mobile-appsAbout a year ago we released an small app on the App Store as a side project. We also released a limited ‘lite’ version for free.
For the free version, 98% of the downloads are from China, while China only makes up 2% of the downloads for the paid version.
Such a high percentage of downloads from China seems suspect to me. The app is in English only. Is this a known pattern or is it possible the app is actually more popular in China and we could take advantage of that?
It's very possible that it is just noise- Chinese game/ ad companies work hard to ensure high downloads and ratings, often by rigging the system.
However, there are other possibilities. Maybe your app had some element that made it most appealing to Chinese users or it reached that level of virality just through word of mouth and social networks (which are very strong in China). Chinese mobile user customs are so different from anywhere else that maybe, for whatever odd reason, your app was simply the best fit for China.
It would make sense that China would make up for a low % of paid downloads, Chinese users largely refuse to pay for apps and love free versions.
Consider it "noise."
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