Database Users

A Message to Android Users: BUY MORE APPS

I know that for whatever reason a lot of Android users do not buy many apps. For me this is due to the still paltry internal storage (We need to start a petition or something to set a minimum for internal storage in Android phones btw) and an overall lack of desire for many apps. I have however paid for well made apps, because I want more well made apps to populate the Android market. At this time a lot of devs who develop great apps for BB and iPhone are wary about wasting time developing for Android because a majority of Android users do not spend money on apps. For example: Beejive and their messaging program is still waiting for Android to "Take off" so to speak.
So my message to Android users far and wide...buy more apps...and we get better apps...
also...GOOGLE SET SOME STANDARDS FOR ANDROID PHONES...internal storage is a definite necessity + micro SD cards...

Not sure the main problem is the storage capacity. I think some countries still don't have access to paid apps, and even in countries where you can buy apps, some of us won't be able to do it untill android market starts accepting other paiment methods, or Google Checkout starts working with more credit cards / check / paypal.
As of now, I have a paypal account and a credit card, but I just can't use google checkout.

It's crisis man

You don't need to buy apps to drive the market.
Buy Android devices, tell your friends to buy Android devices then use apps and provide feedback. Even if they're free apps.

If Google would've made paid apps available in more than a handful countries you would see that the market would skyrocket.

IF there were apps and games worthy of paying money for, I would. There is simply nothing good enough to pay for IMO right now, so I guess it's a catch 22. (ok, actually I did buy the meltus louder app for my G1 but it of course wont work on the nexus, so.....). But yeah, developers have to show me more of an iPhone quality app before I buy anything.

RIM and Apple's marketshare is huge for phones, hence customers, and therefore paying customers for developers. Coupled with the fact that Android is still developing (push, fragmentation of hardware, new versions every 4 months) of course Android isn't "attractive". It will happen though. I feel that the 1.5 and 1.6-era apps were garbage generally, and now we're starting to see serious apps coming out. Unfortunately, since most Android phones in customers' hands are still not snapdragon-based, anything written for powerful hardware is limiting its audience right out of the gate.

I love the general Free and Pro version approach. If I find that I like or use the free for more than a day, I will usually buy the pro. If I pay for it, I use the next 24 hours to make an informed decision.
The developers are suffering from circular logic. Make decent paid apps and people will buy them. All you have to do is watch any tech news feed to see the growth the Android platform is attaining. I cannot buy something that isn't there. It only makes sense.
I agree the market is flooded with crap apps as well. There has to be a compromise to allow for the user to find the better applications. Even being able to sort by ratings or filter low-rated apps out of a search would be a huge step. Let's hope it gets better.

BlueScreenJunky said:
Not sure the main problem is the storage capacity. I think some countries still don't have access to paid apps, and even in countries where you can buy apps, some of us won't be able to do it untill android market starts accepting other paiment methods, or Google Checkout starts working with more credit cards / check / paypal.
As of now, I have a paypal account and a credit card, but I just can't use google checkout.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here , got a paypal account , but it's useless @ android market .. and cant use google checkout , because my country is not listed ...
A good idea would be , using a normal website based checkout system . like the people @ http://www.dataviz.com/ did ... I bought from them Documents to go ( easy , fast payment )..
There are many apps I would like to buy , but can't pay for them as they ONLY have the google checkout payment option ...

To tell you the truth, most of the good apps out there are free. Most apps are what, 2 dollars a pop? I don't think I've ever second guessed buying an app, especially with the return-24hours policy.
The real problem is that the android user population is still growing, and sort of still in its infancy. This is definitely changing though, as more and more of the people around me have switched from other OS's to Android.

I suspect we're talking about a problem that doesn't actually exist.
Sure, if you're expecting to make a living off your market app at the moment you'd be one of the lucky few.
Android is just coming out of its infancy and starting to bloom, 4% smart phone penetration (measured by internet usage*) this time 2009, 24% in 2010... fastest growing mobile platform in the world.
Android handsets are going to experience explosive growth in 2010, and with that a significant slice of the premium handset market.
Patience is all we need, and a better Market.

djmcnz said:
I suspect we're talking about a problem that doesn't actually exist.
Sure, if you're expecting to make a living off your market app at the moment you'd be one of the lucky few.
Android is just coming out of its infancy and starting to bloom, 4% smart phone penetration (measured by internet usage) this time 2009, 24% in 2010... fastest growing mobile platform in the world.
Android handsets are going to experience explosive growth in 2010, and with that a significant slice of the premium handset market.
Patience is all we need, and a better Market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but I don't think your numbers are right about 24%, try 7 or 8

TFJ4 said:
Sorry but I don't think your numbers are right about 24%, try 7 or 8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was 7% in July 2009 dude... click

djmcnz said:
It was 7% in July 2009 dude... click
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http://www.androidspin.com/2010/03/10/android-continues-to-be-upwardly-mobile/
There ya go

And because you have a statistic measuring something completely different from my one I should change my position?
You're trolling, go away.
Edit: Nevertheless your stats actually prove the point I was making ...Mod Edit, keep it clean please

How much does your android app make?

