There are hundreds and thousands of mobile apps available today. And countless keep getting added every year. However, not all apps reach the pinnacle of popularity.
To build an app that features among the top used apps, there are certain essential features that it must include. If you carefully notice, the most loved apps of today have some common features which make them successful.
They have taken user-friendliness to another level
The most popular apps are also the simplest to use. Users prefer to work with applications that they can use without stressing their brains out. No matter how useful your application is, if it’s not user-friendly, most people would refrain from using it. They would shift their focus to similar apps that they find easy to use. Thus, top web development companies focus on creating a simple app that even a ten-year-old kid can easily use.
Before you start designing the navigation of your app, study the popular app designs in your genre. Notice small things about the platform and how they have made it user-friendly. The simpler the app, the better the user experience it provides. So if you want to make your app popular, ease of use is a must-have feature.
They are easily compatible
Apart from being compatible and responsive to all the devices, ensure that it works on both Android and iOS platforms. Its number of users judges the success of any app. Hence when your app is compatible with all types of devices, more users will access it. It will increase the chances of popularity and success of your application. For example, if your app is only on the Android platform, you will miss all the potential iOS users and vice-versa. Hence, compatibility is an essential feature that you cannot ignore.
They have minimum requirements
Another feature that will expose your app to more users is that it should have low requirements. For example, there are different versions of Android. Even though most Android smartphones have been upgraded to the latest version, there are many users still using the age-old Android versions. If you restrict your app to the latest version, you will lose all the customers using the older android versions. Thus, it is essential to have low requirements. You can verify this by looking at popular apps. They do have low requirements, and hence they are exposed to a broader customer base.
They are high-performing
If your app crashes while using it, most users will not give it a second chance. They will move to a similar app with better performance. Thus, it becomes crucial to test your app properly before launching it. Apart from ensuring that it’s high in performance, ensure to optimize it regularly. This will reduce the crash rate of your app and make it more successful. Remember that every time your app crashes, it will dissatisfy the first-time users the most and give them a really bad first impression.
When a user is upset or not happy with the app when they use it for the first time, the chances are low that they will come back to use it again. Even though you cannot control every time your app crashes- it might be due to the server, you can definitely reduce the rate. To reduce server downtime, select a reliable service-providing company.
Highly secure
In many cases, users input their details in an application. In other words, they trust you with their data, and if they become skeptical about your security system, you will lose many customers. Hence, you must secure the applications properly. Invest and spend time building up a secured app that is not easily hackable. Data confidentiality is a very serious matter, and users will not take it lightly if their data gets leaked.
Can be used offline
Depending on the type of your app, if it’s possible, try to add offline features to it. We understand that the entire app might not work offline, but you can enable some features to work properly. For example, an e-commerce app might not usually work when offline, but a gaming app can be fully functional even without the internet.
Some app developers have taken this feature a step further and have enabled both online and offline features. Users can switch between them according to their preferences. You too can include this feature in your application.
Open to feedback and updates
Nothing is better than getting feedback from the users, even if you have tested your app extensively. Ensure that it’s easy for the users to send feedback, and you should act on it soon enough and efficiently. Working on the feedback will enhance the user experience and help in increasing the popularity of the application.
Also, you should send regular updates to your app. However, please do not make it so frequent that you create app fatigue. Remember that many users use their limited mobile data to update your application. They should not get tired of your frequent update requests.
Minimum size requirements
Even though smartphones these days offer a lot of memory space, people are very judicious about using them. They are also worried about the mobile data spent while downloading a given app. So, the smaller the app is, the happier your users will be. It has been noticed that in some cases when the app is too big, people have replaced it with an alternative one.
Also, users with lesser storage smartphones might have to delete multiple apps to install one big app, preventing many users from downloading it. Hence maintaining the small size of the app is a major contributor to its popularity.
Conclusion
These are some of the most important features that the most popular apps have in common. If you are an app developer, you must include these basic yet pertinent features too. But most importantly, you need to research well about what the target users exactly want, and make sure to include those features too. The trick is to deliver convenience and a high-quality user experience at the same time.