But those fart apps and virtual lighters are lacking in long-term appeal...
Users of iPhone news apps are the most loyal, according to new analytics published by Flurry.
It tracked apps across the full range of App Store categories, looking at how many apps are being used 30, 60 and 90 days after being first downloaded, as well as how often they're being used a week.
News apps have a 74% 30-day retention score, and 43% are still being used after 90 days. That's the same as apps in the Medical category, but news apps are used 11 times a week on average, versus medical apps' three times.
Reference and Weather apps also score highly on loyalty grounds, but the Entertainment category is towards the bottom, with just 51% of people still using these apps 30 days after downloading them, and a mere 12% after 90 days.
Strangely, social networking is also in the lower reaches of the chart, with a 14% 90-day retention rate and a weekly usage of just six times. We're surprised, but then we're not sure if Flurry's stats include Facebook and the most popular Twitter clients, which would surely score higher.
Article continues belowAdvertisement
Games are fairly low down too, with a 16% 90-day retention rate. Flurry explains in a blog post that this is because they tend to be used intensely for a short period of time, but that when most games are completed, like e-books - another low-scoring category - they're not used again.
Flurry says that how apps score on loyalty grounds should influence the way they are priced, with those that have enduring value over time most suited for subscription and ad-supported models, while those that are more short-burners better suited to one-off download fees.
