An app store , also called an app marketplace or app catalog , is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications , often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the computer itself. Complex software designed for use on a personal computer , for example, may have a related app designed for use on a mobile device . Today apps are normally designed to run on a specific operating system —such as the contemporary iOS , macOS , Windows , Linux or Android —but in the past mobile carriers had their own portals for apps and related media content.
55-445: YouVersion (also known as Bible.com or the Bible App ) is an online and mobile Bible platform published for Android , iOS , Windows Phone , and many other operating platforms. In 2023, according to YouVersion, its Bible App features over 3,000 Bible versions in over 2,000 languages, audio Bibles, offline capabilities, as well as over 800 Bible plans and devotionals. YouVersion
110-472: A generic trademark to refer to other distribution platforms of a similar nature. Apple asserted trademark claims over the phrase, and filed a trademark registration for "App Store" in 2008. In 2011, Apple sued both Amazon.com (which runs the Amazon Appstore for Android-based devices) and GetJar (who has offered its services since 2004) for trademark infringement and false advertising regarding
165-738: A Senior Editor at NeXTWORLD Magazine , Simson Garfinkel , rated The Electronic AppWrapper 4 3/4 Cubes (out of 5), in his formal review. Paget's Electronic AppWrapper was named a finalist in the highly competitive InVision Multimedia '93 awards in January 1993 and won the Best of Breed award for Content and Information at NeXTWORLD Expo in May 1993. Prior to the Electronic AppWrapper, which first shipped in 1992, people were used to software distributed via floppy disks or CD-ROMs, one could even download software using
220-669: A browser, which can be noticeably slower than the equivalent native app. It also may not have the same level of features as the native app. The concept of the hybrid app is a mix of native and web-based apps. Apps developed using Apache Cordova , Flutter , Xamarin , React Native , Sencha Touch , and other frameworks fall into this category. These are made to support web and native technologies across multiple platforms. Moreover, these apps are easier and faster to develop. It involves use of single codebase which works in multiple mobile operating systems. Despite such advantages, hybrid apps exhibit lower performance. Often, apps fail to bear
275-504: A browser. Hybrid apps are built using web technologies such as JavaScript , CSS, and HTML5 and function like web apps disguised in a native container. Most mobile devices are sold with several apps bundled as pre-installed software, such as a web browser , email client , calendar , mapping program, and an app for buying music , other media, or more apps. Some pre-installed apps can be removed by an ordinary uninstall process, thus leaving more storage space for desired ones. Where
330-552: A growing number of mobile applications available at app stores and the improved capabilities of smartphones, people are downloading more applications to their devices. Usage of mobile apps has become increasingly prevalent across mobile phone users. A May 2012 comScore study reported that during the previous quarter, more mobile subscribers used apps than browsed the web on their devices: 51.1% vs. 49.8% respectively. Researchers found that usage of mobile apps strongly correlates with user context and depends on user's location and time of
385-541: A mobile device's screen size for a user's hand. Mobile UI contexts signal cues from user activity, such as location and scheduling that can be shown from user interactions within a mobile application. Overall, mobile UI design's goal is primarily for an understandable, user-friendly interface. Mobile UIs, or front-ends, rely on mobile back-ends to support access to enterprise systems. The mobile back-end facilitates data routing, security, authentication, authorization, working off-line, and service orchestration. This functionality
440-568: A new catalog application called Download Fun, also known as the Catalog or Premium Download Manager(PDM). This was one of the first modern app stores on a smartphone with a framework similar to what we see today with the other App Stores. The Download Fun catalog allowed users to download ringtones and applications directly to their device and be billed through their wireless carrier. Third party developers could develop native Java based applications using Danger's free SDK and submit them for distribution in
495-485: A result, most businesses develop apps for multiple platforms. While developing native apps, professionals incorporate best-in-class user interface modules. This accounts for better performance, consistency and good user experience. Users also benefit from wider access to application programming interfaces and make limitless use of all apps from the particular device. Further, they also switch over from one app to another effortlessly. The main purpose for creating such apps
550-718: A single process. Package managers predate appstores. In the mid-1990s, package managers developed automated dependency resolution and updates; they already kept track of program files and cleanly uninstalled packages. Some app stores have also developed these features. Package managers are used by most FOSS operating systems , for all of their software packages, not just application-level ones. Notable package managers in Unix-like operating systems have included FreeBSD Ports (1994), pkgsrc (1997), Debian 's APT (1998), YUM , and Gentoo 's Portage (which unlike most package managers, distributes packages containing source code that
