Category: Mobile App

In today’s technology-led world, it has become an absolute necessity for businesses to operate online and develop a mobile application. Taking your business online is not an easy task as getting an app developed for your business you have to go through several brainstorming sessions and have to make decisions that will in the future, have a direct impact on your business.

Apart from development, design, and maintenance, the pricing of an app is an important determinant of how good your app will do once it is deployed on the Appstore and play store.

Choosing the right pricing strategy for a mobile app project is the most complex task, there are many factors that should be considered before moving forward with a pricing strategy.

If the right pricing strategy is selected it becomes a great way to generate revenue or to make up for the money which has been spent on the development of the app.

According to statistics, 30% of the traffic on the Appstore comes from mobile devices which makes it essential to select the right pricing strategy for the mobile app project.

In this blog, we will tell you about the types of pricing strategies that you can select for your mobile app project and the factors you should consider before selecting the pricing strategy.

Types of pricing strategies for your mobile app project: 

Free

The free pricing model is the most used pricing strategy for an app, using the free pricing model apps are offered free to be downloaded from Appstore and play store.

The free pricing model is the most useful model used by businesses as it attracts a large number of users which determines their success in the long run. According to Statista, 96% of the apps offered on the google play store are free to download and on the App store, 90.3% of the apps are free to download.  

If you prefer the free pricing model for your mobile app project you have to choose from the two categories the free pricing model offers. Completely free is the strategy free pricing model offers, this strategy is used by businesses whose aim is not to make profits through the app. The main purpose of a completely free app is to act as an add-on tool for customers.

The second strategy the free pricing model offers is an in-app advertisement, using this strategy the app is offered free but users see constant ads while using the app.

Companies and businesses that develop this strategy earn revenue through ad placement on the apps. Mostly gaming apps use this strategy to generate revenue for their sustainability.

One thing you must make sure of while choosing this pricing strategy is that the ad placed on the apps should be relevant.

Advantages of the Free pricing model: 

• More number of downloads if compared to paid apps
• Free apps are people’s choice
• Higher user engagement

Disadvantages of the Free pricing model: 

• Users can get frustrated because of ads
• Requires a huge number of users to generate profits from ads.

Freemium: 

Freemium model of pricing is the advanced version of the free model of pricing, the freemium model of pricing is another most used pricing strategy for mobile app projects. using the freemium model mobile apps can be freely downloaded but the apps offer some premium features which can only be used by paying a certain amount which is termed as In-app purchases. You can earn revenue using the in-app purchases option in form of subscription fees, ad removals, etc.

Just like the free pricing model offers two different pricing strategy the freemium pricing model also offers three different strategies. The first and the most used freemium strategy is the two-tiered approach in which apps can be freely downloaded but it offers some premium features which can only be used by paying a certain amount. The most common example of a two-tiered approach is mobile games which offer extra lives only when users pay for them.

The second Freemium strategy is a free trial approach that provides users free functionality of apps but only for a limited time. This strategy allows users to familiarize themselves with the app, users can avail the full app only after they pay for it.  

The third strategy of the freemium model is the advertisement approach it offers users an app for free but in-app advertisements are included in the app. By paying a certain amount set by the app company users can completely avoid seeing the ads while using the app.

Advantages of Freemium: 

• Attracts many users around the world and organic traffic
• Huge source of income if the app gets successful

Disadvantages of Freemium:

• Notifications can often irritate users
• Constant updates are required with proper management

Paid: 

The name itself explains the pricing strategy, Users have to pay to download the apps from Appstore and google play store. Comparing paid pricing model with Free and Freemium pricing strategies, the Paid model is less popular. Paid pricing strategy is often used by businesses operating in niche markets. An extensive marketing strategy is necessary to gain a large user base when paid model of pricing is used for a mobile app project.

If you are opting for paid pricing strategy you must ensure your app offers the value the users are paying for as customers expect a lot when they pay for an app. The free trial approach can be used to familiarize users with the app and convert them into potential long term app users.

Advantages of paid pricing strategy: 

• The revenue flow is not based on user interaction
• It can lead to gain a loyal user base

Disadvantages: 

• User who pays for an app tends to have higher expectations 
• Apps can’t have prospective users because of the price factor 
• can have a lot of bad ratings if the app is not worth the money users pay for. 

