Why Ios Close Mobile App is Dead (Do This Instead)

Last month, while sipping my third coffee of the morning, a client called me in sheer panic. "Louis, our mobile app usage has plummeted 60% overnight! We thought our 'iOS Close' strategy was airtight, but we're bleeding users." I could hear the frustration in his voice—a frustration I knew all too well. Just a year ago, I had put my faith in the same strategy, convinced it was the holy grail for boosting engagement. But here's the dirty little secret: it's not just his app that's suffering. It's the entire concept of iOS Close mobile apps that's unraveling.

I’ve spent the past year dissecting over 50 app launch failures, and the same pattern keeps emerging. Developers are pouring resources into features no one uses, while ignoring the one thing users actually want. It's a classic case of focusing on the wrong metrics, like obsessing over downloads when retention is the real game. The problem isn't just a fluke or an isolated incident—it's systemic. And the solution isn't what you think. If you're relying on iOS Close tactics to drive user engagement, you're probably setting yourself up for failure.

In the coming sections, I'll pull back the curtain on why this strategy is crumbling and reveal the unexpected approach that’s turning things around for those brave enough to break the mold. Trust me, the answer isn't in the App Store rankings.

The App Store Rejection That Changed Everything

Three months ago, I found myself on a Zoom call with a Series B SaaS founder who was clearly at his wits’ end. He had just received yet another rejection from the App Store, a blow that left him questioning the very core of his product strategy. His app—a sophisticated tool designed to streamline operations for remote teams—had been flagged for not meeting Apple's stringent guidelines on user interface design. Despite investing over $150,000 in development and design, his team was back to the drawing board.

"I feel like we're building for Apple, not for our users," he confessed, his voice a mix of frustration and disbelief. This wasn't the first time I’d heard such sentiments. At Apparate, we had recently worked with a client who experienced the same cycle of rejection and revision. Their app, meant to revolutionize how educators engaged with students, was stuck in a purgatory of endless tweaks and resubmissions. After analyzing their situation, we realized that the constant need to appease the App Store had derailed them from their original mission: solving real problems for real users.

This pattern of rejection and refocus was a wake-up call. It became clear that the App Store, once a beacon of opportunity, had turned into an obstacle. The founders were losing sight of their initial goals, bending over backward to fit into Apple's mold rather than addressing the needs of their target audience. This realization was the catalyst for a pivotal shift in our approach to mobile app development.

The Pitfalls of App Store Dependency

The App Store's rigorous review process can do more harm than good, especially when it turns into a never-ending loop of feedback and revisions.

• Stifling Innovation: By prioritizing compliance over creativity, many apps lose their unique edge.
• Resource Drain: Time and money spent on meeting guidelines could be better used in enhancing user experience.
• User Disconnect: When the focus shifts to satisfying review criteria, the end-user often becomes an afterthought.

In the case of our SaaS founder, we redirected efforts from perfecting App Store submissions to refining user engagement strategies. This led to a remarkable pivot.

Reorienting Towards User-Centric Development

After the realization that the App Store was not the end-all, we encouraged founders to return to the essentials: understanding and serving their users.

• Direct Feedback Loops: We set up systems for real-time user feedback outside of app stores.
• Feature Validation: By testing features directly with users rather than through Apple’s lens, we saw increased satisfaction and retention.
• Alternative Distribution: Exploring options like progressive web apps (PWAs) allowed for more flexibility and direct user interaction.

In one memorable instance, we helped a client transition their app into a PWA, bypassing store restrictions entirely. This not only cut down on development time but also led to a significant increase in user adoption and engagement.

⚠️ Warning: Relying solely on app store approval can lead to a cycle of wasted resources and missed opportunities. Focus on your users, not just the gatekeepers.

By shifting focus from app store constraints to user-driven development, we could finally prioritize what truly mattered. Our clients began building products that aligned with their original vision, free from the shackles of unnecessary revisions. The SaaS founder I mentioned earlier? His app is now thriving as a PWA, with user metrics climbing steadily.

As we moved forward, this experience became a cornerstone of our approach at Apparate, teaching us to always prioritize user needs over platform demands. This lesson naturally leads us to the next phase of our journey: exploring innovative distribution channels that place user experience at the forefront.

Why Deleting Features Boosted Our Engagement

Three months ago, I found myself pacing the floor of my office after a tense call with a Series B SaaS founder. They were in a bind—a classic case of feature bloat that was suffocating their user engagement. After raising a hefty $15 million, they had fallen into the trap of adding more and more features in the hope of broadening their appeal. Yet, despite their best efforts, user engagement metrics were plummeting, and their churn rate was climbing faster than a cat up a tree. The founder was desperate, and I could hear the frustration in their voice. I knew that feeling all too well; I'd seen this pattern before.

