New research on 37,000 apps from both the Apple App Store and Google Play have shown that a quarter of downloaded apps will only ever be used once. The study was carried out by analytics firm Localytics, whose data also showed that 62% of users will use an app less than 11 times. Whilst apps with messaging services see a retention rate of 46%, overall there is a downturn in app interest from consumers, developers and subsequently investors, leading Localytics to report that it is “not a sustainable business model.” The decrease in app interest is already showing, with the relative lack of new releases for the Apple Watch and Apple TV, which for every 1,000 new iOS apps only see around 10 apps and 1 app released, respectively. Google is combatting this downturn by working on Instant Apps, which allow users to instantly use a new app without downloading it.
