Launching and growing your mobile app requires more than just a good idea. You also need help from professional mobile development services that can build your app well and keep it aligned with current market trends. Today, billions of people download and use apps daily, making it a perfect opportunity for your idea to succeed. This simple guide will walk you through easy steps to turn your idea into a successful mobile app, supported by practical advice and useful insights on user growth, engagement, and making money from your app.
Step 1: Validate the Market Opportunity
Before investing heavily in development, validate that there’s a strong market demand for your app idea. The mobile app ecosystem is enormous and still growing. Global app downloads reached 255 billion in 2022, up more than 50% from about 140.7 billion in 2016.
This steady rise in downloads (illustrated above) highlights a thriving market—smartphone users are installing apps at record rates each year. In fact, there are now over 6.3 billion smartphone users worldwide, projected to reach 7.6 billion by 2027. Users also spend the bulk of their digital time in apps (roughly 85–90% of smartphone usage time) rather than mobile websites
These trends underscore a vast audience and opportunity, but they also mean competition is intense. In 2021 alone, publishers released over 2 million new apps and games.
So it’s crucial to research your target niche. Examine market research reports and competitor performance to ensure your app will solve a real user need or offer a unique value proposition in this crowded landscape.
Step 2: Develop a User-Centric MVP
With market validation in hand, the next step is building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) focused on core features. Start small and iterate based on user feedback. Industry benchmarks remind us that quality and performance are critical for user acceptance. Many users delete apps due to issues like large size, bugs, or slow load times – in 2022, about 50% of users had uninstalled an app because it took too much storage, and 25% abandoned apps that had long load times.
Launching an MVP allows you to test your idea with early adopters and fix such issues early. Keep in mind that first impressions matter: if your app crashes or feels clunky, a majority of users won’t return. By delivering a smooth, engaging experience with your MVP, you set the foundation for growth. Successful apps often started with a simple, focused MVP and then scaled features as their user base grew.
Step 3: Acquire Users and Drive App Downloads
Once your MVP is live, scaling up means ramping up user acquisition. Downloads are the first hurdle to clear on the path to a large user base. Fortunately, the appetite for new apps remains high: consumers downloaded 230 billion apps in 2021 and even more in 2022.
To tap into this, craft a solid marketing strategy—optimize your App Store listing (ASO), leverage social media, and consider paid user acquisition channels if budget permits. Also, target the right platforms for your audience. For example, Google Play (Android) consistently generates far more downloads globally than Apple’s App Store
In 2022, Android’s Google Play saw the highest number of downloads worldwide, whereas iOS had a smaller share of downloads
This makes sense given Android’s larger global user base. However, don’t overlook iOS if it fits your market; iPhone users tend to be concentrated in markets like the U.S. and spend more per user. A dual-platform launch can maximize reach, but it’s often wise to start on one platform (based on your core demographic) and expand once you’ve gained traction. Track metrics like cost-per-install (CPI) and organic download rates closely. Your goal in this step is to efficiently grow install numbers – but remember that acquisition does not equal growth on its own; retention will be the real test ahead.
Step 4: Engage Users and Improve Retention
Growing your install base is important, but user retention is the true driver of long-term growth. Industry benchmarks on engagement are sobering: on average, only about 20–25% of users return to an app the day after installing it, and less than 5% are still active by Day 30
In fact, one study found the average app loses 77% of its daily active users within just 3 days of install, and about 95% within 90 days
This churn is normal, but top-performing apps manage to retain more of their users by delivering continuous value. To boost engagement, onboard new users effectively so they experience the core value of your app early. Implement features like push notifications or email reminders judiciously (spam will backfire) and personalize the user experience where possible. Analyze your user engagement metrics – e.g. Daily and Monthly Active Users (DAU/MAU), session length, and in-app actions – to identify where users drop off. For instance, if you see a big fall-off after a certain onboarding step, refine it to reduce friction. The industry average 30-day retention hovers in the single digits.
So any improvements here can set your app apart. Consider looking at benchmarks in your app’s category (e.g. fintech apps vs. gaming apps often have different retention profiles to set realistic targets. Ultimately, improving retention even modestly can compound your active user growth significantly over time, as engaged users invite others and contribute revenue.
Step 5: Monetization Strategies and Revenue Growth
A scalable app needs a sustainable monetization strategy. The dominant model in the industry is to offer apps for free and earn revenue through in-app purchases, subscriptions, or advertising. In fact, the vast majority of mobile apps are free to download – about 97% of Google Play apps and 92% of iOS apps are free, reflecting user expectations
Free apps generate over 98% of all app revenue on Google Play primarily via in-app monetization.