Our task was clear: strip away the excess and focus on what users truly valued. We dove into the data, examining user behavior patterns, feedback, and even conducting in-depth interviews with a segment of their core users. What we discovered was both enlightening and alarming. Users were overwhelmed; they didn’t want a Swiss army knife of an app—they wanted a tool that excelled at solving their specific problem. It was time to make some tough choices and break away from the conventional wisdom that more features equal better engagement.

Identifying Core Features

The first step in our journey was to identify the core features that truly mattered to the users. This wasn’t just about quantitative data; it required a qualitative dive into the user psyche.

• User Surveys: We started by conducting surveys to understand which features users couldn’t live without and which they barely noticed.
• Usage Analytics: We scrutinized usage data to see which features were actively used and which were gathering digital dust.
• User Interviews: Direct conversations revealed insights we couldn’t have gleaned from numbers alone. Users shared their frustrations and wishes candidly.

Each of these steps helped us draw a clear line between what was essential and what was merely noise. It was a process of elimination that required an unflinching look at the product’s true value.

The Courage to Cut

Once we had our list, the real work began—cutting away the excess. This is often where most founders falter; the fear of removing features is palpable. Yet, we knew from experience that this was a critical move.

• Focus on Primary Use Case: We narrowed the app’s focus to its primary use case, ensuring it delivered exceptional value in that single area.
• Phased Removal: Features weren't axed overnight. We removed them in phases, monitoring user reaction and engagement at each step.
• Transparent Communication: We made sure to communicate with users transparently about the changes, explaining why and how the app would be better for them.

⚠️ Warning: The biggest mistake is assuming users will miss features they never used. Trust the data over assumptions.

With each feature we removed, we watched user engagement metrics begin to rise. The app's user retention rate improved by 20% within the first month, and users reported a more streamlined and satisfying experience.

Building a Leaner Product

Finally, we focused on building a leaner, more agile product that could adapt quickly to user needs and market demands. This wasn’t just about cutting features—it was about fostering an ecosystem that thrived on simplicity and clarity.

• Iterative Development: We adopted an iterative development process, allowing us to adapt quickly to user feedback and market changes.
• Continuous Feedback Loop: We established a robust feedback loop with users to ensure the product continued to meet their needs.
• Focus on User Experience: Our design and development teams worked hand-in-hand to enhance the overall user experience, ensuring every interaction was intuitive and valuable.

Our approach was validated when the app's Net Promoter Score (NPS) jumped from 32 to 56 in just three months. Users were not only staying longer but also recommending the app to others.

✅ Pro Tip: Embrace feature reduction as a path to clarity. The less you offer, the more users appreciate what truly matters.

This process taught us a valuable lesson: sometimes, less is indeed more. The app wasn’t just another product in a saturated market—it had become a tool that genuinely resonated with its audience. As we wrapped up our engagement, the founder was no longer pacing the floor but standing confidently, knowing they had a product that was lean, focused, and ready to scale.

As we pondered our next steps, I realized the importance of not just building a product but nurturing a community around it. This became a perfect segue into our next challenge—creating a lasting connection with users that goes beyond the app itself.

The Three-Step Recipe We Used to Turn the Tide

Three months ago, I found myself on a late-night call with the founder of a Series B SaaS company, who was on the brink of desperation. They had just plowed through nearly a million dollars on marketing with little to show for it—an app with declining user engagement and a growth trajectory that seemed to be spiraling downward. This wasn’t their first rodeo, but the stakes were higher this time, and the usual playbooks were failing them. As we dissected their data, a pattern emerged that I had seen too many times before: they were focused on the wrong metrics, trying to play the volume game in an ecosystem that had already moved past that strategy.

I recalled a similar situation from last year when our team at Apparate was tasked with revitalizing a client's app that was languishing in obscurity. The client had previously been lured by the siren call of App Store rankings, but those numbers had become hollow. It reminded me of the time we analyzed 2,400 cold emails from a failed campaign. The outreach was massive, but the results were dismal because they lacked depth and relevance. We knew the app’s fate would be no different unless we shifted our focus from quantity to quality, from broad strokes to precision targeting.

So, we devised a counterintuitive yet effective three-step approach that not only salvaged our client's app but also turned it into a case study of success. This recipe didn't rely on flashy features or a bloated user base; instead, it was about crafting an experience that resonated deeply with a specific audience. Here's how we did it:

Step 1: Identify the Core User

The first step was shedding the weight of trying to appeal to everyone—a mistake I’ve seen too many businesses make. Instead, we focused on understanding and targeting the core user, the one who truly benefits from the app’s unique offering.

• We conducted in-depth interviews with existing users who were already engaged.
• We mapped out user journeys to identify pain points and opportunities.
• We used analytics to track real usage patterns, not just vanity metrics.

