Quickly! Reach in to your pocket and take out your phone, how many of your apps do you actually use? 

The f​act is that you are likely using around 5 apps on a daily basis, while the remaining apps are ones you've just realized are still there. With that knowledge, it becomes quite clear why there is a growing state of "App Fatigue" among mobile users.

 

It seems just a short time since the big app boom of 2008, when users would happily download almost any new promising app. These days are gone, and today users feel that they already have all the apps they will ever need. They have literally become "tired" of downloading or even trying out new apps. 

This "Fatigue" has lead to an almost absolute stop in app downloads. Comscore's research has shown that most people are likely to download zero apps in a given month. 0% is a tough starting point for app developers and publishers. And this is without even mentioning that apps also need to successfully grab users' attention, competing in a growing jungle of over 2 million apps available on both Google Play and Apple's App Store. This results in an almost impossible challenge - convincing someone that your app is exactly what's missing in his life.

So should companies stop developing mobile apps?
Not necessarily. Mobile apps are not dead. On the contrary, people spend 85% of their time on their smartphones using native mobile applications (TechCrunch). That said, companies still need to consider if another mobile app is what their customers really need right now. Developing a mobile app because "everyone has one" might have been the right move a couple of years ago. In an "App Fatigue" reality, you have to make sure your app has enough value for a consumer to use on daily basis, or find yourself on the wrong side of the stats. 

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