Smartphone owners use an average of 10 apps daily

Time spent in apps has surged to nearly 1.7 billion hours during the first quarter, largely a result of an exploding global user base, according to App Annie’s latest Consumer App Usage report.

The report reveals that despite each operating system having a separate top trending app category, there is actually no one size fits all app category.

People now manage their lives with apps as an average of 10 apps are used each day. On average, only 25% to 50% of the apps downloaded are used regularly each month.

Apps from the Utility and Tools category are most used due to them being pre-installed. This is followed by Social Networking, Communication and Social apps – these make up the largest category by average apps used.

Android users have over 30% more games than iPhone users, however iOS still leads in gaming revenue due to their higher average revenue per user.

Singaporeans use an average of 40 apps per month, with around 99 apps downloaded onto their phones. This brings the average daily usage to 12 apps per day – higher than the global average.

Dating and Productivity apps saw the highest average sessions per day with around four minutes, while Finance and Productivity apps were used for less than one minute per session.

App usage jumped 10% in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the same quarter of 2016, to reach an average of 192 minutes were spent on apps.

On global average, over 80% of time spent in apps were spent outside of the country’s top app.

Key learnings for publishers include, first, there is no one size fits all due to the huge variability across categories in user behaviours.

Second, brands have to define their KPIs based on the app’s specific use by aligning their engagement strategy with their target users.

Third, consumers prefer to manage their lives through apps and are increasingly becoming a must-have component for many companies across several industries.

And fourth, Social Network and Communication apps have heavy influence over users, and underscores the continued importance for marketing efforts for all types of apps.