605-536: A system to automatically remove an installed program from devices under certain conditions, with the goal of protecting the user against malicious software. App stores typically provide a way for users to give reviews and ratings. Those reviews are useful for other users, for developers and for app store owners. Users can select the best apps based on ratings, developers get feedback on what features are praised or disliked, and finally, app store owners can detect bad apps and malicious developers by automatically analyzing
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#1732869741059660-634: A type of digital distribution platforms. The term "app", short for " application ", has since become very popular; in 2010, it was listed as " Word of the Year " by the American Dialect Society . Apps are broadly classified into three types: native apps, hybrid and web apps. Native applications are designed specifically for a mobile operating system, typically iOS or Android. Web apps are written in HTML5 or CSS and typically run through
715-410: A web browser or command-line tools. Many Linux distributions and other Unix-like systems provide a tool known as a package manager . Package managers lack the financial transactions, and are not restricted to app-level software. A package manager allows a user to automatically manage the software installed on their systems, including both operating system components and third-party software. This
770-438: Is app wrapping . But there also are some disadvantages like copyright infringement or the loss of warranty rights. Functionality, productivity and user experience are particularly limited under app wrapping. The policies of a wrapped app can not be changed. If required, it must be recreated from scratch, adding cost. An app wrapper is a mobile app made wholly from an existing website or platform , with few or no changes made to
825-472: Is also essential. Mobile UI considers constraints and contexts, screen, input and mobility as outlines for design. The user is often the focus of interaction with their device, and the interface entails components of both hardware and software. User input allows for the users to manipulate a system, and device's output allows the system to indicate the effects of the users' manipulation. Mobile UI design constraints include limited attention and form factors, such as
880-414: Is an alternate approach to security. Rather than controlling an employee/s entire device, containerization apps create isolated pockets separate from personal data. Company control of the device only extends to that separate container. Especially when employees " bring your own device " (BYOD), mobile apps can be a significant security risk for businesses, because they transfer unprotected sensitive data to
935-500: Is automatically compiled instead of executables ). In 1996, the SUSE Linux distribution has YaST as frontend for its own software packages. Mandriva Linux has urpmi with GUI frontend called Rpmdrake . Fedora Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux has YUM in 2003 as a successor of YUP (developed at Duke University for Red Hat Linux ). In 1997, BeDepot a third-party app store and package manager ( Software Valet ) for BeOS
990-426: Is meant to off-set the security risk of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) work strategy. When an employee brings a personal device into an enterprise setting, mobile application management enables the corporate IT staff to transfer required applications, control access to business data, and remove locally cached business data from the device if it is lost, or when its owner no longer works with the company. Containerization
1045-415: Is often done using command line tools, but some package managers have graphical front-end software which can be used to browse available packages and perform operations, such as Synaptic (which is often used as a front-end for APT). New software (and the other packages required for its proper operation, called dependencies ) can be retrieved from local or remote mirrors , and automatically installed, in
1100-446: Is possible to offer native apps securely through enterprise mobility management . This enables more flexible IT management as apps can be easily implemented and policies adjusted at any time. App store An app store is a restricted, commercial version of a package manager . An app store is any digital storefront intended to allow search and review of software titles or other media offered for sale electronically. Critically,
1155-453: Is primarily used to distribute "Windows Store apps"—which are primarily built for use on tablets and other touch-based devices (but can still be used with a keyboard and mouse , and on desktop computers and laptops ). Mobile application management (MAM) describes software and services responsible for provisioning and controlling access to internally developed and commercially available mobile apps used in business settings. The strategy