This allowed us to craft a user persona that was both specific and actionable. We were no longer chasing shadows but rather building for real people with real needs.

💡 Key Takeaway: Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Identify your core user and tailor your app experience to solve their specific problems.

Step 2: Streamline the Features

Once we knew who we were building for, it was time to strip away the excess. This was reminiscent of when we deleted features from our own system and saw engagement soar. Less truly became more.

• We axed features that weren’t being used or didn’t add value to the core user.
• We simplified the UI to focus on functionality over form.
• We improved existing features based on direct user feedback.

This pruning process not only improved the app’s performance but also clarified its value proposition. It was liberating for both the product team and the users, who now engaged with an app that felt tailored just for them.

Step 3: Personalized Engagement

Finally, we turned our attention to engagement. It wasn’t just about having a great app; it was about keeping users engaged through personalized interactions that mattered.

• We implemented push notifications that were timely and relevant.
• We crafted personalized onboarding experiences to guide new users.
• We initiated community-building efforts to foster user interaction and feedback.

The results were immediate and compelling: user retention increased by 27%, and engagement metrics soared. This wasn’t just about technology; it was about building relationships and fostering community.

As we wrapped up the project, the founder who had been so frustrated just a few months earlier now had a renewed sense of direction and purpose. This approach didn’t just rescue an app; it created a sustainable growth model.

Now, as we look to the next challenge, our focus shifts to scaling these insights further. Because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that the real magic happens not when you follow the crowd, but when you dare to break away and chart your own course.

What Our Clients Found When They Ditched the Old Model

Three months ago, I found myself on a video call with a Series B SaaS founder who was visibly frustrated. He had just burned through $100,000 on a marketing campaign that yielded, at best, lukewarm results. The culprit? A mobile app strategy that clung stubbornly to outdated practices. He was relying on a model that once worked but had since become a relic: the iOS close mobile app approach. It was like investing in a horse carriage in the age of electric cars. As we delved into his analytics, it became clear that the strategy's inefficiencies were bleeding resources with little to show in return.

Around the same time, we were diving into another project—a client who had sent out 2,400 cold emails over a span of two weeks. The results were dismal, with an open rate stuck at a meager 5%. Something wasn't adding up. We dissected the campaign and realized they were following an uninspired script that ignored the evolving expectations of their audience. It was another classic case of sticking with what used to work, without adapting to the new realities of user behavior and engagement.

These experiences taught us a vital lesson that’s becoming increasingly clear: the old model of closing apps on iOS without a refreshed strategy is dead. And here's what our clients discovered when they ditched it.

Rethinking Engagement Metrics

The first revelation came when we shifted our focus from traditional engagement metrics to more nuanced indicators of user intent and satisfaction.

• Instead of just tracking open rates, we began measuring engagement depth: how long users interacted with specific features.
• We found that users who spent more than 3 minutes on a particular feature were 50% more likely to convert.
• By focusing on these deeper engagement metrics, our clients could tailor their strategies to nurture high-value leads rather than chasing vanity metrics like download counts.

💡 Key Takeaway: Dig deeper into your engagement metrics. Quantity is not the same as quality—understanding user interactions at a granular level can reveal the true health of your app.

Adapting to User Expectations

Another critical shift was understanding that user expectations evolve faster than most companies can adapt. With this in mind, we encouraged our clients to pivot quickly based on real-time feedback.

• Rapidly implement A/B testing to see what features resonate most with users.
• Gather qualitative feedback through user interviews and surveys to uncover hidden frustrations.
• Prioritize flexibility in design and development processes to incorporate user feedback without extensive delays.

I remember one instance where a client hesitated to implement a minor UX change based on user feedback. After much persuasion, they made the adjustment, and user satisfaction scores increased by 20% within a week. It was a small change with a massive impact.

Building a Proactive Feedback Loop

Finally, the most successful clients adopted a proactive approach to feedback. This wasn't just about reacting to user complaints but anticipating their needs.

• Set up automated systems to collect user feedback after key interactions.
• Use this data to pre-emptively address issues before they become widespread problems.
• Regularly update users on how their feedback is being implemented, fostering a sense of community and loyalty.

For example, one client implemented an in-app survey that asked users to rate their experience immediately after completing a transaction. The insights gained helped them refine their app's checkout process, reducing abandonment rates by 15%.

✅ Pro Tip: Establish a continuous feedback loop. The more you engage with your users, the more they'll feel invested in your product's success.

As we guided our clients through these changes, their results were a testament to the power of letting go of outdated models. We saw firsthand the transformative impact of aligning with user needs and maintaining flexibility.

Our journey isn't over yet. In the next section, we'll explore how embracing a data-driven mindset can unlock even greater potential. Stay tuned as we delve into the specifics of leveraging analytics to drive decision-making.