Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.10 Released

May 10, 2013 By mark Leave a Comment

Andromo App Maker for Android version v3.0.10 has been released.

Here is the list of changes in this version:

  • Fixed a Mobpartner bug that would cause a crash if Mobpartner failed to load an ad and the user clicked on the empty ad space.
  • Fixed a bug where RSS and YouTube activities could occasionally, and intermittently, encounter an XML parsing error (shown below) even when the XML was valid.
Error Parsing XML

You shoudn't see this error anymore

Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.10 is now live at www.andromo.com.

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Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.9 Released

May 3, 2013 By mark Leave a Comment

Andromo App Maker for Android version v3.0.9 has been released.

Here is the list of changes in this version:

  • Updated the version of the Pingjam SDK to 2.4.6. This update fixes some issues and improves the look of the registration dialog.

Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.9 is now live at www.andromo.com.

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Holy Banner Choices, Batman! Introducing MobPartner Ads

May 2, 2013 By lorne Leave a Comment

With version 3.0.8 of Andromo, we’ve added support for showing MobPartner cost-per-action banner ads in your apps.

Banner ads are small rectangular ads that occupy a small portion of the screen while the user is using the app. They are usually shown at the top or bottom of the screen. These ads are relatively popular with users because they don’t interfere very much with their use of the app.

With version 3.0.8, you can now choose whether to show banner ads served from AdMob, MobPartner, or a mix of both.

Unlike AdMob ads which are cost per click (CPC), MobPartner is an ad network that provides cost-per-action (CPA) ads.

What does cost per action mean?

Cost-per-action ads generate revenue when the end user performs some action, such as signing up for a service or installing an app. Unlike CPC ads, which pay whenever a user clicks on the ad, CPA ads require the user to perform an additional step or “action” in order for you (the developer) to be paid. However, the revenue generated by that action is typically much higher than the revenue generated by a click with other services.

Can I use them along with AdMob ads?

Yes, you can choose whether you want to show banner ads from AdMob, MobPartner, or both in the same app. If you choose to show both, an ad network will be selected randomly by the app each time it shows an activity. (Each banner ad network you select has an equal chance of being chosen whenever an activity is shown.)

Which type of ad is better?

There are several factors which determine which ad network is going to be more effective for your app. In general, the revenue for CPC ads might seem more straightforward – users see an ad, and if they click it, you get a few cents.

With CPA ads, you might see hundreds of clicks without any revenue because the users didn’t complete the required action after they clicked. However, since these actions are exactly what the advertiser wants, the reward can be much higher when they do.

The effectiveness of each ad type can vary from one app to the next. MobPartner provides a wide variety of ads and you may find that you are able to increase your revenue by using ads that are a better match for your app.

Both ad networks also have different restrictions, so you may find that you are able to use MobPartner in an app that would not satisfy AdMob’s terms of use.

More info

You can sign up for a MobPartner account and learn more about the service at www.mobpartner.com.

For more information on using MobPartner banner ads in your app, see: How to get a MobPartner Pool ID

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Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.8 Released

May 2, 2013 By lorne Leave a Comment

Andromo App Maker for Android version v3.0.8 has been released.

Here is the list of changes in this version:

  • Added the MobPartner ad network providing CPA banner ads.
  • Enabled AdMob Smart Banners that choose an appropriate banner size based on the size and orientation of the device.
  • Made it so banner ads are fixed in place and do not disappear when a list is scrolled.
  • Made it so banner ads no longer slide away after 30 seconds in landscape mode, except on Photo and Flickr activities.
  • Fixed an issue with quotation marks (“) in activity descriptions/subtitles.
  • Added support for developer?id= links in the Google Play activity (including automatic translation to an Amazon Appstore search link on a Kindle Fire).

Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.8 is now live at www.andromo.com.

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Adding Banner Ads to Your App’s Dashboard = More Ad Revenue

April 23, 2013 By darryl 3 Comments

One of the new features in v3.0.7 of Andromo is the ability to show banner ads on your app’s dashboard when banner ads are enabled. This new option is enabled by default, so if it doesn’t appeal to you, and you already have banner ads enabled in your project, you can disable it in your project’s settings.