Paymium: 

Paymium model of pricing is the blend of both freemium and paid pricing strategies. In this model of pricing, users have to pay to download the app but there are premium features that can only be accessed once the user pays for it. This model of pricing is the least popular among the list of pricing strategies used by businesses for their mobile app project but once the Paymium apps get a loyal user base it leads to higher revenue flow. The most common example of Paymium model-based apps are music apps and social networking apps.

Advantages of the Paymium model: 

• Continuous revenue flow
• Out of the box ideas for your app allows you to gain new users

Disadvantages of Paymium Model:  

• Least popular pricing strategy
• Less download ratio
• Complex procedure as high-quality content, amazing features, and updates are required  

Factors to consider before selecting the pricing strategy: 

Human behavior:

Human behavior is the most important factor which plays an important role in determining the right pricing strategy for the mobile app project.

In today’s digital world the competition has raised to the extreme there are many other options available for mobile applications that’s why extensive research should be conducted to find out the trends and behavior of consumers.

The consumers of today are well-informed thanks to the internet a lot of information is now accessible to them, so because of this reason, you must make sure that your mobile app has a greater value than its price. 

It’s human nature that they compare products before choosing one that’s why you must look into the market for similar products and develop a pricing strategy for your mobile app project accordingly.

Hence having an understanding of customer’s psychology can help you prepare a good pricing strategy

Willingness to Pay: 

Another important factor that should be considered while selecting the pricing strategy for the mobile app project is determining what is the market willing to pay.

Market research should be conducted to know the price levels the market is willing to pay for your mobile app project. The best situation to analyze the price for your app is to test your developed app at different price levels to see how the market responds.

Knowledge of competition in the market: 

Studying the Pricing levels in the market is a great option to decide the price for your mobile app project. Analyzing the competition in the market can help you to gain knowledge about your competitors, the pricing strategies they are using, and their customer base.

Analyzing competitors can also help you to know where you are lacking in the competitive market this can lead you to develop strategies accordingly.

Due to the above-mentioned reasons studying the market is one of the crucial factors which should be considered to select the best pricing strategy for your mobile app project.

Affordability: 

The apps you develop should be affordable to a large consumer base. No matter how much your app is unique and offers a lot of features if the prices you are offering your app for are high there are high chances of consumers using alternative apps as there are many substitute apps available on both Appstore and play store.

Due to this reason, you should make sure the developed app is affordable to the consumers as well as offers the best features in the offered price levels.  

In conclusion: 

With the growing app market, it is important to take steps in order to stay relevant. Determining a correct pricing strategy for your business mobile app is a difficult but highly profitable task. Knowing your customer base and the value of your product plays an important part in this regard.

The mobile app market is getting quite saturated that is why having a flexible monetary system can help you stand out and make your app popular among users. Your pricing strategy should be able to meet market needs and user’s expectations only then it will be able to help you accomplish your business goals.

The above-mentioned factors can help you choose the right pricing strategy for your mobile app project which will, in return generate great revenue for your business and help you engage more customers.

Mobile phones have entered and influenced all aspects of our lives, especially during this worldwide Corona pandemic. These have become our primary means of connecting with the world outside. This has made mobile app notifications a common technique employed by mobile apps to connect with their users. 

However, popups are often considered to be annoying, disturbing, and interruptive. But the problem is not with the popups themselves. It is the way they are used that many (60% of app users) finally resort to turning off push notifications permanently. So brands with mobile apps should know how to build a fruitful notification campaign. 

Here are 17 best practices for mobile app notifications.

• Send pre-permission notification for iOS.

Unlike Android phones where you can begin sending push notifications as soon as a user downloads your app, with iOS phones, you need the user’s prior permission for sending them notifications. So, the opt-in rates are almost 20% more on Android phones when compared to iOS. So, send a pre-permission notification to your iOS users. 

Be creative while telling why receiving your notifications would be useful to them. Include rich content like GIFs, videos, images, etc. to assure them that you won’t be bombarding them with marketing ads. 

Look at the above-given instance where Intermedia Labs sends out a notification with a video to HQ Trivia app downloaders. In the video, a person congratulates the users for downloading the app and describes their intention of sending notifications. 

• Send out notifications at the right time.

Sending out notifications at a time when the user is free for reading those is essential. Though usually, smartphone users are often free after work and before bed, the timing can vary from user to user. So, derive insights from your popup notification analytics to know their habitual use of the device. Make sure that your notifications don’t interrupt them during their important life and work schedules. 

