Introduction to Apple App Store & Google Play Store

Everybody knows that there are two main players in the game of apps. They are the Apple App Store (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android).

These two giant app markets have been successful in their field. They both provide a platform to allow users to download 3rd party mobile applications onto our mobile devices. But although they work with a similar purpose, they actually do it with different methodologies. This is where they set each other’s game apart.

In this blogpost, let’s find out the advantage of one over the other. Why is the other one gaining more money than the other? Why is there one that is more popular? To fully understand the answer to these questions, let’s take a deep dive in these app markets by comparing them based on several factors.

Advantages of Enterprise Mobile Apps?

1. Profit and Size

Google achieved total domination in the year 2015. In this year, Play Store has garnered an estimated total of 200 million downloads, according to the study conducted by the AppAnnie. This is double that of the App store which is 100 million. Google has gained a higher market share than Play store because of the number of users they have.

However, a higher market share does not necessary translate to more revenue. Data provided by AppAnnie has estimated that the the Apple App Store has earned 75% more revenue than the Google Play Store in the year 2015 alone.

Summing this up, it is quite evident that the Apple App Store has a higher revenue per user (RPU) as compared to the Google Play Store. Therefore if you are keen to create a mobile application that is counting on advertisting as your main form of revenue, it might recommended to focus with the Apple App Store.

If you are keen to explore the Apple App Store further, here’s the list of top apps in Singapore.

2. Allowed Text Size

Let’s start with the title. Both markets have put some limits on the allowed characters on the title of the app. Google Play Store allows only 30 characters but Apple App store offers 255 characters for your app title.

On the other hand, both app markets have different ways of handling the keywords in your title. Google puts a great deal of importance to the relevance of your title. So, a long character count with a less relevant title or short character count but with much relevant title? You decide.

3. Discoverability

One advantage of the Apple App Store is in the discoverability. You can put an app in three different categories. On the other hand, Play Store also excels in this factor although in an entirely different method. You can see in the app page a “similar apps” and “also installed” section.

4. Social Factor

Apple has yet to provide a social factor page for the App Store. Google, on the other hand, has Google+ where they can determine the user’s emotion towards an application. This method is much like Facebook where we get “likes” for our post. In Play Store, however, it is a “+1” for each app.

Summing Up

In summary, the Google and Apple App Stores can be quite different from certain aspects. When you’re developing an app, be sure to take note of the differences.

We are always happy to help if you need to develop an android or iOS apps. Come speak to us @ Codigo!