I have some ideas for a bunch of different apps but am trying to get a realistic feel for how much different kinds of apps make.
So please post:
Your App Name:
Short Description:
Monthy/Yearly/or Daily Revenue:
Is it Paid? FreeWithDonation? or FreeWithAdds?
Any other comments:

GingerEffect said:
I have some ideas for a bunch of different apps but am trying to get a realistic feel for how much different kinds of apps make.
So please post:
Your App Name:
Short Description:
Monthy/Yearly/or Daily Revenue:
Is it Paid? FreeWithDonation? or FreeWithAdds?
Any other comments:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We build apps for clients and this is what we normally tell the client: Unless your ideas are really really really good and you have a really really really good way to market it, most mobile applications will loose money (cost of each app is around 25-50k). They are there to expose your business normally. In terms of games, it's a whole different area. I heard that angry bird makes about a million dollars a month in ads alone.
If you are looking for paid app, no point releasing it for under $5.00 unless you are looking for donation amount. With the way android market is setup, out of 100 apps, only 50% will stick in terms of actual purchase. As for donation, don't even bother. Most people are users. They don't like to donate. Might as well make it as free with ads. (see above for potential revenue). But I can tell you up front that most ads driven apps do not come anywhere close.
I hope I am transparent enough for your question.

Since I am doing it in my spare time the cost of mobile app development will be time only. So just $20 a day would be amazing. I would likely make it free with adds.
I'd love to see how much your clients' apps make per month if you have that data.

Your App Name: Nudnik Calendar Notifications
Short Description: The very much needed repeating alarms (notifications) for stock calendar events.
Monthy/Yearly/or Daily Revenue: Monthly ~150 to 200 euros and growing...
Is it Paid? FreeWithDonation? or FreeWithAdds? PAID

Nice thread idea, I'm always interested to here development stories and info.

I'm just starting out and I'm deploying apps for the casual user....for now. It's a tough market, in my opinion, to write an app that the masses just can't live without and will pay $1.00 or $2.00 for and get you 10,000 downloads. Would be nice though
Now, what I want to target are companies, universities and business' that need a smartphone or iPad application. I think it's a young enough technology to get going.
For example: Auto Parts stores...app runs, put in car, year, make, model and you get back a list: "Electrical" "Brakes" "Engine", yada, yada. Much the way they look it up at the store. Find your part, pay for it and it's at the door when you walk in.
What you have to keep in mind is "why use the phone when I can use my computer or just call the business/store?" You have to take the particular business and app and target the mobile user. Still, a huge market exist out there (think GPS Campus Navigator for freshman college students ) Don't take it, I have it copyrighted LOL
Just like companies had to have a web site, I think most are going to want a mobile app. Or for the budding web designer, just a web site that's formatted for the smaller screens.

seraph1024 said:
We build apps for clients and this is what we normally tell the client: Unless your ideas are really really really good and you have a really really really good way to market it, most mobile applications will loose money (cost of each app is around 25-50k). They are there to expose your business normally. In terms of games, it's a whole different area. I heard that angry bird makes about a million dollars a month in ads alone.
If you are looking for paid app, no point releasing it for under $5.00 unless you are looking for donation amount. With the way android market is setup, out of 100 apps, only 50% will stick in terms of actual purchase. As for donation, don't even bother. Most people are users. They don't like to donate. Might as well make it as free with ads. (see above for potential revenue). But I can tell you up front that most ads driven apps do not come anywhere close.
I hope I am transparent enough for your question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.

Meltus said:
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very nice but can you please answer the questions in the main subject

Meltus said:
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he did say that if you have a great idea .. you'll do find.. but his post was mostly about the majority of the apps

some bump love

Bumpy lumpy
Sent from my Blade using Tapatalk

Meltus said:
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 4 apps and can hardly make $5 a month. Can you help me?

[Q] Request for feedback: increasing my app usage

Hi all,
As a new dev in the android ecosystem, I am looking for other devs feedback on the following.
I have an app with about a few thousands user base. Growing slightly, but also with a decreasing active ratio.
As my revenue is ads driven, I'd like to experiment a few tricks to encourage users to use the app more, without being too intrusive.
A few ideas:
- show a notification after a few days that the app hasn't been used, to encourage the user using it again.
- feature: user can share the app's install page with friends (stimulate organic growth), via a share intent.
-> Devs, any stories on trying something similar?
Any feedback appreciated.

