Searching in the app store is very important in the discovery of new apps.

In iOS, 47% of users said that they found a new application via the search engine in the App Store, while 53% of users did the same in Google Play.

But, what exactly do users write in the search box in the App Store and Play Store in order to find these applications?

The answer isn’t easy to come by. Unlike web search, searching in app stores remains a mystery for most, and only the two large platforms know with certainty what their users are looking for.

The search estimates of the different ASO tools often depend on Apple’s search priority or the popularity of Apple’s search ads (which only provide a score, not volume of actual searches) at best. However, most of the time it is mixed with other indicators, mainly from web-based searches.

It is also true that the developers have taken advantage of the Search Ads tool from Apple to buy the first placed positions in the search results, and thereby considerably accelerate new user aquisition.

In a study conducted last year by John Koetsier, it was demonstrated with 500 keywords that 9 out of 10 keywords were pre-qualified. This means that users have a habit of searching in the app stores for brands they have already heard of in other places. And the main unbranded keywords in the top 100 were related to simple games or utility applications: games, vpn, free games, photo editor, music, calculator, weather.

With the main keywords dominated by the brands and only some exceptions of unbranded keywords, most of them very basic, is the queue for the search of applications significantly long? Let’s see.

Image: Tune

The image indicates how many search terms in the App Store are pre-qualified, or correspond to brands

Besides brands, what else to users search for?

A few years ago, Relly Brandman, Google’s product manager explained in a video, that there were two types of searches:

• Users who already know what they are looking for.
• Users who do not know what they want and search for keywords like ‘puzzle’ or ‘goblin’.

Following this, Google Play search and discovery chief Ankit Jain also offered a deeper insightinto the search behaviour of Google Play users on Google I / O.

• Jain details two types of search: categorical and navigation. Categorical queries are broad search terms, such as free gamesor train schedules, while navigation queries are exact search terms, such asforniteor whatsapp, that is, brand searches.
• He also said that of 12% of daily active users (DAU), 50% seek applications weekly, and Google also receives six million unique phrases searched monthly.

Assuming there are still millions of unique phrases searched each month, how many of these unique queries generate a significant volume and how many are from brands and not from brands?

To know which queries generate a greater volume, the trends in Apple searches that AppKeywords shows us is a good place to analyze.

Next we will see, according to the AppKeywords tool, the global number of unique search trends in iOS in different countries for 2016 (blue graphics) compared to 2017 (red graphics).

Image: AppKeywords

Number of unique search queries in the App Store, 2016 vs 2017

According to this data, there were 2,455 unique search phrases in the United States in 2017, compared to 2,247 the previous year. This means that at least users are looking for twice as many high-volume queries as in 2015, when SensorTower shared unique data on search trends.

What does Autocomplete show us about search behaviours?

Autocomplete is a common feature for search engines, which suggests shortcuts to the user which shows the most likely results when writing a query.

When users type a single letter such as ‘g‘, the App Store displays a list of 10 suggested searches that begin with that letter. If a user continues writing, for example, ‘ga …‘, a new list of suggestions starting with ‘ga‘, etc. is loaded. The order in which the automatic suggestions are displayed is determined according to the score of the Apple Priority Index.

Image: App Store

If we write all the letters of the alphabet from ‘a’ to ‘z’, and do a quick analysis of the 260 sentences suggested by Apple, we can verify that of all these (10 for each letter of the alphabet), only 13 sentences ( 5%) seem to be unbranded terms: bible, calculator, countdown, email, free games, games, mail, maps, music, football world, news, notes, photo editor.

If we write all the combinations of 2 letters, we will get a list of more or less 8,300 sentences. If we count the duplicates, we can obtain a list similar to this one:

Interestingly, terms related to brands such as inc or ltd, appear as common words as well. Apart from this, audio and video applications, as well as utilities, come back to dominate.

Browsing searches seem to be much more common for games than for applications: ‘games’ appears as part of a query 131 times (‘game’ 27 times), in queries that describe genres such as skating games, zombie games, action games or arcade games.

Search-to-Install will eliminate many uncertainties

The short and medium queue in the search for applications is still firmly in the hands of brands with some highly competitive generic keywords. The longest queue of relevant keywords remains a mystery that each application developer must solve individually.

Luckily, there is help on the way. A few months ago, Google launched new organic search data in the “Acquisition of users” section in the Google Play console.

This enables them to divide the organic traffic of Play Store in Search and browse, that is, if a user has found the list of applications through a search query instead of browsing the store.

It also provides data on the installations generated by keyword for the first time. Google displays the 1,000 best search terms for which the app is ranked, along with its individual conversion rate, broken down into the store that includes visitors, installers, retained installers or buyers.

The next few months will be very interesting for app developers who will be able to demystify the search for applications and finally answer the question “How do users search for my applications?” With real data from the real world.

Saber cómo crear un icono de una App es fundamental. El 64% de las instalaciones de aplicaciones provienen de la búsqueda que realizan los usuarios en las tiendas de aplicaciones. El icono es un gancho visual, es una golosina que entra por los ojos y atrapa la atención de la gente con ganas de descargarse una nueva aplicación. Por eso debemos tenerlo muy en cuenta al crear una App.

De todas las herramientas a tu alcance para promocionar tu app, la creación del icono es una tarea importante y debes dedicarle el tiempo y esfuerzo que se merece.

Los íconos de las aplicaciones son pequeños, pero hacen una gran contribución al éxito de tú aplicación. Aumentar las descargas, publicitar el aspecto o estilo de tu aplicación y comunicar la función de tu aplicación, son solo algunas de las tareas que un icono puede realizar. Eso es mucho poder, ¡y queremos que lo aproveches al máximo! Por lo tanto, te contaremos todo lo que necesitas saber sobre el diseño de iconos para tu App.

Analizando la Tienda de Aplicaciones

Lo que es atractivo para alguien puede no serlo para otra persona. Por lo tanto, no se trata solo de hacer un ícono llamativo que conquiste a todos. Más bien, se trata de encontrar lo que parece atractivo para tu público objetivo.

Es necesario pensar qué estilo de ícono se ve atractivo, por ejemplo, para un comparador de cupones, un fanático de deportes o un jugador. Veamos este ejemplo.

