiding users towards their “Aha moment” through targeted tips, tours, in-app videos, and walkthroughs, Product Teams can improve activation and retention goals, leading to a better overall user experience.

Make your App Even More Awesome.

In the world of mobile apps there is no room for mediocrity. Mobile Apps have minutes or even seconds to deliver value to the user.  This means every line of code needs to make the App as awesome as it can be but as the report shows almost 50% or Android Apps fail to make it past their first month anniversary and half of those won’t even survive the first day! It’s no surprise that user engagement features like mobile user onboarding or walk throughs, Tooltips and in-App messaging are often deprioritised.  Fortunately with Contextual it doesn’t have to be so. Contact us now and we will show you how.