Mobile Facebook is bigger than the whole mobile web
If you think this is about web vs. native, you’re missing the point. Even a year ago, 86% of the time Android and iOS users spent in apps was in apps other than the browser. And the most popular app — more popular than all browsers put together — is Facebook:
14% Browser, 17% Facebook.
Most commentary presents this as a battle between native apps and the Web. Some say developers/businesses should create native apps, not mobile web sites. Committed web developers debate the future of the Web — should it get more like native, or double down on its webby roots?
Both of these positions ignore one uncomfortable fact: there’s only a few apps that people use regularly. People use a few apps, a lot. Almost three quarters of mobile usage is in either:
- Gaming
- The Web
- Messaging
Right now, these are the games in town. Unless you’re building a game or a unicorn startup it’s unlikely people will use your app much at all. Youtube is bigger than all other Entertainment apps combined. News is even smaller than that. If you want mobile eyeballs for your moderate-sized business the choice isn’t web vs. native. It’s whether you build experiences into games, Facebook, messaging, or the Web. And for most purposes the Web remains a pretty good bet.
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Edit: my friend Erol points out that millions of Facebook users don’t even know they’re using the internet. You might consider that when speculating about users’ reasons for preferring native apps over the Web. They don’t have a clue.