I'm a new developer, old-time programmer. Put 2 apps out December 21, 2009 and I'm approaching a whopping 30 sales; be happy you have 1,000+ (or more)
Wish I could help with the question, but I'm not really sure how to expose apps to a wider audience. I've thought about porting to iPhone/iPad and Windows Mobile to expand my user base. But I'm still pretty new to Android development and want to get more into it before learning yet another programming language right now.
I've actually thought of going to local bars and trying to strike-up conversations with people using smartphones and showing them my apps. Maybe buy them a drink LOL.
I firmly believe that if you have a solid working app and one person uses it, they may tell 5 of their friends and maybe 2 of them will buy it and tell 5 more people of which 1 or 2 might but it. Pyramid type sales but it's slow moving.
What kind of bothers me is all the damn FREE apps out there; I think they should be segregated from the Google Market; I've yet to go to any type of Market and get something for free! LOL And I wonder about free apps sometimes. Take SMS pop-up or whatever it's called. It's a decent app...it's free. I saw it at "over 250,000 downloads". Well, why didn't they charge $1.00 or $0.50 for it (do the math, I'll take $125,000!!). Any possibility it's forwarding people's text messages? Just sayn'

adn37 said:
A few ideas:
- show a notification after a few days that the app hasn't been used, to encourage the user using it again.
- feature: user can share the app's install page with friends (stimulate organic growth), via a share intent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your first option sounds REALLY annoying. Your second option sounds perfectly fine. See later on for further points on what might help.
Rootstonian said:
What kind of bothers me is all the damn FREE apps out there; I think they should be segregated from the Google Market; I've yet to go to any type of Market and get something for free! LOL And I wonder about free apps sometimes. Take SMS pop-up or whatever it's called. It's a decent app...it's free. I saw it at "over 250,000 downloads". Well, why didn't they charge $1.00 or $0.50 for it (do the math, I'll take $125,000!!). Any possibility it's forwarding people's text messages? Just sayn'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everyone is in it for the money. Some people just maybe write something that is missing on the market but don't want to make money from it. It might be just their hobby. Not everyone needs to be capitalistic, trying to turn everything into revenue.
The Android market is a lot about freedom, and there is high competition between free and paid apps. If your sole intent is to make money on apps, you will probably better off trying to target iOS. The most recent news I have is that an average iOS user will spend 7 times as much money on apps than an Android user. I think this fact kind of speaks for itself.
However if you still want to stick by, here are a couple of things I would suggest:
Offer a (free) lite version of your application as this will give users the ability to see whether your app means business or not, and if they'll like it they might go further to go for the paid version.
Android market uses keyword searching (there's probably a better term), so make sure your description hits as many possible words that may be applicable to your product while not being too heavy to read.
Advertising... don't ask me where as I wouldn't be able to help much with that. But if you're in it to make money, you probably have a business model so you should have some capital too that you can put into advertising.
That's about all I guess.

@Rootstonian
I have apps on the market, and in the last 3 months have made over $1k off ads in my free version, while only making about $250 off of the full paid version.

Very good responses there This forum does have some very intelligent people on it!
I'm anti-adware unfortunately. If that hurts my sales, then so be it; I can live with that. I won't allow ads in my apps.
As far as free versions, I would have to write "crippled" versions of the programs to limit full functionality. Well, not going to do that either. And to be honest, who can't afford $1.00?
Actually, the 15 minute return policy has hurt me I think. Some apps just can't be reviewed in 15 minutes, to wit, my current (almost done) Spam Text Blocker. There is no way someone can evaluate that in 15 minutes, so I have to code some type of limit on how many rows can go into the spam database.
Anyways, I'm way off topic (as usual) and being negative which is usually something I don't do. And I must remember, my stuff has only been out ONE month.
I do use a Macbook Pro, and I have downloaded the iPhone SDK; maybe I should take a break from Android OS and port a couple of apps to iOS and see what they do.
P.S. A smart man doesn't limit his options. How does the apps with ads stuff work?