For example, in the above image you can see, Curiosity, a part of the Discovery family of brands, sending its push notifications at a time when its users’ smartphones are likely to be less-crowded with notifications. Plus, the notification pops up between 5 and 6 pm- just when most of the users would be getting back from work. 

• Arouse Curiosity

To stand out in an ocean of notifications, you should arouse Curiosity. Notifications that have an element of suspense often get clicked. This is the reason why messages from social and communications apps are one of the highest opened ones. Users want to immediately know someone’s response to their posts and photos.

Such Curiosity can be evoked by other brands and businesses as well. You just need to be creative while reinforcing the value of your service or product. For instance, look at the following image bearing a mobile app notification from The New York Times. It kindles the interest of the reader to know more about the story. 

• Include social proof 

When your message has social proof from a study or event, it builds a feeling that the user is not alone. This instills the hope that one is taking or has taken the right decision. Humans tend to feel secure and assured when they go by the majority. This, in turn, promotes user retention by allowing them to appreciate your services and products. 

Such messages also leave a lasting impression of your brand on the user’s mind. For instance, look at the below-given image of two notification messages sent by Proof Leads, a US-based firm that helps its customers send proof notifications. 

• Segment your customers before targeting 

Derive valuable insights from your backend analytics data to find your most engaged user segments. Notify them with special offers based on their in-app behaviors. Also, use geo-targeting to send special offers to them.  

For instance, look at the above notification sent by the beauty company Sephora. It is short, timely, geo-triggered, and useful. Besides, fun emojis tend to make one’s spirit light. The message definitely would have driven a favorable action for Sephora. 

• Personalize your notifications

Personalizing your notifications will bring a dramatic increase in user engagement. You can add a touch of personalization in the following ways-

• Addressing the user with his or her first name.
• Mentioning a product of the user’s interest by looking into his or her navigation or transaction history. For instance, you can send a push about a new product line or about the things he or she recently added to the cart. 
• Taking into account the user’s location. For instance, have a look at the following in-app notification sent by Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. It mentions that the weather at the user’s location is forecasted to have snowfall, and hence asks the user to stay indoors and get free delivery from it. 

• Use a conversational tone

Conversational notifications tend to grab the user’s attention more than mere statements. So, convert your statements to conversations before sending them as notifications. For instance, let your message read “Don’t wait! Our offer won’t last for long!” instead of “Do not wait! Our offer will not last for long!” 

Make sure that your message is short enough, and does not have stuffy words. For, shorter messages are good at grabbing the reader’s attention, and simpler words are better understood. “We’ll ensure that your garden looks lovely” works better than “We’ll ensure that your garden looks exquisite and splendid”. Below given is an instance from FourSquare, a location data platform. 

• Induce self-reflection

Retrieving memories of how your users used to be in the past can subtly kindle them to take action in your favor. So, try self-reflection and thought-provoking messages in your notifications. While doing so, use a lively tone. 

Consider this notification by Resy, an American firm that provides an app and backend management software for restaurant bookings. It gently reflects on the past user behavior using both old and modern language. It certainly would have coaxed the user to book dinner if they hadn’t. 

• Create a sense of urgency

Create urgency by setting a time limit on your offer. An hourly or daily countdown to the offer’s end will persuade the user to purchase before the offer or sale expires. 

In the above-given mobile app notification by an e-commerce platform, you can see how well the message is crafted to create a sense of urgency. The words “going out of stock” and “lose it forever” simply wheedles the user to make an immediate purchase. Further, it has a personal touch without an assumption that the user might have purchased the product from elsewhere. 

• Make users feel cherished

Occasionally send notifications that make them feel special. It can promote a friendly relationship of the user with your brand. Your message can mark a special day in their life, like a birthday or wedding anniversary, or a special time of the year, like Diwali, Ramjan, or Christmas. If there is no occasion, it can be a simple “Thanks for being a part of us”. 

While greeting them for the occasion, do remember to state that you appreciate their tie with you. Consider the following notification, which not only sends birthday wishes but also gives an account of how long the user has been connected with the brand. This stimulates positive emotions which can not only bring sales but also long-term associations with you. 

• Ask for a rating or review

Good reviews and ratings given by customers boost your sales further. For, positive reviews have a positive influence on prospective buyers. Ask for a rating or review as soon as your service or product has been delivered to the user. 

