Instabug’s Mobile App Stability Outlook 2024 report offers a detailed analysis of app performance across platforms and industries, revealing significant strides in mobile app stability.

Key Findings on App Stability

The report shows that mobile app stability remains strong, with median crash-free sessions reaching an impressive 99.95% across all percentiles, building on high stability rates from the previous year. Leading mobile teams, performing at the 75th percentile, have achieved a crash-free session rate of 99.99%, making “five nines” the new benchmark for top-tier app performance. Even at the lower end, apps in the 25th percentile showed slight improvements, maintaining stability rates around 99.77%.

Platform Stability: iOS vs. Android

This year, iOS reclaimed the lead with a median crash-free session rate of 99.91%, edging out Android’s 99.80%. This shift is consistent across percentiles, emphasizing the unique challenges in maintaining stability within the Android ecosystem due to fragmentation.

Industry-Specific Insights

The report highlights stability leaders within specific industries. Health and Fitness apps lead with a median 99.98% crash-free session rate, followed closely by Social/Dating and Telecom at 99.97%. Lifestyle/Sports apps show slightly lower stability at 99.67%, likely reflecting the complex use cases and environments they encounter.

Stability and Star Ratings

The report confirms a clear relationship between crash-free rates and app store ratings. Apps rated below three stars have a median crash-free session rate of 99.82%, while those rated above 4.5 stars achieve 99.84% at the 25th percentile. This suggests that apps need around 99.7% crash-free sessions to attain at least three stars, and approximately 99.85% to exceed 4.5 stars.

Additional Stability Metrics

Instabug’s report also assesses Application Not Responding (ANR) errors, Out Of Memory (OOM) issues, app hangs, and forced restarts, providing a more nuanced view of app performance:

• ANR Errors: Increased to a median of 2.62 per 10,000 sessions.
• OOM Errors: Remain low, with a median of 1.12 per 10,000 sessions.
• App Hangs & Forced Restarts: Show minimal change compared to previous years.

Instabug underscores the need for mobile teams to go beyond crash-free metrics, as users increasingly expect seamless experiences. “Near-flawless crash-free rates are now attainable for many top mobile teams, allowing them to address broader stability and performance challenges,” the company notes.

Implications for Developers

The report highlights that mobile teams should adopt a comprehensive approach to stability, integrating advanced tools and AI-driven insights to stay ahead. Stability metrics remain essential for app store success, with these benchmarks helping developers achieve higher ratings and greater user satisfaction.

As user expectations rise, maintaining these stability levels is crucial for app success. Developers and businesses would benefit by aligning with these industry benchmarks in the quest for five-star ratings and optimal user experiences.