Just apply to admob, its easy. They give nicely detailed usage statistics too

hi all,
Thanks for the feedback.
On "tell a friend about this app" feature:
Your second option sounds perfectly fine. See later on for further points on what might help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll just stick with that, then. Any idea what's best to link to? A blog? Android market?
I'm still looking for an app that does it in a nice way, as a case study.
I'm a new developer, old-time programmer. Put 2 apps out December 21, 2009 and I'm approaching a whopping 30 sales; be happy you have 1,000+ (or more)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel you. Unfortunately, this is all about execution and idea potential. As coders, we are often thinking about code quality, this is only the 1st step.
On ads: at the end of the day, it might be a hobby to design apps, but fun decreases when it comes down to fixing bugs for the sake of it. Ihmo, a slight revenue is good, as it encourages devs to keep up enhancing their apps.
I'm anti-adware unfortunately. ... And to be honest, who can't afford $1.00?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a big fan of ads neither. It's all about culture. On Android, people are reticent to pay.

Good points and well said Adn
I actually got into this starting with Google Market apps, but my true goal is to get into corporate mobile development. I feel this is a technology barely in it's infancy. Just as almost all business' needed a web page, I think the same will hold true for a mobile app.
I just put in my resume to a company looking for an iPhone developer (1 year contract), but they also wanted to talk to Android developers too (wish me luck LOL).
Now, I'm on the fence as to what platform to go with. I think with the iPhone AND iPad, that iOS is the way to go with regards to corporate coding; so I'm going to head in that direction for now.

Piracy on Android

Hey guys,
Recently there's been talks about piracy on Android and how developers seem to shy away from it and produce games for iOS. That's actually the reason why developers of Infinite Blade refuses to port the game to Android. I've recently gotten the chance to speak with the creative director Matt Small of Vector Unit (Riptide GP). In this interview he talks about piracy and how its equal on both sides of the os. You guys really think its that bad? In truth when GTA 3 came out today someone already posted the apk on this forums mere hours it showed up in the market.
Anyway check it out:
http://droidgamers.com/index.php/ga...-unit-talks-piracy-tegra-and-of-course-games-
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

IOS apps are easily pirated as well.. I just don't see how that is a legitimate reason to turn down some extra profits by porting it to Android.
Piracy runs rampant on any OS, mobile or not. The Infinity Blade developers might use that as an excuse for some secret underlying hatred for Android
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

lol infinity blade? sorry didn't hear you I was too busy playing blood and glory because GLU aren't picky developers.
I've may have downloaded a few apps with my *special* discount, I try to help developers out when I can. Especially if they're small and offering a good app, I'd feel too guilty otherwise. But if I'm short on cash one week and you have an app like adobe kuler going for 10 dollars...
I mean c'mon its 10 dollars for an app that selects colors. I guess if you have an indecisive wife who can't make her mind up about which blouse to wear it pays off eventually... but for the rest of us it's robbery.
Also it's always nice to try an app or game before you buy it, some don't always offer lite versions. If I bought each of the media players I went through before finding dice player, I'd have to take out a couple of mortgages.

The only time I may have downloaded an apk was for gameloft. Of course I purchased the game, but their lack of support for android is astounding. It's like they don't want it to be sold. For example, many of their games can easily run by on our Transformer, but instead they make it only available to the xoom or galaxy tab, and no they don't have any exclusive deals with those companies.
Glu is a different story. I appreciate their work in putting high quality games out but the pay to play feature is getting old quick. I'd rather pay 10 bucks for infinity blade than pay a buck here and there and end up spending more than its worth without noticing.

From things my fiancee has told me about people and their iPods, if piracy was a big concern, I would not touch iOS with a twenty thousand dollar anti-piracy framework let along develop for it lol. Can't say that I hear much about it on Android, although I'm sure there is just as much.
In Android, IMHO there is a fair model available and going much past the what was intended, means either you are doing it wrong or you're stupid. People can make piracy (and cheating) harder than the average people. But then you're just going to have the really smart ones pull it off, and probably make more in the long run than the worthless game. The best you can do is lose users, money, and time, by putting to much into anti-piracy efforts, versus making a better and more affordable game. 1 x $6 game that gets pirated more than it sold, versus 4 x $1 games that probably gets pirated as often as it's sold is still a gain.
If it does more than play video and accept input, you can't make a pirate (or cheat) proof game. No way mathematically in my honest opinion.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

imitebewrong said:
IOS apps are easily pirated as well.. I just don't see how that is a legitimate reason to turn down some extra profits by porting it to Android.
Piracy runs rampant on any OS, mobile or not. The Infinity Blade developers might use that as an excuse for some secret underlying hatred for Android
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Epic Games have a deal with Apple to keep the game exclusive to iOS. Whatever they give as a reason not to go to Android is PR bull****.
To any Devs think about piracy on Android chew on this, Android market just hit 10 billion downloads, 25% of those were game downloads. Pardon my math but that's a **** LOAD of downloads. You'd think Epic Games weren't EPIC STUPID enough to port their game to Android.
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Still aside from Epic. A number of iOS cite android as piracy magnet. I can't wait till we shed this as the OS matures which I believe (aside from small hickups) is already at apples doorstep. I'm willing to bet the next major upgrade we receive will not only catch up to iOS but surpass it.
Sent from my T959 using Tapatalk