Imagen: Google Play

En este ejemplo hemos buscado la palabra “camara” (sin acento) en la tienda Google Play. Si nos enfocamos en los iconos de las aplicaciones resultantes, ¿puedes adivinar qué aplicación de cámara tiene más instalaciones?

Golden Camera Free está en último lugar con un estimado de 10 a 50 mil instalaciones. Professional HD Camera tiene un estimado de 1 a 5 millones de instalaciones. Tanto Open Camera como Camera MX tienen un estimado de 10 a 50 millones de instalaciones, y en primer lugar está Candy Camera, con un estimado de 100 a 500 millones de instalaciones.

Dado que el icono de la aplicación Candy Camera obtuvo la mayoría de las instalaciones, podemos usarlo para conocer los intereses generales de los usuarios de cámaras.

El diseño es colorido y juguetón, pero también retrata simplicidad y funcionalidad. Los iconos de las aplicaciones Open Camera y Camera MX también muestran simplicidad (lo que puede explicar su competitividad en la tienda), pero su falta de color y alegría pueden explicar sus números más bajos de instalaciones. El punto clave aquí es que el público objetivo de las aplicaciones de cámaras está en gran medida buscando una aplicación que sea simple pero divertida.

Podemos ver este ejemplo desde otro ángulo también. Candy Camera utiliza un diseño que sigue de cerca las pautas de diseño “Material Design” de Google, de la que hablaremos más adelante.

Básicamente, Candy Camera es el único icono en esta lista que sigue los estándares de diseño actuales. Golden Camera y Open Camera parecen haber sido diseñadas cuando se crearon el diseño plano y el diseño esqueuomorfismo. Hoy, estos looks se sienten anticuados. Por lo tanto, también es importante seguir los estándares de diseño actuales.

Conocer los estándares de diseño actuales

Imagen: CollectUI

Si bien no es necesario seguir ninguna regla de diseño, aparte de los tamaños exigidos por Google y Appe, tanto Google como Apple han creado pautas sobre cómo quieren que se vea su aplicación, y es una buena idea seguirlas.

Como observamos anteriormente, los iconos de aplicaciones que siguen estas pautas se sienten cohesionados y relevantes con respecto a las tendencias actuales. Como resultado, esas aplicaciones generalmente reciben más descargas.

Hace algunas versiones de Android, Google implementó un nuevo lenguaje de diseño llamado Material Design, que es esencialmente un extenso conjunto de pautas para crear una interfaz visual coherente.

Si deseas crear el icono de tu App basado en estos estándares, Google ha publicado una documentación exhaustiva sobre Material Design para Iconos que puedes ver haciendo clic aquí.

Apple tiene pautas similares para iOS, llamadas Human Interface Guidelines (Directrices de Interfaz Humana). Estas directrices son útiles para los diseñadores de iOS, sin embargo, no son tan profundas como las de Material Design. Dicho esto, no es un mal lugar para comenzar si no estás seguro de cómo debería verse el icono de tu App para iOS. Si deseas ver estas pautas para los iconos de iOS, haz clic aquí.

Mostrar el aspecto y la sensación de tu aplicación

Icono y diseño de la aplicación Word Connect

Naturalmente, el icono de la aplicación debe reflejar la apariencia de la misma. Los usuarios desean saber qué esperar al ingresar a ella. Para usar una analogía, ¿cómo te sentirías si compraras un galón de pintura “blanca” para tu casa, solo para abrirlo y encontrar que la pintura era de color marrón oscuro? Es importante pensar siempre en lo que los consumidores esperan de su marca.

Para aplicar esto al diseño del icono de una aplicación: si tu aplicación es plana, su icono también debe ser plano. Si tu aplicación contiene esqueuomorfismo, su icono también debe tener al menos algún elemento de este patrón. Si el diseño de tu aplicación sigue las pautas de Google sobre Material Design, el icono de tu aplicación también debería hacerlo, tal como lo vimos en la imagen anterior y también veremos en la siguiente.

Icono y diseño de la aplicación Dune!

Comunicando la función de tu aplicación

Los iconos de las aplicaciones desempeñan un papel en la experiencia de la aplicación en su conjunto. Tomemos, por ejemplo, aplicaciones de utilidad, como calculadoras, linternas o aplicaciones meteorológicas. Estos iconos deben hacer que el usuario sienta que tiene la utilidad a su alcance.

Piense en lo que se siente al levantar un lápiz, mirar un termómetro o medir algo con una regla: esa es la sensación de que el icono de una aplicación de utilidad debe inspirar al usuario. En los ejemplos anteriores, observe cómo casi puede sentir los botones de la calculadora debajo de las yemas de los dedos, o cómo se siente que la linterna se enciende y apaga fácilmente con un interruptor deslizante.

Más allá de inspirar este sentido de utilidad, los ejemplos de iconos que se muestran arriba se reconocen instantáneamente como utilidades. Una forma en que los diseñadores logran esto es mediante la incorporación de señales visuales de culturales populares. Un gran ejemplo son los números retro-digitales usados ​​en el icono de la aplicación del reloj arriba. ¿Quién no recuerda o reconoce esos números?

Otra gran categoría en la tienda de aplicaciones es la de juegos. A diferencia de los iconos para utilidades, los iconos para juegos deberían atraer al usuario al mundo de ese juego. En pocas palabras, deberían hacer que quieras jugar.

En los ejemplos anteriores, la bola de bolos atractiva y reluciente que rompe a través de los pines es difícil de ignorar: ¡comunica acción, movimiento, emoción y diversión! Del mismo modo, la Pokebola que descansa en un planeta bajo las estrellas se burla de ti en un mundo que es difícil no querer explorar.

También es importante pensar en cómo estos iconos atraen la atención. En el caso de cualquier juego de bolos, deseas mostrar la acción de los bolos en lugar de mostrar los bolos estacionarios. Lo mismo se aplica a Fruit Ninja Classic, donde la acción de cortar una fruta se muestra de una manera llamativa y emocionante.