Look at the above notification sent by Ubereats asking its user for a rating soon after making a delivery. Asking a rating straightforwardly makes things easy and actionable. Further, the use of the word “please” incorporates politeness. Also, pay attention to the inclusion of the location of the McDonald’s, where the user placed an order. This will help if the user has simultaneously ordered from more than one McDonald’s. 

• Include several emojis

Emojis can substitute language and trigger emotional responses in the viewer. The use of these in your mobile app notifications can make your message stand out while painting a picture of the event, product, offer, or service mentioned. 

The above-shown instances of notifications incorporated with many emojis render an energetic message which otherwise would have been stale. Because of the fun inherent to such messages, these fascinate the user and drive action in them. 

• Remind users to complete an action

Sending a reminder to complete an action left halfway by the user can get the passive user to commit, say studies. It applies to not only e-commerce sites, but also job search platforms, gaming apps, and more. 

While sending reminder notifications, include an urgency element like “Already ten people have applied for this position”, “Only two more leggings of your favorite color are available in stock”, “Items in your cart are expiring soon”, etc. 

• Present a thrilling update

Send notifications with updates of products or services of interest to the user. This would excite the user to know more details of your message. 

The above notification sent by Product Hunt, a platform for sharing and discovering new products, updates the user that he got a new follower. Along with this, the message also has the profile picture of the follower, a hugging emoji, and an exclamation mark to trigger thrill in the user. 

•  Help users rediscover your app’s features

An educated user is an engaged user. So, if you observe a user using your app less often, the reason could be that he is bored, or he has already completed the purpose he downloaded your app for. In both cases, you can make him active again by reminding him of what he is missing out on or introducing him to a section of the app he didn’t know existed.

You may also choose to present him with a newly launched feature, just like how Amazon has in the above-given mobile app notification. This would have made the user inquisitive to know more about the newly launched feature. 

• Express gratitude

Let your users know how grateful you are to have them. Convey this through an app notification. It need not be just a “Thank you!” You can incorporate more into the message to accomplish more from your app notifications. 

Have a look at the above app notification sent by DailyLook, a personal styling service. It not only has conveyed gratitude but also includes an offer on the next purchase. Thus, it achieves its dual mission of expressing gratefulness and making a sale. 

• Stress on why you are important

Last but not least, the significance of stressing your dominance in your industry should not be overlooked. This is because often users end up turning off notifications. After all, they are overwhelmed by the many numbers of apps launched with each passing day. So, make sure that your users consider your notifications as important.

Just like placing testimonials at your site, send out notifications that tell them why you matter. The above given is an instance from Bodybuilding.com. See how wisely they have included a code to get a discount on a purchase! That’s how you need to combine value with your bragging. 

Now, let’s wind it all up.

Despite the widespread belief that push notifications are intrusive and annoying, these can be employed wisely for growing your brand or business. You can make Mobile app notification campaigns fruitful by following the best practices discussed in our blog. Take some insights from the examples discussed by us in the blog. This will let you know the tactics of keeping your users engaged and tied with you for a long time.

The technology of mobile app development can be used to improve the typical, a century old education system. Educational apps help parents and teachers to provide students with an easier way of learning various things. These apps can also be designed with the capacity that delivers lessons according to the grasping power of a student. Educational apps facilitate continuous learning freeing students to explore and practice lessons, course materials, and learn new topics anytime, anywhere.

Here are some points on how learning can be improved with educational mobile apps:

Interactive education content

Children are playful and, this is what they are loved for. It’s the nature seen in most children. But the same nature also distracts them from focusing on anything. They are attracted towards eye-catching details of everything.

Why can’t this playfulness of children be used for their own benefits? Apps, for an example, can be used to deliver the content in interactive formats that keep children engaged and learn more.

Yes, this is possible without any problem. Today’s mobile app development technology has got everything that allows adding a variety of interactivities to learning.

Gamification of education

Most of the millennials have now turned parents. They know how crazy they were for video games when they were kids. Games like Mario, Donkey Kong, Tetris, Space Invaders, and Street Fighter kept them very busy in their childhood; however, little these games did for the education.

But things are now unfolding quite differently. Today, we have many games purposely developed to educate kids. Smartphones are the best platform we have to realize the concept of educational gaming. In fact, some interesting educational games are already available in stores.