The chart above illustrates how free apps dominate both major platforms, leaving only a tiny sliver for paid downloads. This doesn’t mean you can’t charge upfront for your app, but it’s clear that the freemium model casts the widest net. Consumer spending on in-app purchases and subscriptions is huge – $167 billion globally in 2022 but even this is now eclipsed by advertising. Brands are pouring money into mobile ads, driving in-app advertising revenues to around $307 billion in 2023
This suggests that if your app can attract and retain a large audience, ad-supported models can be highly profitable. When devising your monetization plan, consider your app category and user experience: for example, mobile games often rely on in-app purchases (as games accounted for roughly $110B of consumer spend in 2022), while content apps (video, music, news) might use subscription models. Many top-grossing non-game apps (OTT streaming, dating apps, etc.) leverage recurring subscriptions, contributing to a 6% yearly growth in non-game app spending
Experiment and measure what works best – you might start with a simple model (like basic ads with an option to remove them via purchase) and refine as your user base grows. Keep an eye on metrics like ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and conversion rates for any premium features. The key is to monetize in a way that enhances, or at least doesn’t detract from, user engagement.
Step 6: Choose Platforms and Scale Further
As your app gains traction, consider scaling it across platforms and regions. Platform popularity (iOS vs. Android) can influence your strategy. Android commands about 70% of the global smartphone market share meaning a larger potential user base, especially in emerging markets. iOS, on the other hand, while smaller in user numbers, drives the majority of app revenue – for example, Apple’s App Store accounted for roughly 62% of global app market revenue in 2022 (about $85 billion, compared to $42 billion on Google Play. Many successful apps eventually support both platforms to maximize reach, but depending on your target audience, you might prioritize one. It’s also important to optimize your app for performance on different devices – Android has a wide device fragmentation, and iOS users expect polish that matches other top apps in the App Store. Beyond platforms, scaling effectively means expanding to new markets (with localization if needed) and continuously updating your app based on analytics and user feedback. Monitor your app store ratings and reviews closely; they not only affect ASO ranking but often contain valuable insights for improvement. Scaling infrastructure is another consideration – ensure your backend can handle growing traffic and data, so performance remains snappy. This stage is about transitioning from a successful app to a durable business, which may involve adding new features to increase engagement, integrating partnerships (for distribution or content), and maintaining a data-driven culture for decision-making.
Step 7: Learn from Successful App Scale-Ups
It helps to look at examples of apps that have scaled effectively, extracting lessons from their growth. Many of today’s billion-user apps started as small startups with a clear focus. TikTok, for instance, skyrocketed from launch to over 1 billion monthly users in just a few years, becoming one of the fastest-growing apps ever
Its focus on short-form content and aggressive user acquisition (including heavy marketing and localization) fueled its viral growth. WhatsApp is another classic example – by offering a fast, simple messaging experience, it grew organically to 2.5 billion users by 2024 with minimal advertising, illustrating the power of a strong product-market fit (free international messaging) and word-of-mouth. Instagram scaled from a niche photo-sharing app in 2010 to 1 billion users by 2018 and hit 2 billion by 2022.
Instagram’s growth levers included rapid feature evolution (adding video, Stories, etc.) and leveraging the network effects of social sharing. On the monetization front, consider gaming apps like Candy Crush Saga – launched in 2012, it kept users coming back daily with addictive gameplay and content updates, eventually surpassing 5 billion downloads and $20 billion in lifetime revenue.
These success stories underscore a few common themes: understand your core users and deliver value that keeps them engaged, be prepared to iterate your product quickly, and scale your infrastructure and team to support a growing community. Importantly, each of these apps also excelled at retention and monetization in their own way (TikTok with endless personalized content, WhatsApp by becoming indispensable for communication, Instagram and Candy Crush by continuously adding engaging features and rewards). While your app’s path will be unique, studying such cases can inspire strategies for marketing, feature development, and business model that you can adapt to your own scaling journey.
Conclusion
Scaling a mobile app from an idea to a thriving product is a multi-step process that blends creativity, technical execution, and data-driven iteration. By validating the market early, you ensure you’re building something people want. By focusing on user acquisition, but even more on retention, you turn initial downloads into an active user base. Industry benchmarks serve as guardrails: they remind us that churn is high and competition is fierce, but also that the upside is enormous given billions of downloads and hundreds of billions in revenue flowing through mobile apps each year. Use these data points as motivation and insight – track your own app’s metrics in comparison to benchmarks and iterate accordingly. Remember that successful scaling is not just about growth in numbers, but sustainable growth: happy, engaged users and a solid monetization strategy. Every step of the way, let the data inform your decisions. With a user-centric approach and careful attention to the trends and benchmarks outlined above, you’ll be well-equipped to guide your mobile app idea from a fledgling MVP to a scalable product with a growing footprint in the mobile world.
