Mobile Application Markets:

Developer Satisfaction

Report #2 - Android Marketplace

“Android Marketplace:
Easily Resolved Issues?”

For details on subscribing to our monthly report please

contact mobilereports@open-first.com

Date: August 23, 2010

Developer Satisfaction Survey #2
 MOBILE APPLICATION MARKETS: DEVELOPER SATISFACTION

Android Marketplace: Easily Resolved Issues?

Report #2 in an ongoing series of developer satisfaction surveys.

SUMMARY
With the fastest growing smart phone user population in the world, a growing list of devices
from multiple manufacturers, and increasing number of mobile operators promoting the
platform, why should top Google Android developers have anything to complain about? Yet
in our first quarterly satisfaction survey developers expressed unhappiness about the
support they are receiving, how hard it is for customers to find their applications in the store,
and in total revenue earned.

To be sure, Google’s developers are much happier than those we surveyed last month
using Nokia’s Ovi Store (see our separate research note; Android Marketplace and Ovi
Store Head to Head). Google has done many things well and developers are generally
happy with the way the store functions, happy with the app submissions process, and with
the reports they receive from Google. As a result, Android is second only to Apple in total
applications and in the number of active developers.

But there are a set of issues that Google could easily address that would quickly increase
the success of top developers in building and selling applications to Android users. Doing so
would increase developer’s focus on Android -- currently mindshare of even these top
developers is shared with Apple. It would also encourage more of the top developers from
other platforms to move to Android rather than iPhone.

Number one amongst developer complaints is that the store has filled with “low quality”
applications, making it difficult for good applications to be discovered by customers. A
dramatic change in the way Google highlights its best developers and applications is
needed for Android Marketplace to achieve the level of satisfaction that top iPhone
developers feel toward the Apple App Store.

Improvements in developer support and communication are also needed if Android

Marketplace will replace Apple’s AppStore as the top mobile applications marketplace.

http://open-first.com - Open-First August, 2010 Page 2

 METHODOLOGY:
The findings presented in this report are taken from a survey conducted between July 15
and August 20, 2010. During this time, 118 Android Market publishers agreed to respond to
a questionnaire about their own experience with the Android application marketplace. The
questionnaire consisted of 13 multiple-choice questions and 6 essay questions.
Out of the total number of surveys completed, 23 were conducted over the phone, while the
others were conducted by asking publishers to fill out an online questionnaire.
The respondents to this survey were not randomly selected but were found through a
search for top paid Android apps for all Android devices. About 500 developers were
identified through this process. Participating developers are representative of a sample of
top app developers and publishers across Europe, Asia and America.
The survey focused on the participants’ experience with Android Market and covered four
areas:

1. Publishing process

- How satisfied are they with the registration process in Android Market?

- How satisfied are they with the content submission process and content editing
process in Android Market?

- How satisfied are they with the quality filtering process in Android Market?

2. Support

- How satisfied are they with the support provided to Android Market publishers?

- How satisfied are they with the support provided to Android Market end users?

- What resources for developers do they find helpful?

- What specific problems have they encountered with Android Market?

- Out of all the support inquiries they receive from end users, how many are
related to a problem with Android Market?

- What are some common support inquiries they receive?

3. Revenues

- Are they earning more or less money than they had expected, and why?

- How satisfied are they with the reports and metrics downloadable from Android
Market?

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 4. Comparison with other app stores

- How satisfied are they, overall, with Android Market?

- How do the other app stores compare, in their opinion, to Android Market, and
why?

- How important is it for them to publish apps specifically on the Android Market?

- Will they use Android Market again to publish their apps?

- What could Google do, in their opinion, to improve Android Market?

HOW TO GET THIS REPORT:

There are three ways to get the full copy of the report:

1. Be one of our survey respondents! Each month we contact hundreds of developers to

participate in our surveys. We draw our list from the marketplaces themselves --
contacting companies identified by the marketplace as top selling and top downloaded
applications. For about 15 minutes of your time you can help improve our survey and
receive a full copy for your own use.
2. Purchase an individual report -- Each report is $2,500 in the first month it is issued,
reduced to $1,250 in the two months following, and then just $500 once we have
published the next quarterly updated report.
3. Become a research subscriber and receive every report immediately upon release,
access our knowledgeable research team, and have us ask custom questions for you as
we speak to hundreds of mobile application developers each month -- talk to us about
structuring a research program that works for you!

CONTACT: mobilereports@open-first.com

http://open-first.com - Open-First August, 2010 Page 4

 SURVEY CONTENTS:

 

SAMPLE
CONTENT:

12.

Are
you
earning
more
or
less
money
than
you
had
expected
by
selling
your
apps
on

Android
Market?
Why?


110
developers
replied
to
this
ques1on.
49%
of
them
said
they’re
earning
less
than
expected
on

Android
Market,
while
27%
of
them
are
making
more
money
than
they
thought
they
would
make.

Those
who
are
happy
with
their
sales
said
they
didn’t
expect
their
applica1on
to
be
so
popular
and

to
have
so
many
downloads.
One
developer
ascribes
this
to
the
growing
popularity
of
Android.