Online and live tutorials

With live tutorials accessible right from a mobile device, students can instantly clear their doubts without the need of a teacher. They do not need to depend on classroom study as online tutorials can provide them help anytime they need. Going a step ahead with live tutorials, students are even able to interact with tutors to ask questions live and receive answers at the same time.

Mock and Practical Tests

Tests help students discover their standing in learning. An app with this dedicated feature helps students take tests and know how much they know. By taking mock tests before the actual one, students learn to rapidly react to the final examination with better understanding of each of the topics and chapters.

An educational app providing mock tests and practical lesson help students develop the right strategy, learn new techniques and better manage their time, and practice and prepare themselves post examinations.

Social Media Integration

Parents often consider social media platforms bad for their kids. No doubt, they are concerned that their children waste time on social media platforms. Of course, social medial platforms consume a lot of time and distract students from paying concentration.

On the other hand, social media platforms can be a driving factor for students to learn more. An educational app, for example, can have the social media integration in such a way that allows students to use the social media according to scores they receive in mock tests.

Personalized User Experience

The classroom learning is delivered in a standard format. This makes equal learning opportunities available to every student; whether he or she is a fast learner or a slow learner. Teachers too do not have enough time to assess the learning ability of each of the individual students. But an app can do this quite smartly. An Educational app can have features that allow personalizing it as per the learning capability of individual students.

IT can involve simpler ways to delivery complex lessons so that slow-learners can too grasp topics by spending some extra time other than regular classes and align them with the pace of the whole class.

Curating a mobile application with robust features can help you reach your audience globally. Today, the iPhone is used worldwide by billions in number, and many are shifting to iOS from various platforms seeing its brand growth and customer loyalty.

If compared, android leads as a platform that offers the best features to conduct online business and transactions to Enterprises. However, as iOS offers commendable quality, many companies select iOS apps for their daily business operations.

As they meet their revenue target in time, several startups and established enterprises invest in iOS apps for a quicker return on investment.

Moreover, Apple holds its standard high in creating a traditional marketing strategy and has set the trend in today’s compelling market.

Therefore, if you are looking to outsource from experts, you can connect with the top iPhone app developers for the best quality services.

iOS Mobile Application Can Develop Your Enterprise Globally

In the following blog, you will find the reasons why developing an iOS app will benefit your enterprise in a compelling market.

1. Apple as a Brand

iOS is the highly preferred platform for personal as well as business applications. Apple owns a vast range of products valued in the market, like the iPad, iPhone, iwatch, etc. Its elegant design also makes it unique from all the other similar market products. Moreover, the marketing tactics of Apple are known to be impeccable from the beginning.

They grabbed their customers’ attention from the start by questioning their interest in technology and buying decisions. They focused on buying the mindset of the people rather than selling their products.

Apple focuses on highlighting its What, Why, and How elements to showcase their products to the customers. Thus, they focus on offering answers to their users.

With modern times, Apple has been increasing among online marketers, especially among the business class. Hence, they have mastered how to use the internet to enhance the brand image in today’s effective market system.

2. High-end Security

For any enterprise, the security of their online transactions and user data is crucial. Several firms face cyber threats and malware activities in the internet’s current business processes, causing business data loss.

Therefore, iOS has been offering robust security to its users consistently with an immune security system. iPhone users are protected from common enterprise threats, malware activities, and viruses through the layered protection features of iOS. Thus, making it the most used platform by enterprises.

It offers fewer chances to break into the security system of iOS. Moreover, suppose you wish to curate an iOS mobile application. In that case, you can outsource from the top mobile app development companies  to avail of the professionals’ assistance.

3. Low Fragmentation and Faster Testing

Apple requires rigorous testing to hold its quality in the market as it holds fewer products in the market than other platforms like Android and Windows.

However, iOS apps have to meet the testing criteria of iOS of the prevalent version, reducing the testing time and offering reduced marketing time.

As the Apple market is strong and trustworthy, its latest version is used by 89% of its loyal consumers. Thus, making it feasible for businesses to use iOS for their company processes.

Hence, the platform’s market value is proliferating year after year as even the startups are opting for Apple products to conduct their regular tasks. Besides, low fragmentation in iOS results in more scalable apps.

Moreover, if you want to conduct thorough testing, you can outsource from the top software testing companies for effective results.

4. Established Customer Base

Apple’s established user base is one of the best advantages of iOS; therefore, it is highly preferred by the business community. Apple is a pioneer in application development and technology.

