Why did Flappy Bird become a flappy Icarus, crashing after flying too close to the sun, and not a new Rovio? In truth, Nguyen and Rovio represent very different groups of developers. Their motivations are not at all alike, and so neither is their behavior.

With over one million apps in the Apple and Google stores, you‘d think that app development has become business as usual. As we enter 2014, the making of apps is a sought-after commodity. But [tweetable]the marketing of apps remains part art, part science[/tweetable]. App marketing and advertising took off early in the history of the […]

Making money from your app is really difficult. Pricing is intuitively an important part of the potential of any app. Price too high, and you price yourself out of the market, but price too low, and you’re leaving preciously needed money on the table. Michael Jurewitz comes to the rescue! In a five part blog post series, the Apple veteran explains the ins and outs of app pricing, tackling crucial issues like differentiation, pricing power, price elasticity and a practical plan to optimise prices based on your app’s data.

While the link between app quality and app success is quite clear to most developers, it’s always good to throw in some actual data. Our research shows that developers that use performance or user analytics tools to improve their apps generate about 3x as much revenue on average.

Data from Apsalar’s Big Data Lab reveals the game categories with the highest propensity for in-app purchases. As it turns out, strategy games are more than 18x more effective at driving IAP than arcade games! In-app purchases are also strongly correlated with engagement (as measured by average daily session length). Yet another proof point that user engagement is a key ingredient in any app monetization strategy.

4 out of 5 developers admit that their app doesn’t make enough money to be considered a standalone business. 2 out of 3 doesn’t break even. And yet there is hope.

The world is getting ‘App’ified – and India is entering the fray at full force! With India rapidly growing as a major app destination, it is important to understand the underlying drivers of this rapidly growing ecosystem. Is there an “apportunity” for your app in India?

As mobile apps become more sophisticated and expand their user base, the requirement for remote storage and user management becomes more important in terms of both functionality and scalability. Off-the-shelf mobile Backend-as-a-Service can save a considerable amount of time for developers that require backend support for their apps. Our Developer Economics 2013 report puts Parse firmly in the lead of BaaS services. But which selection criteria and features do developers really value?

Advertising is the most popular revenue model, while ads can also act as a promotion channel that facilitates app discovery. With 100+ ad networks and exchanges, there is intense competition, regional specialisation and niche solutions, but out of the fray, one service emerges as a leader: AdMob.

Voice communication is one of the core functionalities of every mobile phone. However, telephony is up for a big shake-up, as Internet telephony companies like Skype and voice application platforms like the ones below are challenging century-old assumptions about how people speak with each other remotely. Voice Application Platforms allow you to make creative solutions that integrate voice communication deeply in your app: as voice messaging, click-to-call, person-to-multiperson, voice search and more. But despite catering to many use cases, their use is relatively low among developers. An opportunity to stick out of the pack?