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The best Android app you can't get on an iPhone, and the challenge of app discovery

App developers understandably often target Google Play and the App Store when creating their apps because they can reach a wider audience.

But in some cases, Android devices and iPhones will get some exclusive apps that are not available on the other smartphone. And when that happens, loyal users of Apple or Android products could be in for a real treat.

Nova Launcher 3
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Android Pit has put together a list of the best Android apps across a slew of categories, including Best Weather App, Best Fitness and Lifestyle App, and Best Podcast App. But one of the more intriguing categories is Best Android Exclusive App.

For that category, the site selected Nova Launcher because it "underlines what is so great about Android."

Nova is an alternative launcher that is compatible with Android 4.1 and later versions. The app lets you customize almost every aspect of your operating system. You can control the entire look and feel of your OS by tweaking the font size, the number of apps that appear on the lock screen, the way your app drawer scrolls, and more.

Nova even lets you change your Android to look like another phone, such as Galaxy, HTC, LG, Xperia, or even iOS.

Android Pit pegs Nova Launcher as a shining example of how Android can be adjusted to fit an individual user's preferences in a way that iOS simply cannot.

But apps such as Nova face a growing problem. Cutting through the noise of an overcrowded app market is critical for any app developer looking to build a viable user base. There are now well over 3 million apps available across the world's five largest app stores.

Delivering the right product to the right audience at the right time in this environment is imperative to the success of any app.

The challenge of marketing an app effectively has made app-install ads — an ad unit that directs users to download a mobile app — an essential tool for developers seeking to stand out in the Google Play and Apple app stores.

This is why it's not surprising that more marketers are using paid channels to drive downloads than ever before. In fact, over 80% of respondents in a survey of the top 100 grossing mobile-app developers noted that they plan on increasing their spending on app-install ads in 2015.

Will McKitterick, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on mobile app-install ads that looks at the revenues from app-install ads and how they're expected to grow over the next five years.

It also looks at the performance of app-install ads and how these metrics are expected to change over time.

Further, the report examines the top app-install ad products and pricing models offered by the leading advertising platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, and Google, as well as newer app-install formats from Instagram and Snapchat.

Looking to the future, the report examines how companies are shifting their app-install ad spending to new formats, as well as the new tools that they're using to improve optimization and ad effectiveness.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

  • Mobile app-install ads — ad units that direct users to download a mobile app — are an essential tool for developers, and they account for a major share of mobile-ad spending. We estimate that 25% of total US mobile-ad revenue was generated by app-install ads in 2015.
  • A combination of new developers entering the space and rising ad budgets will drive increased spending in years to come. US app-install ad revenue will grow to over $7 billion by year-end 2020, according to BI Intelligence estimates.
  • Mobile-app install advertisers have traditionally invested heavily in display and interstitial ads, but are moving to mobile-video and native-install formats. Eighty-six percent of developers use in-feed video app-install ads, and video ads are seen as the most effective app-install format.
  • As formats like video rise in popularity, older formats are losing their appeal for install campaigns. Static nonnative ads are widely used but are not seen as effective. Free app networks and offer walls have also fallen out of favor.
  • Ad platforms are now developing innovative new install formats to earn even more revenue from these lucrative ad units. New approaches, including deep linking and app streaming, are more contextualized and interactive than older ad formats.

In full, the report:

  • Forecasts app-install ad spending in the US through 2020.
  • Explores which app-install ad formats developers believe are most effective.
  • Discusses what the most popular platforms and ad networks are doing to attract ad spending.
  • Investigates new tools for marketing apps, including deep linking and app streaming.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

  1. Subscribe to an All-Access Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
  2. Buy the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours, but however you decide to acquire this report, you've given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the fast-moving world of mobile app-install ads.

Mobile Apps and Platforms Android
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