App Size

What is App Size

Every app has a megabyte size which determines the amount of storage it requires in order to run on on users’ devices. As storage space is limited, it’s important that an app offers a reasonable file size to the user. 

The average app sizes vary for the two operating systems, for iOS it’s around 35MB and for Android the number is around 12MB and obviously average sizes vary depending on which app category they are assigned to. For any gaming apps or those that are feature-heavy, average file size will be larger than apps, let’s say, with simpler functionality and less content. 

Why App Size is Important

To put it simply, the size of an app affects conversion rates. Naturally, the bigger a file size, the more space it takes up on a device. 

It’s unlikely that users would be keen on installing what seems like a very large app. Any user that has only a limited amount of storage to play with may be less inclined to download an app with a large app size. To be fair, storage is becoming less of an issue thanks to the mobile market offering up larger phones, but it’s an important factor nonetheless. For a user who is running out of phone space, they may wish to cull the apps in their phone in order to make space. Apps with the largest file size are in the firing line in this situation.

In addition, users may prefer to download over WIFI in order to avoid sacrificing their data usage by downloading a large app. Less on-the-move downloads will have a negative impact on conversion rates. 

App Size and ASO

For the reasons discussed, a smaller app size within reason is better; it’s important for an app developer to take download size into consideration. If the size of an app is high, it may

1. Deter users who visit the product page into making a successful download
2. Result in eventual removal of the app if the device is limited on space and MB’s are needed (a notification will list all apps from largest file size to smallest; that’s one list an app doesn’t want to be at the top of.)

There are optimization tools that an app developer can implement to reduce the size of an app that will lead to good conversion numbers. The size of an app’s APK (Android Package Kit) or IPA (iOS App Store Package) which compiles all the files needed for app installation, affects how an app performs on a device, from load time to memory usage and how much phone energy it uses. By reducing it and also optimizing parts of the code such as compressing PNG and JPEG files, reusing resources or removing those that are no longer in use, would be beneficial.