Why should I show ads on the dashboard?

Analytics data shows that 40.78% of all screen views are of the dashboard. Such a large percentage of views can significantly increase your existing ad revenue, or may tempt you to try out the Monetization features of Andromo.

How do I enable ads on the dashboard?

This setting is enabled by default, so all you’ll need to do is publish a new version of your app in order to take advantage of this feature. The setting only affects projects that have “Banner Ads” enabled on the project’s “Monetization” tab.

If you decide that you don’t want ads to show on your app’s dashboard, no problem, just uncheck the Show Banner Ads on Dashboard checkbox located in the “Dashboard Settings” of your project’s “Dashboard” tab.

Checkbox in the Dashboard Settings

What does it look like on the dashboard?

Here are some examples of the banner ad at the bottom of the different dashboard types:

Classic Dashboard Portrait

Classic Dashboard Landscape

List Dashboard Portrait

List Dashboard Landscape

Button Grid Dashboard Portrait

Button Grid Dashboard Landscape

Gallery Dashboard Portrait

Gallery Dashboard Landscape

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A Different Kind of Ad Platform: Pingjam Caller ID Ads

April 23, 2013 By lorne 2 Comments

We’ve added an interesting new revenue stream for our developers in Andromo 3.0.7: you can get paid for including the Pingjam caller ID ad service in your app.

What are caller ID ads?

A caller ID ad is a small ad that is shown along with the caller ID information in the phone dialer app on the user’s device.

The basic concept is simple: when Pingjam is enabled on a device, a small ad may be shown when the user places a phone call. These ads only appear when making calls to (or receiving calls from) specific business phone numbers, and only if the ad is relevant to the call.

As a nice side effect, your users will also benefit by having free caller ID information if they didn’t have caller ID service already.

You get paid for the number of active installs

Pingjam pays $5/month for every 1000 active app installs in the USA and Canada (or $1 elsewhere).

Note that your revenue is based on how many active installs you have, and not whether your users see or click on any of the ads. You get paid regardless of whether your app was used during the month. In essence, Pingjam pays you for distributing their service.

Your users have the choice

Your users are asked if they want to enable the Pingjam caller ID ads the first time they run your app.

If the user chooses not to accept the caller ID ads, your app will run normally and they will not be asked again unless they reinstall the app. Your app will operate the same either way.

The users can also enable or disable the ads at any time from the settings menu in the app.

According to Pingjam, the addition of the caller ID service does not impact install rates at all:

We have proven this by running extensive tests on hundreds of thousands of installs and dozens of apps. The results were conclusive – install rates are unchanged and uninstall rates aren’t affected.

Free as in…ads about beer

There is no additional charge to include Pingjam in your app. Simply sign up for a free account at www.pingjam.com, and enable Pingjam Caller ID Ads on the Monetization tab in your Andromo project settings.

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Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.7 Released

April 23, 2013 By mark Leave a Comment

Andromo App Maker for Android version v3.0.7 has been released.

Here is the list of changes in this version:

  • Added the Pingjam caller ID ad network. Sign up for your free Pingjam account, enable the settings on Andromo.com, and increase the monetization potential of your apps! More Info
  • Added the ability to show ads on the dashboards. This feature is enabled in all projects (new and old) by default and can be adjusted on the Dashboard tab when editing your app. More Info
  • Fixed a bug where the Unicode ‘object replacement character’ (U+FFFC) was being displayed in place of missing images in Podcast activities.
  • Made it so the PDF activity offers to download Adobe Reader from the Amazon Appstore on a Kindle Fire instead of from Google Play.
  • Made it so the Google Play activity automatically redirects to the Amazon Appstore on a Kindle Fire (if possible).

Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.7 is now live at www.andromo.com.

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Boost your App Revenue with Tapgage Interstitial Ads

April 5, 2013 By lorne 3 Comments

We added a new ad platform for our developers in Andromo 3.0.6: interstitial ads served up by Tapgage.

