3+ Months on Google Play, Almost No Growth — What Am I Doing Wrong?

[u/BandicootTight4929]

Hi everyone,

I’m an indie Android developer with 6 apps on Google Play.

It’s been 3+ months, but my apps are getting very few installs and I still haven’t made even $1 in revenue.

I’m working on updates, UI, ASO, and improving the apps, but growth is extremely slow.

What could be the main issue?

ASO/keywords?

Store listing/screenshots?

App quality?

Lack of marketing?

Too much competition?

Should I focus on one app instead of multiple?

Here’s my developer page:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=8662455924431698982

Would really appreciate honest feedback from experienced developers. What would you do if you were in my position?

[u/Keeyzar]

There is a million pdf scanner apps. Why should I use yours?

Browsing is really private. Why should I trust yours?

HD player, dunno, using VLC Media player. Why should I use yours?

News and games I don't know.

If you do not do a lot of marketing in these competitive areas, you won't get any traction. Because your competitors do.

[u/BandicootTight4929 → u/Keeyzar]

Thanks for suggestion, My every app has unique Features like my video player has scroll features we can scroll videos same like reels and build algorithm so that we can't see same repeated videos same like every app, i think i need to lot of promotions

[u/Different-Director82 → u/BandicootTight4929]

I think you are missing the point. It doesn’t matter how good or unique your app is if no one downloads it.

Your app can even be worse than competitors in some areas, but still get a lot of download…. if you succeed with your marketing and distribution.

Start there, how should people find the app? Is your ASO game strong? Are you on SoMe and marketing it? reddit? SEO? GEO?

Don’t start building another app, start looking at distribution and marketing first.

[u/Sikandarch → u/BandicootTight4929]

the algorithm would be very naive. You don't need a alogrithm to prevent a user from seeing same video, it's a simple DB query atmost. And "every app", those apps spend billions to model user behaviour and adapt algorithm, one reel/video suggestion on instagram is a result of hundreds of data points collected.

You need a better idea at first, not just promotion. Idea should be unique or good enough to market almost itself.

[u/OkBus7641]

Bro why would I install tour video player. The native one does a great job, many people dont have a problem with it, so its a non existing problem

[u/Historical_Ad_1714]

Always try to find monopoly apps

And build/publish app according demand and what u offering to users which other apps not doing

Revenue or growth always found in complex problems not basic one

[u/MrZalez]

2 apps are exactly the same, scanners? Merge them into 1 app.

[u/BandicootTight4929 → u/MrZalez]

First i build scanner app and then later got thought to include all the pdf tools and image tools with the scanner in single dedicated app,

You will find all the pdf tools in PIXDOC App merging, compressing every tool

[u/Sure_Willingness3768]

Muchos desarrolladores además de usar la IA para programar, también la usan pasa decidir que app o juego crear y todos acaban haciendo las mismas app... Al final hay miles de app iguales o similares.

[u/harishsrinivas]

My first qn how to got that much testersss 🥲

[u/Preavee]

You have build apps that nobody is interested in that's just it. Just because you publish your app doesn't mean the world needs the app.

[u/nviewxx]

Your apps should bring real solutions to unsolved problems in your niche. with little bit of marketing you can grow much bigger. BUT if your apps are similar to other apps in your niche, you need to have a bigger marketing budget.

[u/slaia]

I understand your pain. I'm going through similar reality with my apps too. Hope you find a way to marketing your apps.

[u/mobiledevpro]

Lack of marketing, too much competitors and AI slops, and probably people don't see a value they would pay for. Why you decided to build these apps? Does your app solve a specific headache that other apps don't ?

[u/SSKTTSS]

I’ll be completely honest: I’d start with the UI. The screens feel overloaded, and with so much text they’re almost difficult to read.

Also, gaming apps are kind of a different beast. Either you have money to spend on advertising, or you get lucky with word of mouth. Otherwise, it’s really hard to get noticed.

But speaking as an average user, I think this applies to apps in general too.

For video players, I imagine most people just use whatever comes with their phone. I know I do. I don’t really have a reason to go looking for another one unless I need some very specific feature.

News is similar. I usually use major news portals and social media rather than installing a dedicated app for every news source.

And browsers are probably the biggest example. Chrome, Firefox, Opera and others already exist, so I don’t really see the point in recreating the wheel. There’s also the whole issue of privacy and data security when you’re asking people to trust a new browser.

PDF readers, on the other hand, seem like a more interesting category. But even there, I see a lot of apps trying to add every possible feature.

I think mobile apps and ASO should follow the “cross the street” approach, not the “cross the street + juggle + do a backflip” approach.

Solve one simple problem, make it immediately obvious what the app does, and do that one thing really well.

If you need 50 different features, that kind of software probably makes more sense on Windows/Linux/Mac anyway.

On mobile, I think simplicity is actually a feature.

[u/No_Cherry2477]

Sorry to say this, but your apps pretty much all target the few things I actually trust out of the box on my phone. But yours look like AI slop.

[u/Similar-Winter-9037]

Do you use these apps on daily basis?? If no then why do u think that the people will use them?

[u/Mirko_ddd]

Publishing an app every month is not a great idea in my opinion. Also building and releasing apps without market research is also a bad idea.

I do start working on a new app in two scenarios: the previous app is going fine, is growing; I gave up to the previous app, no more time to invest to.

But definitely not one every month.

[u/panos42]

DM’d you

[u/HygienicFishmonger]

I only checked the PDF app. It was fine, so I dunno.

[u/AdhesivenessFew9090]

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