Android apps being the most used still fallback when compared with conventional and loyal users of iOS applications. Moreover, it is said that once a user experiences the iOS system, then they can never be satisfied with any other operating system.

Hence, there is no argument for enterprises becoming tech-savvy for iOS platforms providing tough competition to Android and other OS. Given this proves another cause for businesses shifting to iOS to earn a readymade customer base.

5. Advanced Quality Standards

iPhone apps are built to meet the quality standards market to fulfill user expectations and requirements. When users download the iOS app, they can guarantee an effective and flawless market performance experience.

Therefore, the trust and honesty among the brand and its users have earned its high market value and a loyal customer base for years. Apple focuses on providing the same user experience in all its devices.

Therefore it holds a legacy of loyal customers by maintaining its high standards in its performance and other operating systems. Moreover, to establish a qualitative and high standard business app, then you need to hire a team of experts to manage all your activities.

Hence, you can outsource from top mobile app development companies in india and USA for further professional assistance.

6.  Flexible User Interface and Enhanced User Experience

When it comes to user experience, Apple has been commendable in meeting its customer requirements to ease technology usage with modern times.

They are guaranteed a smooth functioning of the app from the moment they download the application till its various updated versions. Therefore, the operating system is recommended among companies to conduct their business tasks without any hassle.

Moreover, the operating system’s user interface is made keeping in mind the requirements of its clients. For every enterprise, customer satisfaction is their optimum goal.

Therefore, to meet market standards, you can outsource from the top mobile app design companies to meet the latest market trends.

To Summarize!

Developing an iPhone app is yet another task until you meet all the requirements to maintain its market standard and hold a team of skilled professionals.

Hopinfirst is one such platform with renowned professionals examining and listing the top professional companies in various services with excellent project reviews from experienced clients. Hence, to develop a leading business app in iOS, you can look for the top mobile app developers for an effective and efficient process.

James Mordy is a content writer for Goodfirms. A voracious reader, an avid researcher, a logophile, and a tech geek he loves to read about the latest technologies that are shaping the world. He often pen down topics around top software testing companies and top iPhone app developers in his blogs.

Over the last several years, apps became an integral part of our everyday lives.  We use them in our personal lives to communicate, learn, or simply do things easily. Also, we use them for our professional needs to collaborate with our team, organize our time, perform better on our jobs, and so much more. It’s clear that apps are something we would hardly be able to live without. But, as much as we love them, they could be a potential danger.

If we’re using an app with a weak security strategy, our personal and sensitive data might be jeopardized. App developers mustn’t allow for their apps to have weak security levels. It will ruin your credibility and send users away. That’s why you have to write a comprehensive app security strategy that will cover all the major security questions and issues.

Below, you’ll find the ultimate tips for writing the best app security strategy that covers it all. Just keep reading.

1.  Security as a Top Priority

Before you go any deeper into the actual steps of building a secure app, you should first make sure that everyone on the app development team understands the importance of app security.

Therefore, you should build a culture of security that covers all the teams, people, developers, designers, and everyone involved in the process of creating an app.

To make sure they all see security as a top priority, you need to:

• organize team meetings to discuss it
• send them to seminars, webinars, or workshops
• constantly remind everyone that security is a priority

Educating and helping your team grow professionally is the best way to start building a strong app security strategy. If your team members don’t take security seriously, it can easily happen that they make a mistake that endangers the whole project.

Work on building a strong security culture and have all your app development team members on the same page.

2.  Write a More Secure Code

Now, let’s get to the actual points you should include in your app security strategy. The first one concerns the security of your code.

Your code can be the vulnerable spot in your app that the hackers will use to get access to sensitive and private data of the users.

This is why you need to make sure you’re writing a secure code that won’t allow them to reverse engineer it and use it as they please.

Some of the best practices for writing a more secure app code are:

• code hardening
• code signing
• code minification
• keeping your code agile and easy to update

Pay attention to your code and make sure you cover all levels of security to make it impossible for the hackers to reverse engineer it. Otherwise, they’ll find a way to use it to their advantage.

3.  Boost Authentication Levels

As the app developer, you shouldn’t leave it up to your users to be fully responsible for the authentication level they’re using for your app.

If you allow them to create any type of password, chances are a ton of users will go with something like “123456”. And that’s unacceptable.

That’s why it’s your job to boost authentication levels and make sure all your users are protecting their data by using strong passwords and other authentication forms.

