News Apps Build User Loyalty

People who download news, weather and reference apps tend to use them relatively often and for a long time compared with other kinds of applications, according to a recent study conducted by mobile application analyst Flurry and reported by WAN's Shaping the Future of Newspapers blog.

Flurry studied user retention across 19 categories, looking at whether consumers returned to use a downloaded app within 30, 60 or 90 days, as well as how frequently they used it over those time periods.

The study found that continually refreshed news apps, which provide consumers "nearly infinite value over time," were used an average of 11 times per week.

The least-used apps were those in the "entertainment" category, a collection of "gimmick" apps such as Lighter, Fart and IQ Test. Such apps are typically used only a few times and then abandoned, Flurry found.

Social media monitor Mashable observed that though silly apps might have the most initial downloads, they also are easily uninstalled. In other words, 'farts win the battle, but news wins the war,' as Mashable put it.