Isn't there an app for that on iOS? (Seriously)

Pirates! Scurvy dogs.
Is there a pirated app that will make my transformer work like an ipad? Bleh!

fliparsenal said:
Still aside from Epic. A number of iOS cite android as piracy magnet. I can't wait till we shed this as the OS matures which I believe (aside from small hickups) is already at apples doorstep. I'm willing to bet the next major upgrade we receive will not only catch up to iOS but surpass it.
Sent from my T959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a red herring. It's about the equivalent of saying you won't develop for Xbox 360 because of Piracy and you will stick with developing for PS3. Total and utter bull****.

ease of piracy
The problem with android is, how easy it is to download and install pirated apps..
On iOS you have to jailbreak first, when you use Android you check off a little box and voila - instant access to all the apps that you can find using, ironically, Google..
Let's say for instance you had to root an Android phone, and not using click-to-root methods, but actually "working" a bit for it..
How many of the people who now just share apps, would consider it too much of a hassle/risk ? (chance of bricking, and all that )

TheTransformer said:
The problem with android is, how easy it is to download and install pirated apps..
On iOS you have to jailbreak first, when you use Android you check off a little box and voila - instant access to all the apps that you can find using, ironically, Google..
Let's say for instance you had to root an Android phone, and not using click-to-root methods, but actually "working" a bit for it..
How many of the people who now just share apps, would consider it too much of a hassle/risk ? (chance of bricking, and all that )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's what conventional wisdom would tell you. And yet the numbers of piracy are the same on both sides of the fence.

MOD EDIT: XDA DOES NOT SUPPORT PIRACY IN ANY FORM, "ETHICAL PIRACY" OR NOT.
6. Do not post warez.
If a piece of software requires you to pay to use it, either pay or find your cracks and serials somewhere else. We do not accept warez nor do we permit any member to promote or describe ways in which Warez, cracks, serial codes or other means of avoiding payment, can be obtained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Meh. Piracy on Android is more hassle than it's worth. I can understand it for $100 PC games, where the pirates can actually deliver a superior product to the retail outlet (DRM infestations, etc), but for $1-5 apps on the Android/iOS market? Nah.

TheTransformer said:
The problem with android is, how easy it is to download and install pirated apps..
On iOS you have to jailbreak first, when you use Android you check off a little box and voila - instant access to all the apps that you can find using, ironically, Google..
Let's say for instance you had to root an Android phone, and not using click-to-root methods, but actually "working" a bit for it..
How many of the people who now just share apps, would consider it too much of a hassle/risk ? (chance of bricking, and all that )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Once jailbroken though, you can install an app-store like app that downloads every app for free... Making the effort to jailbreak, and then install this app makes using pirated apps even easier than searching and downloading an apk for Android.
There's no doubt piracy is a factor on every OS... and someone is going to make it easy for an average user..... Although, Android does tend to have more technically inclined users than IOS.

Piracy on Android? There will always be piracy regardless of whatever platform its on.
Xbox 360: People mod their consoles to play pirated games.
PS3: Same thing
PC: same thing with piracy
iOS devices: Jailbreak and install unauthorized apps/games from third-party "app stores"
Android: this will be the same thing. It's nothing new...
If anything, its the way the game developers market their game. For example,
Let's take a look at Gameloft taking advantage of "device availability." Devices such as the Transformer can play the game... but somehow Galaxy Tab 10.1 can't!? so this forces the customer to find a apk for it and download the apk and finds out that its working!
Small little things like that irritate the customers. Kinda the same thing with GTA III and its device launch. But they actually have a legitimate reason because it doesn't run on the device.

I think the guy who download a pirated apk has no money to buy the real app, or has no the way to buy it, even, having the money and the willing to buy the app.
Here, in Argentina, there is no other way to buy an Android app on Market if you don't have an international credit card. A lot of people gets the money in cash, no banks involved, so, to get the credit card you need to work in a corporation o have a very good job (I'm talking about Argentina).
-
Ep2008 is right, 15 minutes is not enough for test some apps, even, some apps has misleading descriptions. Sometimes the app does not works well on your device (in iOS you can buy it and you know that it will works well).
Buy an app is a risk if the developer is "jhon Doe" (or Gameloft...) but, if you are buying from, for example, Rockstar, you know that you are buying something that worth you money.
Developers who complains about Android are the ones who don't have a good reputation.