Saber cómo crear un icono de una App es fundamental. El 64% de las instalaciones de aplicaciones provienen de la búsqueda que realizan los usuarios en las tiendas de aplicaciones. El icono es un gancho visual, es una golosina que entra por los ojos y atrapa la atención de la gente con ganas de descargarse una nueva aplicación. Por eso debemos tenerlo muy en cuenta al crear una App.

De todas las herramientas a tu alcance para promocionar tu app, la creación del icono es una tarea importante y debes dedicarle el tiempo y esfuerzo que se merece.

Los íconos de las aplicaciones son pequeños, pero hacen una gran contribución al éxito de tú aplicación. Aumentar las descargas, publicitar el aspecto o estilo de tu aplicación y comunicar la función de tu aplicación, son solo algunas de las tareas que un icono puede realizar. Eso es mucho poder, ¡y queremos que lo aproveches al máximo! Por lo tanto, te contaremos todo lo que necesitas saber sobre el diseño de iconos para tu App.

Analizando la Tienda de Aplicaciones

Lo que es atractivo para alguien puede no serlo para otra persona. Por lo tanto, no se trata solo de hacer un ícono llamativo que conquiste a todos. Más bien, se trata de encontrar lo que parece atractivo para tu público objetivo.

Es necesario pensar qué estilo de ícono se ve atractivo, por ejemplo, para un comparador de cupones, un fanático de deportes o un jugador. Veamos este ejemplo.

Imagen: Google Play

En este ejemplo hemos buscado la palabra “camara” (sin acento) en la tienda Google Play. Si nos enfocamos en los iconos de las aplicaciones resultantes, ¿puedes adivinar qué aplicación de cámara tiene más instalaciones?

Golden Camera Free está en último lugar con un estimado de 10 a 50 mil instalaciones. Professional HD Camera tiene un estimado de 1 a 5 millones de instalaciones. Tanto Open Camera como Camera MX tienen un estimado de 10 a 50 millones de instalaciones, y en primer lugar está Candy Camera, con un estimado de 100 a 500 millones de instalaciones.

Dado que el icono de la aplicación Candy Camera obtuvo la mayoría de las instalaciones, podemos usarlo para conocer los intereses generales de los usuarios de cámaras.

El diseño es colorido y juguetón, pero también retrata simplicidad y funcionalidad. Los iconos de las aplicaciones Open Camera y Camera MX también muestran simplicidad (lo que puede explicar su competitividad en la tienda), pero su falta de color y alegría pueden explicar sus números más bajos de instalaciones. El punto clave aquí es que el público objetivo de las aplicaciones de cámaras está en gran medida buscando una aplicación que sea simple pero divertida.

Podemos ver este ejemplo desde otro ángulo también. Candy Camera utiliza un diseño que sigue de cerca las pautas de diseño “Material Design” de Google, de la que hablaremos más adelante.

Básicamente, Candy Camera es el único icono en esta lista que sigue los estándares de diseño actuales. Golden Camera y Open Camera parecen haber sido diseñadas cuando se crearon el diseño plano y el diseño esqueuomorfismo. Hoy, estos looks se sienten anticuados. Por lo tanto, también es importante seguir los estándares de diseño actuales.

Conocer los estándares de diseño actuales

Imagen: CollectUI

Si bien no es necesario seguir ninguna regla de diseño, aparte de los tamaños exigidos por Google y Appe, tanto Google como Apple han creado pautas sobre cómo quieren que se vea su aplicación, y es una buena idea seguirlas.

Como observamos anteriormente, los iconos de aplicaciones que siguen estas pautas se sienten cohesionados y relevantes con respecto a las tendencias actuales. Como resultado, esas aplicaciones generalmente reciben más descargas.

Hace algunas versiones de Android, Google implementó un nuevo lenguaje de diseño llamado Material Design, que es esencialmente un extenso conjunto de pautas para crear una interfaz visual coherente.

Si deseas crear el icono de tu App basado en estos estándares, Google ha publicado una documentación exhaustiva sobre Material Design para Iconos que puedes ver haciendo clic aquí.

Apple tiene pautas similares para iOS, llamadas Human Interface Guidelines (Directrices de Interfaz Humana). Estas directrices son útiles para los diseñadores de iOS, sin embargo, no son tan profundas como las de Material Design. Dicho esto, no es un mal lugar para comenzar si no estás seguro de cómo debería verse el icono de tu App para iOS. Si deseas ver estas pautas para los iconos de iOS, haz clic aquí.

Mostrar el aspecto y la sensación de tu aplicación

Icono y diseño de la aplicación Word Connect

Naturalmente, el icono de la aplicación debe reflejar la apariencia de la misma. Los usuarios desean saber qué esperar al ingresar a ella. Para usar una analogía, ¿cómo te sentirías si compraras un galón de pintura “blanca” para tu casa, solo para abrirlo y encontrar que la pintura era de color marrón oscuro? Es importante pensar siempre en lo que los consumidores esperan de su marca.

Para aplicar esto al diseño del icono de una aplicación: si tu aplicación es plana, su icono también debe ser plano. Si tu aplicación contiene esqueuomorfismo, su icono también debe tener al menos algún elemento de este patrón. Si el diseño de tu aplicación sigue las pautas de Google sobre Material Design, el icono de tu aplicación también debería hacerlo, tal como lo vimos en la imagen anterior y también veremos en la siguiente.

Icono y diseño de la aplicación Dune!

Comunicando la función de tu aplicación

Los iconos de las aplicaciones desempeñan un papel en la experiencia de la aplicación en su conjunto. Tomemos, por ejemplo, aplicaciones de utilidad, como calculadoras, linternas o aplicaciones meteorológicas. Estos iconos deben hacer que el usuario sienta que tiene la utilidad a su alcance.

Piense en lo que se siente al levantar un lápiz, mirar un termómetro o medir algo con una regla: esa es la sensación de que el icono de una aplicación de utilidad debe inspirar al usuario. En los ejemplos anteriores, observe cómo casi puede sentir los botones de la calculadora debajo de las yemas de los dedos, o cómo se siente que la linterna se enciende y apaga fácilmente con un interruptor deslizante.

