I've built a news app for iOS. Is it important to be on Android as well? | Hacker News Reader

I've built a news app for iOS. Is it important to be on Android as well?

5 pointsSiddharthG169 comments

Hi guys,

I've built a news app, Pipes News (https://appsto.re/in/IIun9.i). I've gotten some great response on the app store but a lot of people are giving us flak for not being on android. Since we're a bootstrapped startup we can't afford to be on both platforms at the moment. Is it still necessary to be on Android?

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According to this report: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS25450615

In 2014 Android had an 81.5% market share compared to 14.8% for iOS.

So by being iOS only, you've given up on any revenue from 81.5% of the market.

So, to your question "Is it still necessary to be on Android?" - the answer is yes.

Even though there are more Android devices the iOS App Store has higher revenue.

"[App Annie]’s annual report claims that the App Store generated more than 70% more revenues than Google Play in 2014"

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/28/android-io...

If your app puts a lot of emphasis on sharing between its users, or depends on you really need to ship an Android version ASAP.

Otherwise, even though I am myself an Android engineer, I don't think you 'have to' ship an Android version as quickly as possible, especially if you don't have the means to do so.

On the contrary, wait until you are ready to pull it off. The 2 platforms have widely different UX conventions, so just porting an app from platform A to B is not a very good idea, you might need to rethink a lot of its interactions.

One good thing about going multi-platform is that it can nudge you to clean your codebase (which is better for the long term evolution on any platform). It is harder to excuse a very shitty hack somewhere in your API when it has to be used on 2 or 3 platforms and creates problems on each of them.

I would continue making waves in the high end walled garden for a few more months.

You will have a larger audience in Android, though there will be a lot more competition. Your app is already free, so there will not be a major culture shock moving to Android. Cement your name and gather a strong following. Start work on an Android port but don't rush it. A small amount of dev time to get started, like a day per week, would be enough to start understanding the challenges your team will face in the porting process. It doesn't have to be a major focus at this point, but the early time investment in exploring the next phase would give you a potential to move forward faster when the time is right. Think of it as the hobby project for the business.

Thanks for the amazing advice Leo!

If you're able to gain traction and further your business, iOS is a great platform to start off on. I wouldn't worry about android until you're ready to grow more. You'll definitely reach a wider audience being on both, but that isn't necessarily your goal just yet.

Also just make a web version if you really want a big audience.

Thanks for the advice buddy! We were actually also considering a web version since we do have the resources to pull it off.

The fact that you are getting flak from people who don't use your app isn't a good basis for a business case. The business decision should be based on cold hearted analysis of expected acquisition costs and lifetime values of Android users.

Good luck.

Thanks for the tip brudgers! :D

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