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#17328697410591210-747: Is supported by a mix of middleware components including mobile app servers , Mobile Backend as a service (MBaaS), and SOA infrastructure. Conversational interfaces display the computer interface and present interactions through text instead of graphic elements. They emulate conversations with real humans. There are two main types of conversational interfaces: voice assistants (like the Amazon Echo ) and chatbots . Conversational interfaces are growing particularly practical as users are starting to feel overwhelmed with mobile apps (a term known as "app fatigue"). David Limp, Amazon's senior vice president of devices, says in an interview with Bloomberg, "We believe
1265-425: Is to ensure best performance for a specific mobile operating system. A web-based app is implemented with the standard web technologies of HTML , CSS , and JavaScript . Internet access is typically required for proper behavior or being able to use all features compared to offline usage. Most, if not all, user data is stored in the cloud . The performance of these apps is similar to a web application running in
1320-467: The Amazon Appstore and F-Droid . Usually, they are downloaded from the platform to a target device, but sometimes they can be downloaded to laptops or desktop computers . Apps can also be installed manually, for example by running an Android application package on Android devices. Some apps are freeware , while others have a price, which can be upfront or a subscription . Some apps also include microtransactions and/or advertising . In any case,
1375-684: The Ubuntu Software Center on version 9.10 as a replacement for Synaptic. On Ubuntu 10.10, released in October 2010, the Software Center expanded beyond only offering existing software from its repositories by adding the ability to purchase certain apps (which, at launch, was limited to Fluendo 's licensed DVD codecs ). Due to its popularity, the term "app store" (first used by the Electronic AppWrapper and later popularised by Apple 's App Store for iOS devices) has frequently been used as
1430-645: The Android version of the app was requiring access to all the users contact information (their address book) and even the users GPS location. YouVersion has updated their privacy policies as of April 2, 2022. Mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone , tablet , or watch . Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on desktop computers , and web applications which run in mobile web browsers rather than directly on
1485-784: The App Store has 650,000 available apps to download as well as 30 billion apps downloaded from the app store until that date. From an alternative perspective, figures seen in July 2013 by the BBC from tracking service Adeven indicate over two-thirds of apps in the store are "zombies", barely ever installed by consumers. Microsoft Store (formerly known as the Windows Store) was introduced by Microsoft in 2012 for its Windows 8 and Windows RT platforms. While it can also carry listings for traditional desktop programs certified for compatibility with Windows 8, it
1540-950: The App Store, it has been a major financial success for the company. The popularity of Apple's App Store led to the rise of the generic term "app store", as well as the introduction of equivalent marketplaces by competing mobile operating systems: the Android Market (later renamed to Google Play) launched alongside the release of the first Android smartphone (the HTC Dream ) in September 2008, BlackBerry 's App World launched in April 2009, as well as Nokia 's Ovi Store , Microsoft 's Windows Marketplace for Mobile , Palm 's App Catalog and Samsung 's Samsung Apps all launching that year. The popular Linux distribution Ubuntu (also based on Debian) introduced its own graphical software manager known as
1595-589: The Catalog. In October 2003, Handango introduced an on-device app store for finding, installing and buying software for Sony Ericsson P800 and P900 devices. App download and purchasing are completed directly on the device so sync with a computer is not necessary. Description, rating and screenshot are available for any app. In 2006, Nokia introduced Nokia Catalogs , later known as Nokia Download!, for Symbian smartphones which had access to downloadable apps—originally via third-parties like Handango or Jamba! but from mid-2006 Nokia were offering their own content via
1650-473: The Google Play Store surpassed 50 billion, of the over 1 million apps available. As of September 2016, according to Statista the number of apps available exceeded 2.4 million. Over 80% of apps in the Google Play Store are free to download. The store generated a revenue of 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2015. Apple 's App Store for iOS and iPadOS was not the first app distribution service, but it ignited
1705-454: The Internet without knowledge and consent of the users. Reports of stolen corporate data show how quickly corporate and personal data can fall into the wrong hands. Data theft is not just the loss of confidential information, but makes companies vulnerable to attack and blackmail. Professional mobile application management helps companies protect their data. One option for securing corporate data
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1760-576: The Nokia Content Discoverer. Apple released iPhone OS 2.0 in July 2008 for the iPhone , together with the App Store , officially introducing third-party app development and distribution to the platform. The service allows users to purchase and download new apps for their device through either the App Store on the device, or through the iTunes Store on the iTunes desktop software. While Apple has been criticised by some for how it operates