Here’s what you should do:

• make it obligatory that the password is alphanumeric and strong (contains a number, a sign, at least 5 different letters, etc.)
• make your passwords renewed every couple of months
• add security questions that are not easy to guess the answer to
• use biometric authentication for the most sensitive data

By adding a strong authentication practice in the app development process, you’re making sure all your users are protected. You’re encouraging them to act wisely with their sensitive data and thus making it harder for the hackers to break through your security walls.

4.  Encrypt All Data

Data encryption is another obligatory step in making your app more secure. Encryption is one of the most surefire ways to secure your data and prevent malicious third parties from accessing it and reading it.

Encryption works in a way that it makes the code unreadable to anyone except the parties who have to key to read it. That means that, even if the hackers manage to get access to your code, it will be just meaningless text to them.

Encrypting your data using any encryption technique and keys will:

• boost your app security
• prevent malicious attackers from reaching your data
• protect your app users

This means that you should encrypt every single piece of information that is being exchanged over your app.

5.  Don’t Ask For Unnecessary Access

When you’re writing your app security strategy, you need to keep in mind that the access your app has over users’ private data is also jeopardized to be hacked and abused.

This is why you should only ask to access the data you actually need for the app to function.

So, let’s say you’re building an e-commerce app that allows people to shop online and buy their favorite products. Do you really need access to your users’ contacts list?

No, you don’t. So don’t ask for it since you’ll be exposing this data for no reason.

This means that you need to:

• carefully choose the data you’ll need access to
• only ask for the basic user information
• ask solely for the privileges you need

Most apps will need as little as the user’s name and email address. Sometimes you’ll need a bit more, but make sure you’re not overstepping.

If you limit the app’s access to sensitive information, you’re also limiting the hackers’ access to it. It’s that simple.

6.  Update & Patch Regularly

Even once you believe your security strategy is completed and you can finally relax, you’re still not completely safe. The truth is, no security level is ever going to be 100% risk-free.

And that’s exactly why you need to continue to keep an eye on your software and vulnerabilities to fix whatever problem might pop up.

So, if there’s a bug or an issue that appears in the process of app development or after its completion, you’ll need to:

• update your software using the fixes and additional features released
• patch your software with a minor, but an important bug fix

It would be a huge mistake to consider your app eternally secure only because you’ve finished the initial and most important phase of building a strong app security strategy.

Constantly updating means actively working on keeping a high level of security. It also means providing your users with the best possible experience and keeping their data safe and protected.

7.  Limit Employee Privileges

Another way to further protect your applications and data is to limit the privileges of the people within your company and your team. Not everyone has to have access to everything.

The truth is, the fewer people have access to sensitive data, the more protected it is. We’re not saying any of your team members will sell you out or perform a malicious attack themselves.

But, there are other scenarios that could happen:

• a team member loses their laptop and allows access to all sensitive data
• a hacker manages to penetrate one team member’s credentials and use it to access everything they need
• a team member accidentally sends a file with sensitive data via email

There can be so many different situations that could harm your app security.

Therefore, only allow access that is essential for the people to do their part of the job. Don’t let someone from design have access to finances or marketing.

Limit their privileges and make sure nobody is jeopardizing the security of your apps.

8.  Perform a Test-Attack

App security is not something you can put on paper and then hope it will work out in practice. And, even when a team of professionals gives it their best to create a super-secure app that the users can use without any fear, there can still be some room for the hackers to get to the sensitive data.

This is why testing is obligatory.

The best way to test app security is to:

• automatically check app security after each development phase is completed
• check for security risk, potential breaches, and weak spots

If you discover any vulnerabilities, make sure your team fixes them immediately. Once the entire development process is finished, it’s time for the big test.

You should have one of your team members try and perform a security attack on your app. Let them try and penetrate your security gates any way possible.

This will be the ultimate test for your app security and will show you just how successfully you’ve built the app security strategy.

Final Thoughts

Building a comprehensive app security strategy is one of the most important links in the chain of successful app development. If your app isn’t safe for the users to use and enjoy, all your other efforts will be in vain.

Hopefully, the tips shared above will help you write a better app security strategy and protect your users against malicious hacker attacks. Use them to strengthen your app and make it more powerful.

Dorian Martin is a freelance writer and a passionate blogger with years of experience. He mainly focuses on technology and web development topics. He also works as a proofreader and editor, giving help writing a thesis statement.