Those
who
are
unhappy
with
the
money
they’re
making
by
selling
their
apps
on
Android
Market

blame
it
on
both
the
way
the
marketplace
works
and
the
general
aItude
of
Android
users.
In

par1cular,
developers
seem
to
think
that
the
lack
of
quality
controls
causes
the
market
to
be

cluKered
with
low
quality
apps
while
no
visibility
op1ons
are
given
to
high
quality
applica1ons.

Developers
are
also
unhappy
with
the
ra1ng
system
for
applica1ons
in
Android
Market
and
some

feel
like
very
liKle
explana1on
is
given
as
to
how
this
system
works.
SoNware
piracy
and
the
fact
that

Android
users
are
not
willing
to
pay
a
lot
for
applica1ons
(especially
if
compared
to
iPhone
users)

makes
it
also
hard
for
developers
to
cover
the
costs
of
developing
high
quality
applica1ons
that

cannot
be
charged
as
much
as
they
should
because
of
the
compe11on
of
worse,
low
cost
apps.

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 Frequent
comparisons
are
made
with
the
Apple
app
market.
Developers
selling
the
same

applica1on
in
both
markets
seem
to
be
making
more
money
in
the
Apple
AppStore.

Text
Response
ANDROID
MARKET
ISSUES
Android
seems
to
aKract
open
source
developers
resul1ng
in
more
free
apps
making
the
paid
apps

less
aKrac1ve
to
customers.
There
is
a
lack
of
high‐quality
content
so
the
market
is
failing
to
draw
users.
Very
unclear
ra1ng
system.
Lack
of
payment
op1ons
(e.g.
lack
of
carrier
billing).
The
market
has
too
many
spam
apps
for
quality
apps
to
get
no1ced.
Limited
visibility
op1ons
for
developers.
The
Android
Market
is
terrible
from
marke1ng
perspec1ve.

Not
enough
space
for
descrip1ons,

screenshots,
etc.


The
market
needs
beKer
categories
and
sub‐categories
and
a
beKer
search.
Android
Market
s1ll
young
compared
to
the
iPhone
market.

Difficul1es
of
seIng
up
a
checkout
account
and
purchasing
in
foreign
currencies.
The
app
storefront
does
not
give
a
good
experience
to
customers.
iTunes
storefront
has
reviews,

ra1ngs,
info
etc.
which
give
a
much
beKer
user
experience.
Bad
reviews
posted
by
compe1tors;
overall
low
price
of
apps.
Too
few
supported
countries.
SoNware
piracy.
Some
users
won't
be
able
to
find
the
app
on
the
market
for
Android
2.1
or
other
versions.



ATTITUDE
OF
ANDROID
USERS
Lots
of
users
expect
free
applica1ons
because
Android
is
open
source.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL
LIST
OF
TOPICS:

1.
How
many
apps
have
you
fully
developed
and/or
published
to
Android
Market?


2.

Prior
to
publishing
software
on
the
Android
Market,
publishers
must
create
a
developer

proBile
and
pay
a
registration
fee.
How
do
you
rate
this
process?

3.

Once
you
have
created
a
developer
proBile,
you
can
start
publishing
new
content.
How
do
you

rate
this
process?

4.

How
satisBied
are
you
with
the
content
approval
process
for
apps
submitted
for
publishing?



http://open-first.com - Open-First August, 2010 Page 6

 5.

How
do
you
rate
the
support
provided
to
you
while
using
Android
Market?

6.

Android
provides
a
Resources
tab
for
developers.
Which
resources
have


7.

Which
“other”
resources
have
you
found
helpful?


8.

What
speciBic
problems
have
you
encountered
while
using
Android
Market?

9.

Out
of
all
the
support
inquiries
that
you
receive,
what’s
the
percentage
of
inquiries
related
to

a
problem
with
Android
Market,
encountered
by
someone
trying
to
purchase
or
use
your

software?

10.

What's
the
most
common
support
inquiry
that
you
receive
from
potential
or
existing

customers
on
Android
Market?

11.

The
Android
Market
Help
Forum
hosts
web
Discussion
Boards
designed
to
support

developers.
How
do
you
rate
these
forums?

12.

Are
you
earning
more
or
less
money
than
you
had
expected
by
selling
your
apps
on
Android

Market?
Why?


13.

Android
publishers
have
access
to
reports
of
total
downloads,
active
installs,
user

comments,
and
user
reported
crashes
and
errors.
How
do
you
rate
these
reports?

14.

How
satisBied
are
you,
overall,
with
Android
Market?

15.

If
you
have
any
experience
with
other
app
stores,
how
do
you
think
they
compare
to

Android
Market?

16.

How
are
other
app
stores
better
or
worse
than
Android
Market?

17.

How
important
is
it
for
you
to
publish
apps
speciBically
on
the
Android
Market?

18.

Will
you
use
the
Android
Market
again
to
publish
your
apps?

19.

What
could
Google
do,
in
your
opinion,
to
improve
the
Android
Market?

CONTACT US:

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Palo Alto, CA 94301
mobilereports@open-first.com

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