Why aren't Indians downloading apps on their phones?

Recently we had seen Myntra change its strategy from being available only on its app to now available back on a desktop website. So what is the problem?

Very poor adoption of apps in India. Photo: Google Play

At a time every company today in India is in the race to release their own app, however smartphone users in India aren't much enthused about downloading them.

Users in India install no more than 32 apps on an average, which is much lower that the world average of 42 apps, according to a report by data tracking services firm 9Apps (part of Alibaba Mobile Business Group).

Recently we had seen Myntra change its strategy from being available only on its app to now available back on a desktop website. A sign that maybe not many users prefer to use apps.

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What could be the reason, though?

India is one of the biggest telecom markets in the world with mobile phone connections crossing over a billion. Smartphone sales are growing at a scorching pace. Yet, so few app downloads?

The reason for the low app adoption by users is that despite soaring popularity and double-digit growth in Indian smartphone market, low screen size and resolution along with poor network penetration threaten the rate of app adoption in India.

Poor network is something even Apple CEO Tim Cook said explaining the reasons why the iPhone-maker hasn't been able to crack the Indian market.

While the growth of smartphones has been increasing in India, the top 10 most popular smartphones cost less than Rs 10,000 which suffer from poor resolution and have limited capacity in terms of space and power which hinder app usage.

Over 55% of users in India have a smartphone that costs less than Rs 10,000 and over 40% of them still access internet on screen resolutions less than 480x854, said the report.

Apart from this Ebrahim Popat, Country Manager of 9Apps says, “Frail network infrastructure is also a deterrent. Nearly 60% of Indian users download apps under 2G network. Only a small portion of users enjoy 4G connections when downloading apps. Weak network connectivity undermines a users’ willingness to try out new apps, and can hinder growth of the Indian app market.”

“India’s mobile internet generation is young and vibrant with 7 in 10 app users under the age of 25. Despite being value for money, they undermine the basic web experience due to limited features and capabilities. Also, budget phones come with smaller screens and less powerful hardware,” he added.

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