1815-564: The Ringers & More Wireless Download Service for their then-new 3G wireless network. This allowed subscribers to the Sprint PCS mobile phone network to download ringtones, wallpaper, J2ME applications and later full music tracks to certain phones. The user interface worked through a web browser on the desktop computer, and a version was available through the handset. In 2002, the commercial Linux distribution Linspire (then known as LindowsOS—which
1870-706: The Verse of the Day, view trending verses, and access their own Verse Images, Bookmarks, and Highlights. By April 2017, YouVersion had been downloaded over 268 million times and offered 1492 versions of the Bible in 1074 languages. In March 2017, YouVersion launched a service using Google Assistant on Google Home devices, enabling users to request Bible verses based on their moods and emotions. In November 2021, YouVersion reached 500 million downloads. YouVersion has been accused of over collecting data from its users since 2013. As recently as 2019,
1925-601: The app economy creates revenues of more than € 10 billion per year within the European Union, while over 529,000 jobs have been created in 28 EU states due to the growth of the app market. Mobile applications may be classified by numerous methods. A common scheme is to distinguish native , web-based, and hybrid apps. All apps targeted toward a particular mobile platform are known as native apps. Therefore, an app intended for Apple device does not run in Android devices. As
1980-415: The app will run. App stores typically take the form of an online store , where users can browse through these different app categories, view information about each app (such as reviews or ratings), and acquire the app (including app purchase, if necessary – many apps are offered at no cost). The selected app is offered as an automatic download, after which the app installs. Some app stores may also include
2035-410: The application storefront itself provides a secure, uniform experience that automates the electronic purchase, decryption and installation of software applications or other digital media. App stores typically organise the apps they offer based on: the function(s) provided by the app (including games, multimedia or productivity), the device for which the app was designed, and the operating system on which
2090-557: The day. Mobile apps are playing an ever-increasing role within healthcare and when designed and integrated correctly can yield many benefits. Market research firm Gartner predicted that 102 billion apps would be downloaded in 2013 (91% of them free), which would generate $ 26 billion in the US, up 44.4% on 2012's US$ 18 billion. By Q2 2015, the Google Play and Apple stores alone generated $ 5 billion. An analyst report estimates that
2145-483: The explosion in number and variety of apps made discovery a challenge, which in turn led to the creation of a wide range of review, recommendation, and curation sources, including blogs, magazines, and dedicated online app-discovery services. In 2014 government regulatory agencies began trying to regulate and curate apps, particularly medical apps. Some companies offer apps as an alternative method to deliver content with certain advantages over an official website . With
2200-427: The field (latency, crash, etc.). Commercial Bulletin board services appeared in the early 1980s, such as Micronet 800 (1983), that permitted registered subscribers to browse, purchase, and download software for a variety of proprietary operating systems, then offered by manufacturers such as Acorn, Apple, Commodore, Dragon, IBM, RML, Sinclair and Tandy. Some programs being included in the monthly subscription charge,
2255-557: The first integrated online app store for mobile phones, gaining nationwide popularity in Japanese mobile phone culture . DoCoMo used a revenue-sharing business model, allowing content creators and app providers to keep up to 91% of revenue. Other operators outside Japan also made their own portals after this, such as Vodafone live! in 2002. At this time mobile phone manufacturer Nokia also introduced carrier-free downloadable content with Club Nokia . In December 2001, Sprint PCS launched
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2310-462: The mobile device. Apps were originally intended for productivity assistance such as email, calendar, and contact databases, but the public demand for apps caused rapid expansion into other areas such as mobile games , factory automation , GPS and location-based services , order-tracking, and ticket purchases, so that there are now millions of apps available. Many apps require Internet access. Apps are generally downloaded from app stores , which are
2365-425: The mobile revolution and was opened on July 10, 2008, and as of September 2016, reported over 140 billion downloads. The original AppStore was first demonstrated to Steve Jobs in 1993 by Jesse Tayler at NeXTWorld Expo As of June 6, 2011, there were 425,000 apps available, which had been downloaded by 200 million iOS users. During Apple's 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference , CEO Tim Cook announced that
