4 Signs Your App User is About to Break Up With You

You can still remember like it was yesterday. You stood, one among many, in the crowded app store listing. So hopeful, so full of giddy expectation, you waited for that first glance and, hopefully, a first click as well. Before you knew it, there he was. He had entered your exact name in the search box! He knew your name! And then he was there, looking at your specifications and details — it was so thrilling!

Suddenly, it happened. BAM! He clicked “GET”. Just like that, you were his and he was yours. Your life together had begun. It took no time at all for him to take that next big step. Splash screen, data loading, sign up to create an account! But after a few minutes it was over.

Was it something you said? Did you ask him to sign up too soon? No, he was probably just busy. When he has more time, surely he’ll be back…

This is the sad tale of many apps and their users. These relationships start with high hopes on both sides, but seem to fizzle out before their flame has even begun.

In an effort to keep your app from being broken-hearted, we want to share with you these four tell-tale signs that your user might be about to break up with you.

1. They won’t respond to your push notifications.

Even when a user allows push notifications, it doesn’t mean that they’re going to be happy with what you send them. Communication is a two-way street. You have to honour your users’ decision to allow push notifications by sending them valuable, contextually-relevant information.

Often, your trusting user has to make the decision to allow push notifications before they’ve even become familiar with your app. That’s a high level of trust for such a new relationship! Be sure the very first notification proves that their trust was warranted and work to continue showing them that same value.

2. They don’t talk to their friends about you.

This is perhaps one of the biggest red flags in an app/user relationship. When a user is truly happy and impressed by their new app’s features and functionality, they usually can’t wait to tell other people about it. Certain people actually love being the “first to know” about an app and share it with all their friends. So if your beloved user isn’t clicking those share buttons or hasn’t connected their Facebook account, it’s time for you to start asking why.

3. They don’t open your emails.

We’ve all heard of the cold shoulder, but we’re here to tell you that the cold inbox is much worse. You spend precious time crafting witty emails full of fun tips and deals-of-the-day and all you get is a few bounces and the off out-of-office response. It’s hard out there for an app.

Perhaps when the clicks stop rolling in, you need to rethink your subject lines. Remember what made you fall in love in the first place and get back to that. Reach out from a place of genuine care rather than just throwing more offers in their Promotions tab. Reconnection can happen. It only takes one email.

4. They haven’t opened your app since that first day.

It’s pretty clear by this point. There’s no way to deny it any more. They’re most likely not coming back.

We know, it’s so very hard to face the reality, but the sooner you see it for what it is, the sooner you can begin to move on. Now is the time to take a step back and evaluate you. Are you looking in the right place for users? Do you need some you-time to do some self-care, maybe get a makeover? Once you’ve taken that time, get back out there. There are plenty of fish in the app store.

The right users are out there just waiting for you to light up their lives. Focus on being the best app you can be. If you keep your eye out for these signs of trouble you can make changes early to keep the love of your users and even gain more.

Send thoughtful and relevant messages. Give great reasons for users to talk about you. Don’t neglect your email subject lines and remember the core of what makes you great. Before you know it, you’ll be seeing your user love grow and you won’t even remember the pain of that first tough breakup.

Taplytics is a fully integrated mobile A/B testing, push notification, and analytics platform providing the tools you need to optimize your mobile app.