As a small developer:
1) I mostly make ad supported games right now (Google allows selling only from 20 countries, mine not included) so I'm happy if someone copies it of course.
2) If someone blocks ads I don't much care as long as he is happy and recommends my games to others,
3) From what I read from other (small) developers piracy is not that high of an issue (some of them were counting the pirated copies and it was like 1% or sth like that).
For larger companies and more pricier games the percentage is probably much higher, I don't know. But mostly those who pirate a game wouldn't buy it anyway. And they can recommend it to those who buy.
Personally I also prefer ad supported but free games (like Aporkalypse, great fun, ads not problematic) - but some people hate them, I know.

zephiK said:
Piracy on Android? There will always be piracy regardless of whatever platform its on.
Xbox 360: People mod their consoles to play pirated games.
PS3: Same thing
PC: same thing with piracy
iOS devices: Jailbreak and install unauthorized apps/games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Piracy is virtually non existant on PS3. It has the lowest piracy rate of, any platform.
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk

This is not to say I'm a robot. My 10 year old nephew downloads apostle because he can't buy for his tablet.

Which ads network is better?

I have a question to the developers with practical experience of using different ad networks: which one is better, Microsoft Advertising or Google AdMob or ... ?
I'm interested actually in two points: ad performance and monthly cash flow (based on the same ad performance).
So, in ideal case it should be results from the one app with two (or more) randomly displayed ads from the different networks (but it may be prohibited by agreement - I should re-read FAQ).

sensboston said:
I have a question to the developers with practical experience of using different ad networks: which one is better, Microsoft Advertising or Google AdMob or ... ?
I'm interested actually in two points: ad performance and monthly cash flow (based on the same ad performance).
So, in ideal case it should be results from the one app with two (or more) randomly displayed ads from the different networks (but it may be prohibited by agreement - I should re-read FAQ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MS performed quite oke for me, dont have it too long and not high volume yet, so cant really say how it will hold in the future. Admob screwed me bigtime though, at some point 10.000 impressions for 1 cent and even worse some even for 0 cent . I have statistics for you if you want. It used to generate quite good, but than when I really got lots of impressions they only supplied crappy ads, for 0.001 ecpm.
But yeah my advice is just experiment with both and see which you prefer. Admob can be nice but its very unstable so dont try to rely too much on it.
EDIT:
I dug up the terrible stats
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But I have also seen other days where the revenue was about 20/30 dollars for the same amount of adrequests (unfortunately those days where very rare).
The average is about 40/50.000 requests a day that month and about 30.000 impressions a day. Of course the downside of pubcenter is that not all ads are available everywhere.

Thanks for reply and info, Marvin! Hmm, I'm really disappointed of AdMob Seems like MS paid 8-10 times more (based on ad impressions statistics). It's strange - I'm expected at least similar values...
MS ads control works good and stable enough, so probably I'll go with MS ads for my next fun project app.
BTW, have you tried AdDuplex guys? AFAIK, it's an ad exchange network (no payment option), correct? But may be it's a good way to promote app.

sensboston said:
Thanks for reply and info, Marvin! Hmm, I'm really disappointed of AdMob Seems like MS paid 8-10 times more (based on ad impressions statistics). It's strange - I'm expected at least similar values...
MS ads control works good and stable enough, so probably I'll go with MS ads for my next fun project app.
BTW, have you tried AdDuplex guys? AFAIK, it's an ad exchange network (no payment option), correct? But may be it's a good way to promote app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah adduplex does not work, have used it for a while zero payments. The user base is too small.
Thats true MS Pubcenter seems the most reliable and most rewarding. But they dont supply ads all around the world. So you might use Admob as backup, for whatever spare cents you can take and you might get lucky and have some good days. The statistics I showed you were indeed the worst case but they were far more common than the high ecpm ads, and as you see 60.000 adrequests a day is quite a lot (every 30 seconds) and indeed I kind of felt robbed by them as it should have earned me around 800 dollars the month with Pubcenter instead of 20. I've experimented with most known networks and I've been using Admob for sinplicity (and Pubcenter was not available back than in my country), since it was available have been a happy user. And now just use admob to catch the remains.