Más allá de inspirar este sentido de utilidad, los ejemplos de iconos que se muestran arriba se reconocen instantáneamente como utilidades. Una forma en que los diseñadores logran esto es mediante la incorporación de señales visuales de culturales populares. Un gran ejemplo son los números retro-digitales usados ​​en el icono de la aplicación del reloj arriba. ¿Quién no recuerda o reconoce esos números?

Otra gran categoría en la tienda de aplicaciones es la de juegos. A diferencia de los iconos para utilidades, los iconos para juegos deberían atraer al usuario al mundo de ese juego. En pocas palabras, deberían hacer que quieras jugar.

En los ejemplos anteriores, la bola de bolos atractiva y reluciente que rompe a través de los pines es difícil de ignorar: ¡comunica acción, movimiento, emoción y diversión! Del mismo modo, la Pokebola que descansa en un planeta bajo las estrellas se burla de ti en un mundo que es difícil no querer explorar.

También es importante pensar en cómo estos iconos atraen la atención. En el caso de cualquier juego de bolos, deseas mostrar la acción de los bolos en lugar de mostrar los bolos estacionarios. Lo mismo se aplica a Fruit Ninja Classic, donde la acción de cortar una fruta se muestra de una manera llamativa y emocionante.

A few years ago it was unthinkable that a mobile phone would serve for anything more than making and receiving calls.

By the year 2008 when Apple brought out the iPhone, what caused this device to stand out most among so many innovations, was the functionality that it brought with it. They were no more than Apps that allowed us to customize our device according to our interests, tastes and needs, with endless possibilities.

Mobile apps have become a part of our lives, of our every day. We use them to entertain and organise ourselves and manage our business among other things.

Many companies and professionals are aware of the importance of having a good mobile application that allows them to communicate directly with their customers and which also includes a sales channel.

The key is to understand that Apps are here to stay. Their success has been unprecedented, and no company or professional can afford to ignore them.

Until several years ago, the development of Mobile Apps was practically exclusively for super-intelligent “brains”, with the ability to write very complex programming codes.

Fortunately, the landscape has changed a lot and today there are tools which are so easy to use, that practically anyone can create an App and upload it to Google Play or the Apple Store in a matter of hours. And best of all, without programming a single line of code.

These tools are called App Builders.

Due to the popularity that these have gained over the years, there is an infinite number of them in the market and it is easy to get lost among such variety.

We had already talked about what App Builders we should choose according to the type of Apps that we could create with them, and also the three types of Mobile Apps that currently exist; WebApps, Natives and Hybrids. If you want to know what the difference between them is, and also which one should you choose, take a look at the previous link.

On this occasion we have prepared a list of the 5 best App Builders on the market, depending on their quality, ease of use and prices. Those these tools are far from perfect, in general they do a better job than many of the others.

We will summarise the most important features of each one so that it will be easier for you to choose the one which best suits your needs.

Something to note is that all the App Builders mentioned below are based in the cloud. That is, they do not require downloading and installation, and you can use them on any device and anywhere in the world where you have an Internet connection.

1. Thunkable.com

Image: Thunkable

The creators of Thunkable have vast experience in creating teaching systems which can be easily learned and used by anybody, including children.

In fact, it was them who were involved in the creation of Scratch and LEGO Mindstorms. Both are tools, although for different purposes, created for children and adults to be able to learn the logic of programming in an enjoyable way (you can read more about Scratch and LEGO Mindstorms by clicking here.)

If as a child you used to enjoy putting pieces of LEGO together, Thunkable is the ideal tool for you. You can bring your app to life literally as if you were building blocks of LEGO.

With this as a premise, Thunkable has created its innovative language of blocks. This allows you to give the app functionality using the simple logic that “If this happens, do that,” and connecting some blocks with others will make your app do exactly what you need it to.

Image: Thunkable

If one block fits another, it is because its functions are compatible, if not, we should look for another block. As if we were putting together pieces of LEGO.

It is precisely this easy way to create applications which has made Thunkable one of the most commonly used App Builders on the market.

Another advantage of Thunkable is that we can generate completely native applications for Android or iOS, instead of hybrid web applications which we create with the majority of App Builders. Therefore, our Apps can work without an internet connection and make use of specific hardware features, such as GPS, NFC, Bluetooth, among others.

In addition, it has a great variety of predesigned templates. If any of them is compatible with your ideas, you can simply edit it and adapt it to what you need. These templates will save you a lot of time and work.

Apps created using Thunkable

Available on Google Play Downloads: 1.000.000+	Available on Google Play Downloads: 500.000+	Available on Google Play Downloads: 5.000+

You can find other apps created with Thunkable by clicking here and here.

Prices: Plans range from free for public projects and $100 for private projects. With both plans you can create unlimited apps. With both plans you can create Apps unlimitedly.

2. AppyPie

Image: AppyPie.

AppyPie is another of the large App Builders on the market. Its users have created almost 1.5 million applications since its launch in 2014.

Though it doesn’t have a block language like Thunkable, you do have a “drag and drop” style editor which does not require programming and is very easy to use. In addition, it allows you to see exactly how your app will appear on mobile phones and tablets in live as you create it. In this way, you can offer a better user experience.

You can create hybrid applications in HTML5 for iOS, Android and PWA (progressive web application).

One of its strong points is the quantity of pre-designed templates and projects which are ready to use.

Image: AppyPie.

To give a few examples, you can create a wide range of games, apps for health advice, taxis, messaging, radio stations, appointments, CMR, augmented reality, restaurants and many more.

Therefore, if you are not planning on creating the next Fortnite, you will definitely find a template that suits your needs perfectly.

You can send push notifications by geographical location and emails to specific users with support for Mailchimp. You can also integrate social media feeds, blogs, websites, audio, radio, GPS location tracking and more.

If you want to create an online store, with AppyPie you can create it from zero or adapt an existing one. It supports a wide range of platforms including Shopify, Amazozn, Ebay and Etsy among others. In addition, you can accept online payments through Paypal and from credit cards.

These are some of the most important characteristics of AppyPie, but you can find out more by clicking here.

Apps created with AppyPie

Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 1.000.000+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 10.000+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 10.000+

You can find other apps created with AppyPie by clicking here.

Prices: Plans start at Free with adverts until $40/month per application.