What are interstitial ads?

Interstitial ads are full-page ads that appear ‘between’ activities in your app. Since they really grab the user’s attention, they can be more effective than banner ads at generating clicks. However, you don’t want to show them too frequently, or you may risk annoying some users.

Screenshot showing a Tapgage interstitial ad

Screenshot of an interstitial ad

How often should you show an interstitial ad?

Unlike banner ads, which don’t interrupt the user’s flow through your app, interstitial ads occupy the full screen and need to be dismissed by the user. Although this can make them very effective, if shown too often they can become frustrating to your users. When choosing how often to show interstitials, you need to balance the increased revenue potential from showing more ads, with the possibility for decreased revenue potential from having fewer active users.

Since user tolerance for interstitials can vary greatly from one app to the next, there is no universal answer to this question. (You might even want to annoy your users a little bit in a free app when you also have a paid, ad-free version available.)

Andromo lets you set the minimum time between ads from 10 minutes to 24 hours. You should choose an appropriate interval based on how often you think your users would want to see an interstitial ad. Keep in mind that shorter times aren’t always better — setting this value too low may cause some users to uninstall your app, decreasing your app’s long term revenue potential.

Tapgage settings on the Monetization tab of the Andromo project settings

Experiment and use analytics

You may wish to experiment with different interval settings, and take advantage of the new app analytics to track how your users respond to the different versions.

If you have Google Analytics enabled in your app, an event will be generated whenever a Tapgage ad is shown. You can use the “Secondary dimension” feature in Google Analytics to differentiate your Tapgage ad impressions by activity (“screen name”), app version, and other useful metrics.

Tapgage events per activity in Google Analytics

Tapgage events per version in Google Analytics

All for the low price of…free

There is no additional charge to use interstitial ads. Simply sign up for a free account at www.tapgage.com, and enable the interstitial ads on the Monetization tab in your Andromo project settings.

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Switching to the New App Analytics (a.k.a. Analytics v2)

April 4, 2013 By lorne 3 Comments

With Andromo 3.0.6, we’ve implemented the latest version of the Google Analytics library: Analytics v2.

This will give you access to better, more app-specific information, letting you track usage of your app as an App instead of as a Web site.

analytics overview

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics lets you measure user interactions with your app, anonymously tracking actions that the user performs, without ever sending any identifying information.

As your app is used, Google Analytics will track a wide variety of anonymous usage statistics, such as the number of visits to each activity within your application, and the average amount of time your users spent there. It can even report how often your users launch your app (look for “Recency” under “Engagement” and “Behavior” in the list of Google Analytics reports).

This can give you valuable insight into how your users interact with your apps, helping you make your apps even better.

New Preference Settings

We’ve also added a new preference setting to Andromo apps, giving users the ability to opt out of analytics tracking in the application. This helps ensure that all Andromo apps comply with the Google Analytics SDK Policy.

analytics prefs

Making the Switch

As of version 3.0.6 of Andromo, you need to use an App analytics code instead of a Web one — your old Web analytics UA-XXXXX-YY code will no longer work. If you were already using analytics in your Andromo apps, you MUST generate a new App tracking ID and update the settings in your project.

App property

For more information about using Google Analytics in your project, see How to use Google Analytics in your Application.

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Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.6 Released

April 4, 2013 By mark Leave a Comment

Andromo App Maker for Android version v3.0.6 has been released.

Here is the list of changes in this version:

Interstitial Ad

Sample Tapgage Interstitial Ad

  • Added a new interstitial ad provider Tapgage to increase the monetization potential of your apps. Register for a Tapgage account today and start making more money from your Android apps. More info. Knowledge base article.
  • Added Google App Analytics v2 to Andromo. It’s a big improvement from the old ‘site’ analytics option that was previously offered. You now get access to much improved app-specific metrics such as usage times, device model, geographic tracking, which activities are being used, real-time usage views and more. More info.

Andromo App Maker for Android v3.0.6 is now live at www.andromo.com.

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