I've tried a few, but have in mind that my apps are relatively new(less than 1 month) and with very low volume. Results:
Microsoft: I think they give the highest revenue, but I've read that the fill rate is very low outside US/UK. I didn't find any fill rate statistic in their interface, only impressions.
AdMob: I got fill rate around 30%. Because they pay by click, I got much less revenue than the same number of impressions from Microsoft. Interesting here is that the eCPM is relatively high, around 0.9$. I think users click AdMob ads more often than others because all Microsoft and AdDuplex ads are text-only but AdMob has some image ads.
Millenial media: very low fill rate (~3%), not worth the effort. Haven't tried them for real, very buggy ad control.
Inneractive: they claimed to have a very high fill-rate for outside US and UK so I tested them. They might have a high fill rate but they were serving iPhone ads. For iPhone apps! In Windows Phone! When you click the ad you got redirected to iTunes. I asked them what happens they answered that this was normal, those ads were paid for. Poor iPhone advertisers... I decided not to use them.
AdDuplex: still new to them, no idea what happens there.
My suggestion: use a control that rotate different ad networks, this way you will not lose impressions when some of the networks fail to supply ad.
Hope this helps. Will be happy to learn the experience of other developers out there.

sensboston said:
I have a question to the developers with practical experience of using different ad networks: which one is better, Microsoft Advertising or Google AdMob or ... ?
I'm interested actually in two points: ad performance and monthly cash flow (based on the same ad performance).
So, in ideal case it should be results from the one app with two (or more) randomly displayed ads from the different networks (but it may be prohibited by agreement - I should re-read FAQ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
admob is good...if you have global traffic try some platforms like adiquity,mobclix..I have got good results from them..

Kevin Campbell said:
admob is good...if you have global traffic try some platforms like adiquity,mobclix..I have got good results from them..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you share your results, please? I mean real numbers, not just word "good". Also, do they have ready-to-go control, easy to embed (like MS control)? How stable/good these WP7 controls/components? Thanks!

sensboston said:
Could you share your results, please? I mean real numbers, not just word "good". Also, do they have ready-to-go control, easy to embed (like MS control)? How stable/good these WP7 controls/components? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently i am using adiquity & my majority of traffic comes from south africa in an ACPC of 15-18 cents & fill rate 85%-90%.
I used admob before & someday i got CPC upto 25 cents but the problem is the fill rate which fluctuates a lot i have heard good things about mobclix..

billtapit said:
To answer your question, Google Admob is better definetely.
I don't have a lot of information on you to better assist you though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, you don't have any proof or numbers, just an opinion. Sorry but it's useless... I trust to recognized developers and people with own experience only, not to unknown marketing guys from the advertising startup.

sensboston said:
I have a question to the developers with practical experience of using different ad networks: which one is better, Microsoft Advertising or Google AdMob or ... ?
I'm interested actually in two points: ad performance and monthly cash flow (based on the same ad performance).
So, in ideal case it should be results from the one app with two (or more) randomly displayed ads from the different networks (but it may be prohibited by agreement - I should re-read FAQ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I personally used Tapit as my Ad network for my app. Their support team is knowledgeable to assist me with different ad types to monetize my app. They are are fairly new company that offer competitive ECPM, you should check them out.

stevesmith84 said:
I personally used Tapit as my Ad network for my app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it some kind of aggressive but stupid marketing? Two users (just registered, with no posts at all!) are advertising same company with common words but without real numbers and experience...
Seems like this Tapit is just reseller... wanna some money for nothing.
P.S. Thanks, bro, you two - I'll stay away from Tapit as far as I can

sensboston said:
Is it some kind of aggressive but stupid marketing? Two users (just registered, with no posts at all!) are advertising same company with common words but without real numbers and experience...
Seems like this Tapit is just reseller... wanna some money for nothing.
P.S. Thanks, bro, you two - I'll stay away from Tapit as far as I can
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i use tapit
nah j/k well tbh i just only used 2 ad networks mobfox and admob, i get better fillrate so i made more money from admob :/

Have you guys ever heard of leadbolt? I only use the notification ad from them since it fits my apps ( live wallpapers).
Haven't been using them long but looking good so far. My user base is small so im not expecting big amounts right now. Everything grows with your user base. The attachment is from leadbolt my last 7 days.
I also just started using StartApp 2 days ago ( so no stats ) but they don't pay via ads they pay per install. For every US install you get $.055USD. Non US $.04 and returning user $.01. So if you get 1000 US installs that $55USD. No screenshot for it since ive only had them 2 days.
StartApp appears that it will pay more in the long run since the $.055 is set unlike ads that can go up and down in pay you get that same pay for each US install.
I use both together. So I should get for a us install $.055 then whatever the leadbolt ads generate after that.
I have heard Startapp doesn't get as many bad 1 star ratings as others thats why I chose them over the others. I haven't had any negative reviews for leadbolt to date.
Anyway good luck.

I've tried a few of the ad networks out there. I'm sticking with admob because it allows me to know when a user has clicked on an ad. When a user does that, I remove the banner for some period of time.
Other ad networks either don't notify the app that the user clicked, or they forbid giving the user an incentive for their click. Ads are important to me because they're the only way I can make profit. I can't sell apps on Google Play.