2420-468: The next big platform is voice." The three biggest app stores are Google Play for Android , App Store for iOS , and Microsoft Store for Windows 10 , Windows 10 Mobile , and Xbox One . Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market) is an international online software store developed by Google for Android devices. It opened in October 2008. In July 2013, the number of apps downloaded via
2475-472: The platforms (although these issues can be overcome with mobile device detection). Mobile application development requires the use of specialized integrated development environments . Mobile apps are first tested within the development environment using emulators and later subjected to field testing. Emulators provide an inexpensive way to test applications on mobile phones to which developers may not have physical access. Mobile user interface (UI) Design
2530-537: The revenue is usually split between the application's creator and the app store. The same app can, therefore, cost a different price depending on the mobile platform. Mobile apps were originally offered for general productivity and information retrieval, including email, calendar , contacts, the stock market and weather information. However, public demand and the availability of developer tools drove rapid expansion into other categories, such as those handled by desktop application software packages. As with other software,
2585-459: The reviews with data mining techniques. Many app stores are curated by their owners, requiring that submissions of prospective apps go through an approval process. These apps are inspected for compliance with certain guidelines (such as those for quality control and censorship ), including the requirement that a commission be collected on each sale of a paid app. Some app stores provide feedback to developers: number of installations, issues in
2640-510: The same look-and-feel in different mobile operating systems. Developing apps for mobile devices requires considering the constraints and features of these devices. Mobile devices run on battery and have less powerful processors than personal computers and also have more features such as location detection and cameras. Developers also have to consider a wide array of screen sizes, hardware specifications and configurations because of intense competition in mobile software and changes within each of
2695-489: The software does not allow this, some devices can be rooted to eliminate the undesired apps. Apps that are not preinstalled are usually available through distribution platforms called app stores . These may operated by the owner of the device's mobile operating system , such as the App Store or Google Play Store ; by the device manufacturers, such as the Galaxy Store and Huawei AppGallery ; or by third parties, such as
2750-473: The underlying application. The "wrapper" is essentially a new management layer that allows developers to set up usage policies appropriate for app use. Examples of these policies include whether or not authentication is required, allowing data to be stored on the device, and enabling/disabling file sharing between users. Because most app wrappers are often websites first, they often do not align with iOS or Android Developer guidelines. Alternatively, it
2805-470: The use of the term "app store" to refer to their services. Microsoft filed multiple objections against Apple's attempt to register the name as a trademark, considering it to already be a generic term. In January 2013, a United States district court rejected Apple's trademark claims against Amazon. The judge ruled that Apple had presented no evidence that Amazon had attempted "to mimic Apple's site or advertising" or communicated that its service "possesses
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#17328697410592860-438: The user only paying the per minute connection / data charges for a download, while other programs resulted in the user being additionally billed per purchase. The Electronic AppWrapper was the first commercial electronic software distribution catalog to collectively manage encryption and provide digital rights for apps and digital media (issue #3 was the app store originally demonstrated to Steve Jobs at NeXTWorld EXPO). While
2915-497: Was founded by Michael Robertson , founder of MP3.com ) introduced an app store known as Click'N'Run (CNR). For an annual subscription fee, users could perform one-click installation of free and paid apps through the CNR software. Doc Searls believed that the ease-of-use of CNR could help make desktop Linux a feasible reality. In September 2003, Danger Inc. released an over-the-air update for T-Mobile Sidekick devices which included
2970-515: Was founded in 2008 by Bobby Gruenewald and Life.Church . Since at least 2012, it has been sponsored by David Green , the billionaire founder and owner of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. In April 2014, YouVersion released version 5 of the Bible App, which added features for community engagement and scripture discussion. In April 2016, The Bible App became available on the Apple Watch allowing users to read
3025-534: Was launched, which operated until 2001. It was eventually acquired by Be Inc. BeDepot allowed for both commercial and free apps as well as handling updates In 1998, Information Technologies India Ltd (ITIL) launched Palmix, a web based app store exclusively for mobile and handheld devices. Palmix sold apps for the three major PDA platforms of the time: the Palm OS based Palm Pilots, Windows CE based devices, and Psion Epoc handhelds. In 1999, NTT DoCoMo launched i-mode ,
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