3. BuildFire.

Image: BuildFire.

There must be a reason why more than 30,000 businesses are currently using BuildFire.

Thanks to its “without using coding” approach and its “click and edit” platform, it is possible to create mobile applications in a short time, while also being rich in great characteristics including social network integration, loyalty programs, mobile purchases and e-commerce functionality among others.

When you begin to design your application with BuildFire, you an choose from a wide variety of templates for different markets such as e-commerce, restaurants, real estate and more.

Image: BuildFire.

Some of these templates are quite originaland usually don’t appear in other App Builders, such as those for theme parks, stockbrokers and sports teams.

They also support integration of a multitude of programs from shopping baskets to user chats, reservation managers and many others.

BuildFire also offers its own notification system, SMART Push and Selective Push, with a 90% reading rate, ensuring that all campaigns and content are seen by all of your app’s users. It also allows you to synchronise your application with your website content, create subscription channels and show live content such as video and audio.

Applications created with BuildFire can be compatible with iOS, Android and PWA.

You can find out more features of Buildfire here.

Apps created with BuildFire

Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 500+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 100+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 10+

You can find other apps made using BuildFire by clicking here.

Prices: The plans start at $59/month per application until $499/month per application.

4. GoodBarber

Image: GoodBarber.

GoodBarber is a mobile app creator which puts emphasis on the design above all. It prides itself on enabling its users to create attractive, elegant and good-looking applications.

It is used by a wide range of projects and organizations, from local business, radio stations, newspapers, non-profit organizations and more.

It allows you to create native apps for Ios and Android, as well as progressive web apps (PWA).

In regards its functionality, GoodBarber is one of the most complete on the market. It features more than 300 functions of all kinds (and each time they add more), like social networks, news / article, calendars, photos, audio and video, loyalty rewards, live events, user chats, e-commerce and many more.

And, with its most recent update, it is also possible to convert our own website into a progressive web application, with SEO descriptors and design responsive for all browsers.

It also allows you to send Push notifications and convert app users into collaborators, allowing them to send articles, photos and videos.

Even within this wide range of functionality, the GoodBarber aesthetic is always present.

Image: GoodBarber.

Often you can select different designs for each section. This combined with the choice of more than 50 different templates (each with its own color combination and font style), creates great flexibility within the design of the application, achieving unique creations.

If your application will be managed by a team, GoodBarber gives you the option to add anyone to your project, inviting them through a simple email. You can customize the access of each person so that they only use the areas that you have configured.

Apps created using GoodBarber

Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 100.000+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 50.000+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 10.000+

You can find other apps created with GoodBarber clicking here.

Prices: Plans start at $15/month for a PWA with 100GB of storage, $32/month for an Android app and $96/month for a application for iOS.

5. AppMachine

Image: AppMachine.

We finish our list with AppMachine.

This app creator stands out first of all for its positivity and joy. From the construction blocks of its LEGO-style editor, its large variety of bright colours, to the spirit of the company which is constantly creating the desire to be part of the fun.

This really helps those starting out, who have never had any kind of experience creating mobile apps and even less so with the concept of programming. The learning curve of the editor is very short, intuitive and above all, fun.

With its launch in the middle of 2013, it has helped to create more than 200,000 applications. This is due, in part, to its relatively flexible ‘Pro’ blocks which (by using the ‘Excel’ and ‘Web Service’ functions) can allow for many interesting and strong combinations.

Image: AppMachine.

We are able to create Apps por iOS and Android, but not yet progressive web apps (PWA).

AppMachine also has a series of tutorials and articles which help users to understand how they can combine these blocks to create said functions. For example, how to create a travel application which can indicate the current climate in various places at the same time, or show restaurants that are close to the user.

There is the option of having a block of “products”, or “list”, that allows you to add products and prices, as well as separate links to obtain more information about the product. Then you could add a “payment” block that links your products with the PayPal integration.

If you have a team to develop your App, AppMachine gives you the option to invite other people to your project and configure various access privileges. There seems to be no limit on the number of members you can include.

AppMachine has no less than 92 ready to use templates. They are extremely flexible and offer some useful tools, like a photo editing platform usingAviarytechnology and a downloadable Photoshop design template to make it easy to load images of the correct dimensions.

It also offers 13 complete application templates which we can explore to give us an idea of the functionality we can include in our application and also see how the different types of blocks work.

AppMachine has done a great job with its app builder and there is really nothing to complain about besides that it still does not offer the ability to create a PWA. It is easy to use, pleasant and looks great.

You can see all of the functions that AppMachine offers if you click here.

Apps created using AppMachine

Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 1.000+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 1.000+	Available on Google Play Available on App Store Downloads: 100+

You can find more apps created with AppMachinehere.

Prices: Plans start at $49/month for Plus version, and $69/month for the Pro version.

Final Comments

Undoubtedly, many professionals and companies have discovered what mobile applications mean to them; expansion and more benefits.

App Builders have broken the barrier that separated these companies and professionals from their own mobile Apps, a privilege that previously only programmers had. It is no longer necessary to have programming knowledge to create a quality App for a business or company, and better than that, we can have fun in the process.

In this article, we have made a brief summary of the App Builders which, in our opinion, are the best on the market. But it is important that, before deciding on one of them, that you make use of the free versions (in those cases that they are available) so that you can have an idea of which tools best fulfil the requirements of the app that you need to develop.

Other App Builders which don’t require programming knowledge and can provide you with more options to consider and compare with are: Mobincube, BiznessApps, Appery.io, Fliplet, ShoutEm, MobileRoadie, AppsBuilder, Swiftic, AppMakr, GameSalad, AppsMakerStore y iBuildApps.

Every business or professional has different likes, resources and necessities. We recommend that you try all of the, because in the end the best tool will always be the one that gives us the best satisfaction individually.

Try, design, buy and chose the tool which you think is the best.

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Google está tomando medidas severas contra las aplicaciones publicadas en la Play Store.

Si bien el año pasado, los de Mountain View habían eliminado más de 700.000 aplicaciones que violaban las políticas de Google Play, este año no va a ser muy diferente.

