The incredible popularity of mobile apps has left many affiliate partners wondering whether they should be dipping their toes into this rapidly growing market.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be walking CAP readers through the basics of developing and launching their own mobile app.
Before you start developing an app, it’s important to understand the differences between getting an app on Google Play and/or the Apple Apps Store. It’s just one piece of the apps puzzle, but it’s a big one.
Android or iOs?
One of the first big decisions in the app development process is deciding whether to go with iOS, Android, or both.
With Android handset sales outpacing iPhones by almost 2-to-1, developing an Android app seems like a no-brainer, but affiliates who skip over iOS apps do so at their own peril. There are some big demographic differences between iPhone and Android users, particularly in age and income.
Before getting too deep into the app process, you might want to survey your users to make sure you’re hitting the right mobile notes.
Google Play
Launching an Android app on Google Play (formerly the Andriod Marketplace) is a pretty simple, and affordable, process.
Developers can head over to the Google Play Developers Console, pay a one-time, $25 application fee and are free to submit as many apps as they like.
Once an app’s been submitted, it’s usually available for download within an hour or so. Unlike Apple, Google generally allows developers to submit whatever they want, thought they reserve the right to pull offensive apps at any time.
While Google Play doesn’t accept apps, “that facilitate real gambling,” there are workarounds. Gambling news and gaming guides, for example, are perfectly acceptable and make great branding tools.
Apple Apps Store
Getting an app on the Apple Apps Store is a lot tougher than launching an Andriod app, and more expensive, too. For starters, Apple charges a $99 annual registration fee for developers.
Shelling out all that cash is no guarantee that your app will make the cut. Apple’s app approval process is notoriously finicky and can be very slow. Most everyone agrees that developers should expect to see their apps kicked back at least once, no matter how great they are.
Apple is, however, a bit friendlier towards gambling apps than Google. Developers can now submit real-money gambling apps to serve markets where gambling is legal. (Most UK sports betting sites have apps in the Apps Store.)
Alternatives
There are a few, gambling friendly, app stores like GetJar.com that are more than happy to take just about any app. While sites like this don’t get nearly the traffic that Google Play does, directing your customers there isn’t a big deal. (That’s where sites like bet365 host their Android apps).
Developers can also post apps for download on their own sites, or even e-mail links to current players.
Understanding the various apps markets is a big piece in the mobile success puzzle.
Do you have any questions about mobile app development you’d like to see answered in future articles? Share them in the comments section below.