Mobile app retention continues to plague mobile marketing teams, with the large majority of users abandoning applications within the first month of download. If you have any chance of standing out in a marketplace of millions of apps, your product must solve a big enough problem or offer enough value to warrant your customer’s continued use. This continued use builds trust and loyalty between the company and consumer that can extend offline. 

It might surprise you to learn that 53% of smartphone users don’t even have their favorite brand’s mobile app installed.1 With limited data storage space, attention span constraints, and previous experiences with poorly built mobile apps, there could be a whole host of reasons why this is the case. 

This is why having a strategy for mobile engagement and retention — not just an acquisition strategy — is vital. If a competitor can offer an exceptional mobile user experience that offers more value, this company might supplant brand favoritism and loyalty in the mind of your hard-won customer.

There is a lifecycle of app retention that requires establishing a genuine connection on the first impression, growing a sense of dedication to their needs, and continuing to nurture the relationship. Like personal relationships, you should aim to have a friendly yet productive appeal to your users. Below we have compiled app retention statistics across the industry and devices. Browse through them or jump to our infographic about how app retention is like dating and getting engaged.

App Retention Stats

• In 2017 there were nearly 4 billion connected mobile devices and 178 billion annual app downloads. (AppAnnie, 2017*)
• The average US app user spends 90% of their mobile usage in their top five apps. (Business Insider, 2017*)
• 23% of apps are used just once. (Applause, 2017*)
• Retargeted users show more retention and bring in 37% more revenue than new users. (Adjust, 2018*)
• 30 days after an app is downloaded it has lost nearly 90% of daily active users. (CleverTap, 2017)
• 66% of users feel they can accomplish the same goal on the mobile website as the app. (Think With Google, 2018*)
• A 5% increase in retention can result in a 25% to 95% increase in profits. (Harvard, 2000*)
• Personalized push notifications have been found to boost engagement by almost 10%. (CleverTap, 2018)
• In-app messaging, such as a live assistant, can increase user retention by 3x. (Dazeinfo, 2016*)
• The average smartphone user engages only 9 apps per day. (TechCrunch, 2017*)

iOS App Retention Stats

• 11.82% of iOS users purchase apps compared to 5.76% of Android users. (Statista, 2018*) 
• iOS app retention rates are 1% to 3% higher than those of Android apps. (MediaPost, 2018*)
• 60% of iPhone users opt-out of push notifications. (Andrew Chen, 2015*)

Android App Retention Stats

• The top 10 Android apps have a 12.8x greater retention rate than the average Android app. (App Cues, 2015*)
• Android accounts for a 38.9% majority of the mobile market share. (CitrusBits, 2018*)
• It costs 24% less to convert in-app purchases on Android than iOS. (Liftoff, 2016*)