Una versión actualizada de su Política de Desarrolladores, lanzada en Julio de este año, indica ahora que Google prohibirá una variedad más amplia de aplicaciones que incluyen los mineros de criptomonedas, aquellas que venden armas de fuego y accesorios, las que intentan engañar a niños para que descarguen aplicaciones con temas para adultos, y aplicaciones creadas utilizando herramientas automatizadas o servicios de asistente (App Builders), o basados ​​en plantillas.

Este último elemento es especialmente interesante, ya que Apple hizo algo similar en diciembre pasado que resultó en una controversia y una gran molestia de parte de muchos desarrolladores. Incluso un congresista de los EE. UU se acercó a Apple para que aclarase su intención y reconsiderase su política.

Si bien es cierto que muchas de las aplicaciones creadas con plantillas y asistentes resultan en aplicaciones de spam y crean un poco de desorden en la App Store, varios desarrolladores sintieron que Apple, con su prohibición general, estaba eliminando a las pequeñas empresas de participar en la App Store.

El tema en cuestión era el hecho de que muchas empresas pequeñas, organizaciones sin fines de lucro y otras organizaciones, utilizaban un servicio de plantillas de aplicaciones para crear su propia aplicación.

Por ejemplo, restaurantes, escuelas, iglesias, clubes y otras pequeñas empresas locales que usualmente no podían invertir en el diseño y desarrollo de sus propias aplicaciones, usaban plantillas y asistentes.

Como resultado del descontento causado, Apple revisó su política para que solo afectara a los desarrolladores que intentaban enviar correo basura a la App Store con varias copias de un determinado tipo de aplicación.

En lugar de prohibir todas las aplicaciones con plantillas, la nueva política de Apple dice que las aplicaciones creadas con plantillas se permitirían si fueran enviadas por el proveedor del contenido de la aplicación. Es decir, si el gimnasio local quisiera su propia aplicación, podría presentar su propia aplicación de plantilla, sin intermediarios.

Google claramente aprendió de este hecho para no cometer el mismo error con sus propios cambios de política.

Su nueva política aclara únicamente los efectos de la prohibición:

“No se permiten aplicaciones creadas por una herramienta automatizada, servicio de asistente o basadas en plantillas y enviadas a Google Play por el operador de ese servicio en nombre de otras personas. Dichas aplicaciones solo están permitidas si son publicadas por una cuenta de desarrollador registrada individualmente que pertenezca al usuario de la herramienta automatizada, no al operador del servicio.”

Esta redacción más cuidadosa garantiza que la política solo solucionará los problemas con el spam de la tienda de aplicaciones y no con los clientes de pequeñas empresas o los servicios de desarrollo de aplicaciones.

Si eres desarrollador de aplicaciones o estás pensando en crear una App para tu negocio, es importante que le des un vistazo a las 7 claves sobre protección de datos personales que tu App debe cumplir para evitar ser sancionada.

El cambio en la política de Google Play que prohíbe las aplicaciones que explotan criptomonedas en dispositivos, podría facilitar que Google elimine directamente las aplicaciones que se comercializan a sí mismas como otra cosa, y luego minan a escondidas sin el consentimiento del usuario.

Esto es consecuente a la prohibición de Google a las aplicaciones de minería en la Chrome Web Store realizada a principios de este año, debido a una serie de extensiones incompletas con la clara intención de engañar a los usuarios.

Mientras tanto, Google adopta una posición casi moral al agregar la prohibición de aplicaciones que “facilitan la venta de explosivos, armas de fuego, municiones o ciertos accesorios para armas de fuego”. Esto incluye aplicaciones que proporcionan instrucciones para que los usuarios hagan sus propias armas, municiones, accesorios, o que conviertan un arma en automática o semiautomática.

Sin embargo, no parece que Google se lo haya tomado muy en serio:

Imagen: Google Play

También fueron incluidas políticas que apuntan a varios tipos de aplicaciones engañosas, como las aplicaciones con temas para adultos que atraen a los niños; aplicaciones que parecen existir solo para publicar anuncios (los anuncios aparecen después de cada toque, por ejemplo), y aplicaciones involucradas en la suplantación de marcas.

Google describe a esto último como “aplicaciones o cuentas de desarrollador que suplantan a cualquier persona u organización, o que tergiversan u ocultan su propiedad o propósito principal”. Como por ejemplo, los clones de WhatsApp, entre tantos otros.

Muchos de los cambios en la política de Google atacan las áreas de spam de aplicaciones y el desorden que Apple ya había abordado y que había anunciado hace un año para limpiar la App Store. De hecho, su limpieza fue tan importante que la App Store se redujo por primera vez en 2017. Ahora tiene alrededor de 2 millones de aplicaciones.

En la WWDC de este año, Apple volvió a actualizar sus directrices para asegurar aún más la App Store, que incluía su propia versión de una prohibición de la minería criptográfica.

La Play Store de Google ha necesitado una limpieza similar. Aunque Google regularmente saca una cantidad considerable de aplicaciones maliciosas, siempre ha sido más indulgente que Apple con las aplicaciones de spam.

Eso permitió que la tienda creciera a 3.5 millones de aplicaciones a partir de diciembre de 2017, pero ahora sin embargo, cuenta en promedio con unas 2.600.000 aplicaciones.

Imagen: Statista

Quizás algo en lo que Google debe ir pesando es en abandonar el uso de los bots para la revisión de Apps en la Play Store, o al menos hacerlo en menor medida, y copiar un poco a Apple en hacer estas revisiones manualmente.

De esta forma el margen de error seria mucho menor, tanto en la Apps maliciosas que intentan colarse en el mercado, como Apps de buena calidad que sufrirían injustamente el incumplimiento de las políticas.

Lo cierto es que las continuas actualizaciones de las políticas de Google Play permiten cada vez más esperanzarse en tener una tienda libre de Apps que premien la mediocridad, la desinformación y el engaño al usuario.

Si te gustó este artículo, ¡compártelo en las redes sociales!.

Fornite is one of the games that is hooking many players, even the smartest has tried it, and according to the news on the web has caused divorces and family fights, but what is this video game?.

To begin with, the company responsible for its creation is Epic Game, and it emerged in a game jam in 2011, in California USA, an event that brings together developers in order to create one or more video games for a short period of time (24 to 48 hours). Although it was officially launched in 2017, in a paid version with advance access, it is now free.

