Health and fitness apps usage grew over 330%, according to Flurry in their latest findings on the trends of health and fitness apps developers globally.
The app analytics company tracks over 1,000,000 apps across all app categories, providing insights into 2.1 billion devices across both Android and iOS. Flurry found that over 75% of active users open their health & fitness app at least two times a week; there are also addicts – more than 25% of users access their fitness apps more than 10 times a week.
Fitness apps are highly seasonal; according to Flurry data, fitness app usage declines in the last months of the year approaching the holidays. Usage tends to pick up in January, building up to summer and peaking in August, with August 8 marking most activity and December 25 marking lowest activity.
Working out and tracking weight loss are key use cases for health & fitness app users, with workout & weight loss apps account for 73% of all health & fitness app sessions. The largest subcategory, workout & weight loss, shows a significantly slower growth than in the previous year: from 67% in 2015 to 11% in 2016. The other major subcategory, general health, revealed stagnation in the last two years.
While nutrition apps declined in the last year, there is a 49% growth for studio & fitness content apps. Users continuously declared that they want to arrange their studio visits through a mobile application. This trend makes it crucial for gyms and studios to offer an app that lets their users conveniently schedule their workouts and classes.
Activity also corresponds strongly to workout habits. According to US data, users are most motivated to work out from Monday through Wednesday. App usage declines approaching the weekend; Saturday marks the lowest activity by 10% fewer sessions than the weekly average.
By time of day, Flurry found that health & fitness app usage peaks in the morning and evening. People work out before or after heading to work. According to Fitbit, the busiest gym workout times are between 9-11 am and 5-8 pm. Surprisingly, the highest app usage period occurs at around 10 pm. Flurry speculates that it’s partly due to late-night workouts, but most likely from users reviewing daily activity or planning their next day.
Feature image credit: Fitbit
