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Bummer news if you were planning on quitting your day job to become an indie mobile app developer: Most of them don’t make that much money.

A new report from RevenueCat, which offers subscription tools for mobile app developers, looked at data from the 29k+ apps it supports, per TechCrunch.

It found:

• The median monthly revenue for apps at least one year old is less than $50.
• The top 5% of apps generate 200x more revenue than the bottom quartile one year after launch.
• Just 17.2% of apps ever exceed $1k in monthly revenue. Of those that do, ~35% grow to $5k/month, but only 3.5% hit $10k/month.

Any good news?

The industry is still growing, despite subscription fatigue and consumers spending less amid inflation. There are also other ways for apps to make money — a 2024 prediction surfaced by Revenue Cat and the experts it consulted in its report.

For example: While games have long offered in-app purchases, Dan Layfield, founder of Subscription Index, pointed out that Tinder monetizes by allowing users to buy “super likes.” Other strategies could include in-app ads or affiliate marketing.

Cool. Any other cool predictions?

Here are two:

• Jenny Kay Pollock, founder of Women and AI, predicts an increase in AI features akin to DuoLingo’s new Max subscription, which uses ChatGPT to build personalized language lessons.
• Steve P. Young, founder and CEO of App Masters, thinks the move is to build not just one big app, but a portfolio of smaller apps that appeal to niche markets.

Here’s a niche app for free: Merlin, powered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, helps you identify birds.

Today, ~95% of US teens have access to a smartphone.

That means a lot of arguments with parents about screen time, social media, and online safety. According to new data from Pew Research Center, technology use is affecting the whole family:

• Nearly 40% of parents and teens report regularly arguing about phone screen time.
• Forty-six percent of teens say their parents get distracted by their phone when trying to have a conversation, while only 31% of parents say the same.
• Fifty percent of parents say they’ve looked through their teenager’s smartphone, and 43% say it’s hard to manage their teen’s screen time.

Amid all that commotion, some parents and teens are aware that it might serve them well to step away from the screen — 38% of teens and 47% of parents say they spend too much time on their smartphone.

Of course, experts have long been raising serious concerns about social media’s effect on children. The Senate recently held a hearing with tech CEOs to discuss the ramifications.

While legislation is slow to pass…

… change might first come from inside the home. As it turns out, some teenagers are not so interested in their phones — or, at least, recognize the negative consequences of being on them too much.

• Seventy-two percent of US teens report often or sometimes feeling peaceful without their smartphones (while 44% say it causes anxiety).
• Thirty-nine percent of teens say they’ve cut back on their time spent on social media, and 36% say they’ve lowered their screen time.

Don’t get us wrong, the numbers show that most teens are content with the amount of time they spend on their phones.

But those who are feeling burnt out by tech might explain some recent trends. Gen Zers have shown interest in outdated tech like flip phones, digital cameras, and even landlines; some are trying to ditch tech entirely.

Ultimately, 70% of teens think the benefits of smartphones outweigh the harms. So, buckle up parents — it appears the arguments will continue for the time being.