The inventors of Fortnite merged games both construction, as famous Minecraft and Terraria, and shooting genre, based on the technology Unreal Engine 4, created by this company, for consoles and pc, where the user to play in first person in shooting video games (written in C++ language).

Now, this videogame has been very successful worldwide, raising hundreds of millions of dollars online, becoming a cultural phenomenon, as many celebrities have recognized that they play Fortnite. Although he has been nominated for several gamers world awards, in the summer of 2018, he won as “best game of choice” at the Teen Choice Awards. Could that be why he has as much pull or will happen to him as to Pokemon Go?.

To try to dispel this question, below we’ll describe the main features of the game and how to get it.

Fornite Modes

There are two modes of this video game: “Save the World and Battle Royale.“

• Save the World: This Fortnite mode includes up to four (4) players. All play cooperatively to achieve various missions, facing against the environment. It is set on planet earth after being almost desolated by a deadly storm. The only survivors will have to defend themselves from carcasses, a kind of zombie. To do this, the participants, who are the base commanders (shelters), have to protect themselves from the storm, defend their equipment and save other survivors, collect resources and collect data. Missions contain different characters (heroes), weapon schemes, traps and survivors, which rise in level as more experience is gained. In addition, the commander must expand the protective shield of the storm. Although most missions occur in randomly assigned landscapes, this mode is divided into four world locations, which represent the objectives of the map. The objective of the missions is to locate the objectives of the map, and build fortifications around them and face several waves of carcasses.

• Battle Royale: This mode is the preference of players, and consists of a real battle with up to one hundred (100) players competing within an island, under a storm that each time shrinks the place, winning the last participant standing. Players start without weapons, so they must get the first, necessary items and other resources, and must avoid being killed by the other participants of that round and in turn attack them. This one goes by seasons that last next two months.

In both modes include the following generalities:

• Spikes to knock down steel, wood and brick structures. So players can build parts of the fortifications such as floors, pairs and stairs.

• The parts of the fortifications can be edited, in order to include windows or doors. Allowing players in Save the World mode to build fortifications that allow them to defend themselves from the shells and in Battle Royale mode, it makes it easy for them to quickly traverse the map, protect themselves or delay an opponent.

• They are configured to be free, or rather freemium, as they have in-game purchases. This video game monetizes through the PaVos coins, which are used to acquire upgrades and other functions within the two modes such as battle passes.

Plus, if you’re among the top 10 players, you’re going to some kind of metagame.

How to get Fornite

This video game is available in the following formats:

For Windows, MAC, iOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. According to the official website the requirements for PC are as follows:

• Recommended: GPU with DX11 equivalent to Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD; Radeon HD 7870; 2 GB VRAM memory and 8 GB RAM, Core i5 processor 2.8 GHz, and with Windows 7, 8, or 10 64-bit or Mac OSX Sierra (10.13.6 or higher).

• Minimums: Intel HD 4000 on PC or Intel Iris Pro 5200 on Mac, Core i3 2.4 Ghz processor, 4 GB RAM, with Windows 7, 8, or 10 64-bit or Mac OSX Sierra (10.12.6 or higher). In addition, Mac computers must be compatible with Metal (API).

You can download Fortnite on the official Epic Game website.

In the case of mobile applications, a unique event has occurred, and that the company has not used the Google Play platform to host its app. Much is said about it, that if they do not want to share the profits with the store (30%), that if the creators want to offer it freely to players, and so on. However, as always, if you are willing to run the risk of downloading it, make sure it is from the official website and avoid malware.

In that sense, since September 2018, the Beta form has been available. For both iOS and Android players, the latter can be accessed through an invitation sent by the company to your email, so you will have to register and be on the waiting list. Therefore, you must follow the following considerations:

Fornite for Android

To get your beta version you will need to visit Fortnite.com from your device to register. Players with Samsung Galaxy devices will be able to start playing immediately. The other devices will be incorporated gradually. At first, these are some of the devices that work this version:Samsung Galaxy: S7 / S7 Edge, S8 / S8+, S9 / S9+, Note 8, Note 9, Tab S3, Tab S4; Google: Pixel / Pixel XL, Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL; Huawei: Honor 10, Honor Play, Mate 10 / Pro, Mate RS, Nova 3, P20 / Pro, V10; LG: G5, G6, G7 ThinQ, V20, V30 / V30+; Nokia: 8; OnePlus: 5 / 5T, 6; Xiaomi: Blackshark, Mi 5 / 5S / 5S Plus, 6 / 6 Plus, Mi 8 / 8 Explorer / 8SE, Mi Mix, Mi Mix 2, Mi Mix 2S, Mi Note 2; ZTE: Axon 7 / 7s, Axon M, Nubia / Z17 / Z17s, Nubia Z11; HTC: 10, U Ultra, U11/ U11+, U12+; Sony: Xperia: XZ/Xzs, XZ1, XZ2.

Now, if your phone has not been mentioned, but meets the following requirements, the application can work on your mobile:

1. OS: 64-bit Android, 5.0 or higher

2. RAM: 3 GB or higher

3. GPU: Adreno 530 or higher, Mali-G71 MP20, Mali-G72 MP12 or higher

Fornite for iOS

For iOS devices, you can also visit Fornite.com, download the game, and start playing immediately.

• iPhone: SE; 6S; 6S Plus; 7 and 7 Plus; 8 and 8 Plus; X.

• iPad: Mini 4; Air 2; 2017 and Pro

As you can see, this viral video game contains an explosive combination of online gaming, first-person shoots, fortification constructions along the lines of the popular Minecraft, alliances with other players and survival in pure movie style hunger games.

If you liked this article follow us on social networks and comment your experience as a player or your assessment if you are a developer of mobile applications.

When you create universal application campaigns to promote your app using Google Ads, you can add different resources besides text, such as images, videos and HTLM5 files, in order to achieve your advertising goals.

In this way, you take advantage of the automatic learning of the tool. With the different resources you provide, you will allow them to be adjusted according to the characteristics of usability and user interest, making the campaign more effective.