So, here's my current admob situation. I feel that the app, live wallpaper, is doing relatively well...however, I feel like I'm not making as much money from the ads as I should be. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Anyone have any advice? I'm starting to get downloads in the thousands per day. Any advice as to how I can get more money from the ads would be appreciated. I'm sure I'll eclipse the 70k impressions today. The fill rates seems to be pretty good too. The clicks, however, are horrible.

qkhang said:
So, here's my current admob situation. I feel that the app, live wallpaper, is doing relatively well...however, I feel like I'm not making as much money from the ads as I should be. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Anyone have any advice? I'm starting to get downloads in the thousands per day. Any advice as to how I can get more money from the ads would be appreciated. I'm sure I'll eclipse the 70k impressions today. The fill rates seems to be pretty good too. The clicks, however, are horrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of my apps are live wallpapers and I could not get admob to work for the life of me in the settings menu since its only a preference and not an actual layout accessible in the layout folder! Anyway Live wallpaper ads usually only get clicked when the user is in the settings menu. So how many people actually access the settings menu more than a couple times? Not many so I gave up on admob since I couldn't figure it out and now use Leadbolt push ads. Here is a graph of today. If I had the numbers you had I would be rolling in dough!
Here is a link to leadbolt.
As you can see my main app had 79 clicks and made $3.12. The second one had 2 clicks and I made $.02. They have different types of ads. The notification ad is the only one I use! If my app was getting installed by the thousands a day I would be rolling in dough with leadbolt! They show the user 2 types of ads. paid click ad and an ad to where you only get paid if the user installs the app they are redirected to. The second type pays a lot more thats probably why i'm at $3.12 for just 79 clicks. Imagine if I had 100 or 1000 clicks! Yesterday I only made $1.62. The benefit of push? The user see's the ad in the notification bar, they don't have to be in your app or its settings menu! And reviews haven't been negative concerning leadbolt. At least I haven't got any 1 star bad reviews yet for ads but as you can see the main app is still young.
Anyway goodluck. That link is a referral link. Anyone can Sign up and we both make some cash.

Well, its rather simple to get admob in the preferences. I just googled it and used the tutorial. Sometimes, it takes a while for the first ad to show up. My first ad took anywhere between 5 to 20 mins. During that time, I was freaking out cause my app didn't throw any errors but nothing was happening.
Anyway, I refuse to use any kind of push notifications. I just feel that from a users stand point, most dont even understand what advertising is. When people see the notification, they think its some kind of virus or something and will give bad reviews. What I might try is using another ad agency while still using admob. I think you can do that. Looks like I will probably hit 80k impressions today. I swear, I need to get going on my game. I've seen some charts from individual developers and with 80k impressions...they be rollin in the dough yo.

qkhang said:
Well, its rather simple to get admob in the preferences. I just googled it and used the tutorial. Sometimes, it takes a while for the first ad to show up. My first ad took anywhere between 5 to 20 mins. During that time, I was freaking out cause my app didn't throw any errors but nothing was happening.
Anyway, I refuse to use any kind of push notifications. I just feel that from a users stand point, most dont even understand what advertising is. When people see the notification, they think its some kind of virus or something and will give bad reviews. What I might try is using another ad agency while still using admob. I think you can do that. Looks like I will probably hit 80k impressions today. I swear, I need to get going on my game. I've seen some charts from individual developers and with 80k impressions...they be rollin in the dough yo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read that it can take a while for the first one, I was getting errors in eclipse when implementing the two lines for its activity in the androidmanifest. I figured out how to fix that by changing the target sdk to higher than 13 made the red lines go away. I will try it again an let it sit and see if it will work. Oh and i'm an idiot the first time I tried I still had adaway running lol!
I haven't gotten any negative reviews for the leadbolt ads yet. I use a very relaxed ad campaign, each user is only showed an ad every 2 days. So they tend to forget what app is actually sending the ads.
This is the tutorial I used for admob in case anyone is interested
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4003701/how-do-i-put-an-admob-adview-in-the-settings-screen-for-a-live-wallpaper
Did you use one similar to that?

I know exactly what you are talking with the whole api level higher than 13. The red errors drove me mad. I can't remember how I fixed it though. I used a bunch of tutorials and just took what I needed from it.

qkhang said:
I know exactly what you are talking with the whole api level higher than 13. The red errors drove me mad. I can't remember how I fixed it though. I used a bunch of tutorials and just took what I needed from it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's how I got it to fix. Just set that target sdk to 13 or higher. Thanks for the info! I'm sure some folks viewing the threads will eventually find all this helpful.