Creating a Simple App That Gets Consistent Downloads
A little over a year ago, I released a simple app. I had just learned how to use Flutter, a cross-platform app development framework, and wanted to release my first app using it. I brainstormed, but many app ideas seemed too complex for an initial test using Flutter. I wanted something dead simple. A one-page app that would be easy to make. I thought back to my time in school, and how I would often use a quadratic formula calculator to help with my math and physics classes. I had downloaded apps for this very purpose.
Ok. Good enough.
Not a very interesting app, but it would be good practice. I knew that there was a need for this app, so I figured it might get a couple of downloads here and there.
I spent a few afternoons working on the initial release. That included coding, creating the app icon and preparing screenshots for release. My app got approved and I released it for free with no initial plans to monetize it.
On Android, my app was lost in a sea of apps, and only got a handful of downloads. On iOS, my app quickly became the 2nd app that appears when you search for “quadratic”. The market is very small for this type of app, not a lot of people want this. But there are people who need it. Over the last year and a half, this app consistently got around 150 downloads per month on iOS, except during the summer and winter breaks. Barely anyone needs this app when they aren’t in school, so you can see the drop in downloads in the chart below.
Is there anything special about these results?
You won’t make much money with these kinds of numbers, but what is interesting is the consistency. Interest in my app has not waned over time it has gradually increased, aside from the school breaks. This consistency is unique, I am used to releasing apps and having them perform more like this:
This was a game that I released and it randomly got a ton of downloads for a few weeks and then completely stopped. That’s what usually happens in the app store. Even if you’re lucky enough to have people find your app, eventually the downloads stall.
My quadratic app still hasn’t gotten as many downloads as this game yet, but it is on track to beat it in a couple of months. When thinking long term, I would rather have less weekly downloads and more consistency over time.
Have I done anything to promote this app? Nope. I haven’t done a single thing.
How is my app different from the rest? The UI isn’t especially interesting, and my app has fewer features than most of the others. When looking at the other apps, I wanted to make mine stand out. So I made sure that my app icon looked different from the rest. Most of the others used bright colors. I made mine dark and tried to give it a premium look. I wanted it to look more professional than the others.
With those simple choices, my app looked different from most of the other apps. Many of the other apps had great features, but I think that my app icon stood out.
Did this app make any money? I kept it free because it is such a simple app, but I eventually did put an ad banner at the bottom of the app. It’s pretty noninvasive, so it doesn’t bother users very much. In 5 months it has made $8.29. Hardly anything at all. I can get around 10–100 ad impressions each day on my ads, I rarely have a day where someone doesn’t open the app.
So this means that I have a small user base. An extremely small user base.
What is the point of this app? Why would anyone want to make an app that has so few users and makes barely enough to pay for lunch?
It is so that you can learn. The value you can get from an app with consistent users is not always monetary. I now have an app where I can try new things, like using a new app icon, integrating ads, or using a new design, without worrying about losing users. If some day people stop downloading my app because I changed the UI, I can just shrug it off as a learning experience and change it back. I get to see how they react to the changes I make.
How do you make one of these for yourself? There are a few things you need to look for when creating an app for this purpose.
- It has to be something people need, but not necessarily want. Something that people are always searching for. No one wants a quadratic formula app, but I knew that people would need one.
- Check the competition. If it isn’t very good, in terms of design, then you may have an opening. If you bring in some better design, and not necessarily better features, your app will immediately stand out.
- Make it simple. Think one-page simple.
Just remember that the time invested in a project like this isn’t wasted as long as you learn from it. I have updated this app several times and will continue to learn and try new things with my small user base.
