Google Play VS App Store: Where Should You Launch The First Mobile App

Are you planning to develop an application for your business but not yet decided where to launch your app first? 

There are two primary platforms where the majority of users are downloading apps. Users with iOS devices can download applications from the Apple App Store, whereas Android users can download from Google Play Store. 

However, the moment you decide to develop an application for your business, you will immediately land in never-ending controversy, for which platform you should build your first app in 2020?

No matter how fantastic your app development idea is or how long you take to develop an app or what features your application is offering, to achieve success it is essential to choose the right operating platform to launch your app.

Whether you choose to develop your app first for Android or iOS, keep in mind that the success of your app depends upon the downloads. Even the best apps of this planet seem to fail if there are no downloads. 

So before you decide the best platform to submit your application, you need to take the time for proper research. And the forecast from Statista, reveals that Google Play Store downloads are growing at a higher rate than iOS. 

Hey, hold on! Before you directly decide to launch your app on the Google Play Store, it is worth to understand that six factors help you choose between Google Play VS App Store:

• Understand Your Audience
• Features Set
• Monetization
• The complexity of App Development
• The popularity of the App Store
• App Maintenance Cost

Let’s understand each point in detail to make the right decision:

1. Table of Contents

   Toggle

   Understand Your Audience

When it comes to launching your mobile app, it is essential to know your market. Imagine how it will be feeling when you go hunting in the forest where no wild animals are available to shoot? I know you will feel depressed and always want to hunt in the forest full of animals! Right?

However, in reality, finding the right area is not the only thing you need to know; you also need to understand what type of animal you want in the forest. 

This is exactly what you need to know when choosing the best platform for your application.

Let’s break our audience in further three parameters to make the right decision:

Geolocation: Decide whether you want to target a global audience or a particular area over the map? If you aim to target the global market, then clearly the Google Play Store is the best option as it dominates the global market where iOS doesn’t even stand in the competition. Besides, if you are mainly targeting North America, then Apple Play Store is the ideal choice for you because in the U.S., 41% of iOS users have higher annual income than Android users and potential to buy your app. 

Age Factor: According to Business Insider, users with iOS devices are younger and higher educated people in the age brackets of 18 to 25 years. So if you are launching an app like dating apps, social networking app or chatting app, then iOS can be an excellent platform for you.

Gender: Since the iOS app interface is quite more comfortable and faster than Android, therefore, it is mostly preferred by females. So if you are launching a cooking app, recipe app or workout app, then it would be an excellent option to launch on Apple’s App Store.

In a Nutshell: Before you hire iOS App Developer, make sure your app development concept suits well with the parameters of the Android or iOS market. 

2. Feature Sets: Closed Ecosystem or Open-source Ecosystem

The feature set is directly related to the functionality of the application. So the choice platform is somewhere depending upon the codes get written for the development.

While Apple is restricted to a closed-ecosystem, it means a developer has to write code for a device-specific application by adhering to Apple’s ecosystem. Apple App Stores provide entries to those apps that use Apple’s features. On the other hand, Android is an open-source ecosystem where developers have all the freedom to customize and modify the app with the features that their users want to access. if you hire a Web Development Company to launch your app on the Google Play store, you don’t need to jump on various hoops. 

In a Nutshell: Being an Open-source Ecosystem, Google Play Store offers you more flexibility to customize your app with the choice of features. Still, the closed ecosystem of iOS ensures more security and stability. 

3. App Monetization

Of course, who doesn’t want to earn money through the application? But, when comparing the Android apps with iOS apps, you will see the clear difference between the iOS and Android users in the below graph.

Android users are less willing to pay for applications than iOS users, so you can consider launching your Android app with in-app ads to monetize it.

Let’s consider some more factors to see the monetization difference between iOS and Android.

• iOS App users are likely to pay for apps. Still, when it comes to “Utility Apps” like fitness apps, calculators, transportation schedules, music-making apps, then Google Play Store takes the momentum. 
• No doubt, shopping apps generate the most revenue. As compared to North America, Asian users spend 40% more on in-app purchases. 

No matter whether you are trying to monetize your app with subscriptions, in-app purchases or with in-app ads, no platform can defeat Apple’s app store. However, as Android apps are growing, you never know when Google Play Store overtakes the App store in terms of app monetization. 

In a nutshell: If your primary goal is to earn money, it is clear that Apple’s App Store generates twice as revenue generated by Google Play Store. 

4. The complexity of the App

Developing an app for Android is more complicated than iOS as developers need to make sure they are compatible with the platform, and there are no bug and crash issues while running even on the older operating systems.

Did you know why Apple users prefer to spend a high amount on apps and devices than Android devices? Yes, they only want to access the latest version of the software to enjoy hassle-free user experience. On the other hand, Android users are slower to adopt the latest releases on operating systems. Even 50% of Android users are running operating systems which are around two years old. 

In a Nutshell: If you want to engage your users longer and need improvisation in an app, then it is worth it to look for iOS App Development Services and target Apple App Store. 

5. The popularity of the OS

There is no denying this fact that both operating Platforms(OP) have different markets. 

While Apple devices are known for their high performing apps which are completely secured with the Closed ecosystem, therefore, iOS apps have become a first choice of the corporate sector.

On the other hand, Android apps are free to install and easy to access on multiple devices; therefore, they dominate the global market share. 

In a Nutshell: The choice of the operating systems depends on the type of app, if you are targeting a corporate sector, then it is worth launching on Apple’s App Store, whereas utility apps are best to start on Google Play Store. 

6. App Maintenance Cost

As we have discussed above, users with iOS devices stay updated and prefer to get their hands on the latest versions, so if you are planning to launch your app on iOS, you need to hire iOS  Developer. They will make frequent changes in the app to make it compatible with the new version of operating systems. 

 

Rest, if you choose to launch your app on Android platform, still you need to hire an Android app developer to make sure your app is bug-free and compatible enough to run on old operating systems without any crash issues. 

In a Nutshell: Since iOS apps required frequent updations in the app, therefore, the app maintenance cost will be higher than Android apps. 

Over To You Now

The only aim of this post is to guide you with the factors that come into play when you need to decide which platform you should choose to launch your app first in 2020. 

Rest, there is no guide or definitive answer to which platform is better to launch your first app as every business or startup has its own unique needs and goals that favour one or the other.

Android app development is an excellent choice to target the local market through a Google Play Store, whereas iOS apps are useful to monetize through Apple’s App Store. 

However, as a rule of thumb, seek out the services of the Mobile App Development Company to design an app that can help you reach your targeted audience and allow you to maximize revenue.