Beautiful! Samsung is beating Apple in app engagement

Samsung owners spend, on average, about 84 minutes per month in apps — 22% more than iPhone users, according to Localytics.
Apple users clock in just over an hour each month in app. Samsung's dominance is notable, considering the importance of engagement rates for developers. The longer a user spends in app, the more opportunity there is to drive in-app purchases, and the greater the exposure to in-app advertisements. Localytics measured time in app by frequency — the average number of app launches each month — and length — the average session length per month.  
Samsung's users are more engaged than iPhone users across the board, according to the study.

• They open apps more often. Each month, Samsung users launch apps 10% more often than iPhone users, on average.
• Their average sessions are longer. Session length is 11% longer among Samsung users than iOS users, per month.

The higher engagement rates may be due in part to Android’s highly customizable interface, which is geared toward “power users.” It's impossible to make meaningful changes to the iPhone interface. By letting users modify how and where their apps appear on their devices, Android phones, like Samsung, are arguably more engaging than iOS phones, notes Know Your Mobile. Overall, Android users spend 31% more time in app than iOS users, and they launch apps 17% more often. That said, Android is built for highly engaged individuals who typically tinker around on their devices more often, and may be generally inclined to spend more time in app.
For developers, the difference in app engagement metrics is important to consider, particularly amid the supposed "app engagement crisis." And although iOS users spend more money in app than Android users, on average, this revenue is being divvied among just a few. In order to generate revenue, developers need users to spend more time in app, increasing the value of in-app advertisements and marketing opportunities.
Cutting through the noise of an overcrowded app market is critical for any app developer looking to build a viable user base. There are now well over 3 million apps available across the world’s five largest app stores. Delivering the right product to the right audience at the right time in this environment is imperative to the success of any app.
The challenge of marketing an app effectively has made app-install ads — an ad unit that directs users to download a mobile app — an essential tool for developers seeking to stand out in the Google Play and Apple app stores. This is why it's not surprising that more marketers are using paid channels to drive downloads than ever before. In fact, over 80% of respondents in a survey of the top 100 grossing mobile app developers noted they plan on increasing their spend on app-install ads in 2015.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on mobile app-install ads that looks at the revenues from app-install ads and how they're expected to grow over the next five years. It also looks at the performance of app-install ads and how these metrics are expected to change over time.
Furthermore, the report examines the top app-install ad products and pricing models offered by the leading advertising platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, and Google, as well as newer app-install formats from Instagram and Snapchat. Looking to the future, the report examines how companies are shifting their app-install ad spend to new formats, as well as the new tools they're using to improve optimization and ad effectiveness.
Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Mobile app-install ads — ad units that direct users to download a mobile app — are an essential tool for developers, and they account for a major share of mobile ad spend. We estimate 25% of total US mobile ad revenue was generated by app-install ads in 2015.
• A combination of new developers entering the space and rising ad budgets will drive increased spending in years to come. US app-install ad revenue will grow to over $7 billion by year-end 2020, according to BI Intelligence estimates.
• Mobile app install advertisers have traditionally invested heavily in display and interstitial ads, but are moving to mobile video and native install formats. 86% of developers currently use in-feed video app-install ads, and video ads are seen as the most effective app-install format.
• As formats like video rise in popularity, older formats are losing their appeal for install campaigns. Static nonnative ads are widely used but are not seen as effective. Free app networks and offer walls have also fallen out of favor.
• Ad platforms are now developing innovative new install formats to earn even more revenue from these lucrative ad units. New approaches, including deep linking and app streaming, are more contextualized and interactive than older ad formats.