Developers say that the Android platform IAP is more profitable than iOS

According to the news, the industry is recognized, for game developers, iOS is a better profit platform than Android. For example, the app store analyst company Distimo said in a report released last December that the iOS App Store generated six times more profit than Google Play (previously known as the Android Market).

At the same time, Flurry's top cross-platform application analysis report shows that Android apps generate only 24% of the revenue of iOS apps. In this report, Flurry said that “developer project initials” (note: the number of new projects created by developers) is mainly focused on iOS, confirming that most members of the developer community agree that iOS is a better monetization platform.

So, is this traditional concept correct? According to our Mobile Deluxe survey, it seems that it is not entirely correct. iOS seems to be a better platform for ad-sponsored apps (notes that apps are profitable through banner ads and space, and players don't have to pay for money). But with IAP apps (without ads, players can pay for a rich gaming experience), Android is clearly the winner.

In terms of IAP applications, Android goes beyond iOS and seems to be the opposite of the industry consensus. In addition, the advantages of iOS in advertising applications may be only short-term, but Android's advantages in IAP applications will continue. Read the following and you will understand the reasons.

Data

Our main advertising sponsored app is Solitaire Deluxe. The app has more than 1.5 million downloads on iOS and nearly 1 million downloads on Android. Our most popular IAP application is Big Win Slots. "Big Win Slots" has about 1 million downloads on iOS, and about 200,000 downloads on Android. All data used in this analysis were derived from the 2012 YTD results for both applications. The data used to analyze profitability is ARPDAU (note: average earnings per active user).

"Solitaire Deluxe" results: Ad sponsored apps perform better on iOS

solitaire deluxe-ad supported(from gamasutra)

iOS ARPDAU is 35% more than Android. why? There are two reasons for this: the daily active users of the iOS version have more impressions on the ads; the profit we get on each iOS display on iOS (also known as eCPM, which means the net profit per 1000 ads) is significant. Higher.

Regarding the first reason, the higher number of impressions per DAU ad seems to benefit from the iPad effect. As I said in the 2012 forecasting article, 30% of our iOS advertising impressions come from the iPad. Tablets have a longer game time and can give the ad app more advertising impressions. At present, Android tablets have not been comparable to iPads, so Android can't get the same user stickiness. This is the main reason for the difference between the two platforms.

The difference between the two is that the eCPM of the iOS platform is higher in March. In the first two months of this year, the eCPM of the two was basically the same, but iOS performed better at the end of the season. This is enough to explain why developers are more willing to advertise their ads to iOS. We have never seen Android's eCPM is higher than iOS, but we often see iOS's eCPM higher than Android.

Overall, iOS is clearly a winner in our advertising-sponsored app. However, there is no structural reason to continue this advertising advantage. In the long run, Android tablet solutions will appear sooner or later. Amazon's Kindle Fire is a popular Android tablet, but Google needs to improve its operating system so that Samsung, Asus and other OEMs can compete with Apple in the high-end market. For the difference in advertising eCPM, we saw that the two were basically the same in the previous two months. If iOS does not suddenly rise in March, the eCPM of the two may not be very different.

Big Win Slots Results: IAP apps perform better on Android

Big Wind Slots-IAP supported(from gamasutra)

at IAP In terms of applications, Android's ARPDAU is 24% higher. Two distinct effects led to this difference: IAP earnings per DAU fell on iOS in January; TapJoy's Marketplace made a significant increase in IAP earnings on Android.

In terms of standard IAP earnings, the two platforms have almost the same profit in February and March, and Android is about 2% higher. The difference in January is large, and iOS is as much as 22% behind Android. This difference is enough for Android to achieve a 10% lead in the first quarter. For our IAP app, Google Play outperformed Apple's App Store.

To recognize the impact of TapJoy's Marketplace, let's take a look at a slightly different IAP application chart:

Tayjoy marketplace impact(from gamasutra)< Br>

TapJoy has opened up 14% of Android and iOS profits on IAP. On Android, TapJoy's Marketplace uses a reward install mode that allows players to download apps for free virtual currency. In order to get these virtual currencies for free, players are happy to download other apps and try them out, especially for free apps. In my opinion, this is a three-win strategy, players get money for free, we are profitable, and third-party application manufacturers get installs. It is this factor that makes a significant difference in the profitability of Android and iOS.

I personally think that this reflects the key differences in the development of iOS and Android. We all know that last year Apple banned the reward installation mode that TapJoy adopted, so the current ranking in the App Store is more reflective of the reality. However, Apple suddenly changed its policy and forced application developers to make adjustments, which brought a lot of risks. Google seems to give developers a more free environment. We all know that Apple places more emphasis on protecting privacy than on the developer community. For the recently released 3rd generation iPad, we only have 9 days to update the app to welcome the release of new devices.

Final Conclusions

Finally, the two platforms of iOS and Android are tied. However, the current Android industry's widely spread Android profit is far weaker than iOS rumors, Android's victory in IAP applications is worthy of attention. The extra profit method currently allowed by Android is the main cause of the difference. Google is more concerned about the developer community than Apple, so I expect TapJoy and other profitable markets to continue to innovate in Android profitability. What Android needs to do is to continuously improve the system. In addition, better Android tablet hardware and software can also help narrow the differences between Android and iOS in ad-sponsored apps. Everyone wants Google to make this a priority.

Appcelerator/IDC's recently released report shows that developers are losing interest in Android. The main reasons cited in the report are the fragmentation of Android devices and versions and the better profit opportunities for iOS. System fragmentation does cause a lot of trouble for developers. Game developers are accustomed to iOS devices and a small number of versions, so when they start making Android versions, they will naturally encounter many difficulties.

Still, I still don't recommend mobile developers to give up the Android platform. In the long run, it is a short-sighted approach to develop an iOS development strategy. Android has great potential, but it has not been fully explored. There are currently a lot of resources available to developers. If you are still feeling powerless on the Android platform, you can contact Mobile Deluxe and we are willing to share the experience of creating and maintaining cross-platform engines.