However, although you do not provide these resources, Google Ads obtains them through the file created in the Play Store where the mobile application is located.

Now, if you are going to implement a universal campaign of applications to promote your app, even if the tool takes by default those provided by the card of the stores, take advantage of the opportunity offered by the platform to create the images and videos that allow you to continue with the marketing app plan that you have designed.

To do this, follow these general criteria for each resource creation:

• Focus the theme on a single advantage or function of the application. For example: if it is game, limited time offers or new levels, but not both in the same resource.

• Let each resource: text, video and image correspond to a marketing theme.

• Try different resources, to find out which resource is most effective in capturing the attention of your audience.

To make the universal mobile application campaign more effective, read on, because we will show you how to become an expert in creating resources for different types of ads.

Quality copywriting

They are mandatory. Since they are implemented to fit the different ads that appear on the Google Search Network, Google Play, YouTube, Gmail and on the websites and applications of the Google Display Network.

These texts can appear alone or combined with the images and other resources available, since you can adopt these different texts for a single ad. These are the recommendations you should follow when creating your texts:

• Concission. Center each text resource on a single marketing theme. Following the example above, if the app is a game app, use one text for the “new levels” theme and another to present “limited time offers”.

• Variety. Since these texts may appear in different ads, such as Google Play or YouTube, write them with different lengths of characters for each marketing theme that allow them to fit each ad.

• Correction. Make sure that texts follow the rules of grammar, spelling and punctuation. Avoid exclamation marks and their current use, for example three exclamation marks in a row “!!!”.

Now, watch this Google Ads video that explains how to integrate the texts in an effective way for your campaign:

Watch video

Design compelling videos

This time, you’re going to use motion and sound to create videos that tell a compelling story about your app. Continue as before and follow the guidelines below:

• Get the attention of the users. The first seconds are the most important, use them to get their attention.

• The call to action (CTA), should appear at the beginning, for example: “Discover the new levels“.

• Variety. It is recommended to vary both the length and the design of the video. For example, one that lasts 6 seconds and another that lasts 30 seconds. In terms of design: vertical and horizontal.

• Capture the app. You can capture a video of your application in action from your mobile device. For example, use QuickTime for iOS systems.

• Upload the video resources to the YouTube platform, and then add them into the campaign.

Google Ads shows in the following video how the video resources work with the other resources, in the different ads used by the Google Network:

Watch video

Create effective images

In order for the images to be used as resources to be more effective in your universal campaigns, follow these guidelines below:

• Each image should focus on a single function or advantage of the application.

• Design that is simple.

• Show your application. Use the own images of the app, so that the users have an idea of it.

• Format: Use .jpg, .gif or .png with a maximum size of 150 kB.

• Position: Horizontal for native ads and vertical for interstitial ads.

• Recommended standard sizes. Prioritize the most commonly used sizes, such as the horizontal, square, and vertical interstitial image. Because the campaign selects the one that best suits the different advertising sites in the Google Display Network.

• It uses double the pixel density, depending on the type of location, as the universal application campaign will display the images with a higher quality, as shown in this table:

Now, the HTLM5 elements are more interactive and entertaining, but require more advanced knowledge on your part, if not hire the services of a professional.

These elements can be combined with others, such as icons, texts or description of the application. However, in the Google Ads platform, it shows you a series of tips and recommendations when you want to implement them as resources in your universal application campaigns.

To conclude, it is important to reiterate that if you do not have these resources, the universal campaigns take as reference the data of the card of your app hosted in the Play Store. Only the texts are obligatory. In addition, Google Ads does not translate the ads, so they must be appropriate for the languages that are written.

In order not to entertain more and go out right now to put into practice all the tips and guidelines that will turn you into an expert in the creation of resources for your universal campaigns, I leave you this computer graphics made especially for you.

¡Descárgala ya AQUÍ!

On June 29, 2018, the Google Group’s AdWords platform sent a press release to all advertisers, informing them that as of July 24 of that year, the brand name will be changed to Google Ads.

This important internet advertising service, which was created in 2000, now has a large distribution network of campaigns, from appearing on Google Search, well known to everyone. As in YouTube channels and the Display network (ads displayed on websites and blogs).

In addition, as mentioned in other articles, if your campaigns are aimed at promoting your mobile applications, these ads will be displayed on Google Play, AdMob, Gmail and other services.

Brand change: from AdWords to Google Ads

As mentioned above, the change is aimed at the brand, so the new name and image will be visible on:

• name and logo,
• Help Center
• billing documents
• the urls,
• among other places.

In the case of the url, it shall be replaced by ‘ads.google.com‘. Like the Help Center, it will also be replaced by ‘support.google.com/google-ads‘.

While in the digital world, Google was expected to implement some changes, such as the one it introduced within the same AdWords platform, also adding the Express service, in the case of this transformation of the brand, advertisers do not have to perform any kind of action, so your campaigns will not be affected, nor navigation or reports altered.

It should be noted that Google Ads wants to introduce a new type of campaign aimed at small businesses, which uses automatic learning to make it easier every day to create campaigns within the platform and achieve better results oriented to the objectives.

More changes on Google

Following the previous thread, Google announces more novelties in its advertising products, that is: DoubleClick Digital Marketing and the Google Analytics 360 Suite, which will be merged into a single brand: Google Marketing Platform. With this service, marketing professionals are looking for a single place to work:

• to achieve their goals;
• planning, purchasing, measuring and optimising digital media and
• customer experiences.

To make it easier for advertisers to use all these tools more easily and efficiently, they decided to group DoubleClick for Publishersand DoubleClick Ad Exchange into a new, unique, programmatic service called Google Ad Manager.

All this evolution of Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform and Google Ad Manager, are designed to make more effective advertising campaigns across the digital world and in order that all those who are part of this system as Google, advertisers and consumers, have a safe and effective experience, allowing users to connect with those products and the services you offer.

In short, it is necessary to be aware of the next advances promised by the Google advertising chain in its network, which in principle do not affect the campaigns that you currently have either in the search network, in the display network, in shopping, video or in the universal app campaigns.

Are you still having doubts about this issue? Follow us through the networks and stay informed about the world of mobile applications and the changes announced in Google Ads.