Since launching on June 25, Second Life's mobile app for iOS and Android has been downloaded over 10,000 times. We know this because Google Play lists the Android version of the app as having over 5,000 downloads, and smartphone usage between iOS and Android typically skews 50/50, very roughly speaking.
I'd actually estimate total downloads are significantly higher than 10,000 total, since Second Life users tend to be more affluent iPhone owners, and likely break down closer to 60% iOS, 40% Android. So I'd say the total total is closer to 15,000 at the moment. Google Play is also slow to update the download counter and displays it in tiers -- the next tier being "over 10,000".
Anyway, are those impressive download numbers? Let's dig deeper:
At the moment, the mobile app is only usable by Premium / Premium plus subscribers, and thanks to Tyche Shepherd's data tracking, we know there were 68,000+ SL subscribers as of 2022. So roughly 1 in 7 of them have downloaded the app in the first two weeks.
That's not counting the assorted people without Premium who downloaded the app, tried to log in, realized only then it was only available to Premium users at the moment, and complained about that on the app page like so:
I think it's beyond stupid to require that I have a premium account to use the app. I used to be a premium member, for years and years. That alone should automatically grant me access to the app. I guess LL just enjoys being greedy, as always.
1 star (*) rating
So overall I'd say the app being downloaded by roughly 15% of the available, qualified user base within the first two weeks is pretty good traction -- especially since that month is in the Summer, when virtual world activity generally goes down in North America and Europe in place of real world outdoor activities.
Also keep in mind how difficult it is to broadly and immediately communicate to a user base that's spread out across the real world, much it not not deeply integrated with SL social media or the official Linden Lab channels. In my experience, it takes many months for a major platform change/upgrade to be fully known and understood by most of the active user base.
All that said, onward to 20,000!
Please support posts like these by buying Making a Metaverse That Matters and joining my Patreon!
Comments