5 ms·

This doesn't account for apps that are unusually efficient. My bus app allows shortcuts on the home screen to arrival times for a stop, so each day I spend unde

This doesn't account for apps that are unusually efficient. My bus app allows shortcuts on the home screen to arrival times for a stop, so each day I spend under a minute with it open, yet it's a better app than a clumsy interface that would waste two minutes.

jader201 13y ago
I think this would still address that (and I mention this in another response below). As someone deciding between the two, I will see that you keep coming back to the app, even if you don't use it for a very long time. Versus the other app that you averaged a longer session, but stopped using after a shorter period.
- bskap 13y ago
  Not necessarily. What if your app comes with a widget (or tile for Windows Phone apps) that tells you all the information you need. I'd have that visible at all times and would never need to open the app itself.
  - jader201 13y ago
    I have an iPhone, so I'm not sure how they're generally used. But I would assume that if you have a widget docked, then you are likely getting some use of it, and if not, you will undock it (and maybe also delete it). So there is still a level of usage you could measure from widgets, though maybe not quite as meaningful as that you get from regular apps.
- Nate75Sanders 13y ago
  We'd have to be careful of apps that game the system by installing some super-small/innocuous service that would hit Google Play once/day just to keep your usage statistics falsely high -- even when you don't open the app yourself. I don't know enough about the guts of Android to be sure you could do this, but it seems likely.
  - jader201 13y ago
    Ideally, usage would be handled by the OS, and it could actually distinguish between running in the background vs. being active. Background usage would be discarded, ideally.
- rahimnathwani 13y ago
  There are some apps that I almost never open, because I get _all_ of the utility of the app from the push notifications. Two examples are: - Pushover - CN Air Quality
  - dalore 13y ago
    The stats can include how many average push notifications they send over a time. If they send a lot, but you keep the app installed for a long time then you like the push notifications and that would show in the stats.
macNchz 13y ago
I think that's something that could certainly be accommodated by an algorithm developed to give an aggregate 'score' for apps. Certainly the fact that the app is used every single day, regardless of how long, would be a very big plus for its rating.
gravitronic 13y ago
Ignore session length and look at repeat usage / lack of uninstall?
- lsiebert 13y ago
  On Android, widgets would be an issue.
  - joshstrange 13y ago
    See jader201's comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7192705 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7192705 That said there is no easy answer for widgets.

jader201 13y ago

I think this would still address that (and I mention this in another response below). As someone deciding between the two, I will see that you keep coming back to the app, even if you don't use it for a very long time. Versus the other app that you averaged a longer session, but stopped using after a shorter period.

bskap 13y ago
Not necessarily. What if your app comes with a widget (or tile for Windows Phone apps) that tells you all the information you need. I'd have that visible at all times and would never need to open the app itself.
- jader201 13y ago
  I have an iPhone, so I'm not sure how they're generally used. But I would assume that if you have a widget docked, then you are likely getting some use of it, and if not, you will undock it (and maybe also delete it). So there is still a level of usage you could measure from widgets, though maybe not quite as meaningful as that you get from regular apps.
Nate75Sanders 13y ago
We'd have to be careful of apps that game the system by installing some super-small/innocuous service that would hit Google Play once/day just to keep your usage statistics falsely high -- even when you don't open the app yourself. I don't know enough about the guts of Android to be sure you could do this, but it seems likely.
- jader201 13y ago
  Ideally, usage would be handled by the OS, and it could actually distinguish between running in the background vs. being active. Background usage would be discarded, ideally.
rahimnathwani 13y ago
There are some apps that I almost never open, because I get _all_ of the utility of the app from the push notifications. Two examples are: - Pushover - CN Air Quality
- dalore 13y ago
  The stats can include how many average push notifications they send over a time. If they send a lot, but you keep the app installed for a long time then you like the push notifications and that would show in the stats.

macNchz 13y ago

I think that's something that could certainly be accommodated by an algorithm developed to give an aggregate 'score' for apps. Certainly the fact that the app is used every single day, regardless of how long, would be a very big plus for its rating.

gravitronic 13y ago

Ignore session length and look at repeat usage / lack of uninstall?

lsiebert 13y ago
On Android, widgets would be an issue.
- joshstrange 13y ago
  See jader201's comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7192705 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7192705 That said there is no easy answer for widgets.