Does Making Android Applications Pay?

Sometime ago while I was chilling in a tech hub in Nairobi, I got connected to one of the fastest Wi-Fi signals that I had experienced in a long time. The first thing I thought to do was to download some new apps and to update some which were just lying there.

So there I was, at the Google play store! After a while of updating and refreshing my existing apps, I went on a downloading rampage in order to get some new ones that were bound to make my Android experience even livelier. I even went out on a limb to ask a few friends to give me suggestions on what I should get. What I knew for certain was that I was not in any way, shape or form going to buy an application. I was sticking to the free stuff! Trial version or not!

It wasn’t until later that evening that I realized the whole irony behind what I had done earlier. I am an Android developer myself. I have been working on a few projects though I have not brought them to fruition yet. But one of my new year’s resolutions was to have an application in the app store. So how is it that a whole Android developer would not pay a single cent for an application yet expect to make money by placing applications there?? You see where I am going with this?

Hehe, and this sparked a big conversation among my friends who just like me are Android developers but still would rather deal with trial versions than purchase a complete app off the store.

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This is mainly viewed in the Android platform. The BlackBerry, Windows and IOS platforms record a high number of downloads for free and paid applications as well. It is because of this that despite the fact that someone may develop an Android application, they will chose to port it to the other platforms so that it can still be downloaded even if it has a price tag on it.

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Surprisingly enough, Android has over 70 percent in the smartphone market share. There are numerous devices which have it installed as their operating systems as opposed to the IOS counterpart. However, despite this, many application developers will prefer the IOS platform. This is because since Android consumes such a large percentage in the smartphone business, even relatively cheap phones have it as their OS. 

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Take Kenya for example, the devices with the IOS platform will cost one from around Ksh.40,000 and this increases depending on a number of factors. Android devices on the other hand are available from as little as Ksh. 3,000. So what am I trying to say?? It is logical to assume that the people who bought devices for as little as Ksh. 3,000 are less likely to purchase apps in the app store unlike the owners of the Ksh. 40, 000 phones. That is just my take…

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Flappy bird…Ok, if that word doesn’t ring a bell to you then my friend you are not on earth! Yes, then there was the flappy bird. This is an Android game that was developed a little less than a year ago but it has all of a sudden sparked huge debates over the social media and trended for days. It is a very simple game in design and execution but apparently very hard to play. I haven’t tried it for the same reason I haven’t bought quail eggs yet. Though I will, in due time….SMH, I am not talking about the eggs!

That game is said to have earned the Vietnamese developer, Dong Nguyen, around $50,000 a day! But this is not because downloads were being charged. In fact it was free to get the application. What earned the developer money were in-app advertisements. The app has already been downloaded over 50 million times and has accumulated over 47K reviews in the store.

So maybe making Android application does pay…but just not from charged downloads. Therefore, the goal is to strive to develop a very interesting game or applications that will attract massive audiences which will in turn land the advertisers and promoters. One thing a friend of mine suggested was to have a curating team which will vet the Android applications before they are placed in the store for downloads. Like in the case of Windows applications. This will ensure that the apps that are there are top notch apps which are worth a look. What do you think??

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Have a lovely afternoon and spread the love this Valentine’s day :)

Thank you for reading. Much appreciated

#happydays