Asides
Can Apps Be Hacked?
Are the apps on your phone secure?
Security today is a huge concern and has been since the technological shift from Y2K. There is often a false sense of security when it comes to mobile and web applications. They can be hacked. So what can you do to prevent your apps from being hacked? Whether it’s your own product that you’ve created you’re concerned about or an application on your phone there are measures you can take that will make your applications more secure.
Applications on Your Phone
- Be mindful of your surroundings
When using your phone in public there are most likely people within your close proximity. Think airport, on a train, on a bus, or any other setting where you might have someone close to you. Your phone’s screen can be seen. If the screen can be seen then what you are typing and the application that you are using can be seen as well. Ever thought about why some banking apps allow you to hide your credentials and account balances? Because the sheer fact that they can be viewed may put you at risk (especially if you’re fortunate enough to have a lot of zeroes!). Just be aware of your surroundings and keep your phone away from prying eyes.
2. Password Security
It goes without saying that password is not a password. While they may be difficult to remember, using a password similar to the secure passwords that Google generates are probably the most secure types of passwords out there. Even two-factor authentication these days is questionable. Many apps require some form of email sign-in. As a user when you put your email credentials into an app, how can you be sure that the application developer/owner isn’t able to view those? It actually is a pretty big concern. We recommend using apps that are reputable as far as having a good track record of users and reviews. If you question it, don’t your info out there. Going with your gut can save you a lot of heartaches.
3. When it’s out of your hands
Application developers are supposed to put in certain securities that can keep hackers out (we’ll discuss this more below). When apps are not secure in the backend you as the user may have no idea. You might have the most secure password in the world that no one knows except for you. If the backend of the app is not secure and you enter your information it could become compromised at no fault of your own.
Product Security For Your Own App
How can a product owner know if the app is secure?
Pentesting is a shorter term for penetration testing. This is a test to find vulnerabilities in your applications or network. Developers will create simulated attacks on the app to expose where the cracks are in security. If the app doesn’t keep the intruders out in the test (considered a fail), the developers can then view what information by the “user” was accessed and potentially stolen.
Without doing these vulnerability tests, no one can use an application with confidence that their information is safe. The app stores do an excellent job of vetting application developers but to say the process is perfect would be inaccurate. There will always be someone trying to hack software which means they believe that there is a way in.
If you want to learn more about application security consider chatting with one of our developers today!
Drop us a line at (208) 344-1115
Can Apps Be Downloaded to Laptop?
A laptop is a portable version of a desktop computer. What does that mean for apps?
If you are still unsure of what an app is let us briefly break them down for you. Apps are software ran on your smartphone and computer. When ran on your phone software is called a mobile app (unless using a website via mobile) and when ran on a computer (phones are basically computers now) through a website, it is called a web app.
So can you download apps onto a laptop?
Yes! Web apps and other applications.
If you’ve ever been to Paypal.com you have used a web app. If you’ve ever been to amazon.com you’ve used a webapp. Facebook.com is another one.
A web app has a user interface that allows visitors to interact with software on a wesbite. A website is simply a collection of webpages under a single domain.
But aren’t I interacting with a website?
Yes. Yes, you are. There’s a lot of overlap when it comes to software.
It gets even more confusing when you bring up an application like Excel for example which doesn’t require a website to run on your laptop.
Are you following? So we have applications that run on your laptop (Web apps, and applications like excel) and then we have applications that run on your smartphone (mobile apps and any web apps that you access via your internet browser)
Phew. Did we explain that okay? Let us know in the comments!
Can Apps Be Stored On a SD Card?
If you’re looking to put your apps on an external device, an SD Card might be the best option.
We haven’t encountered a situation where we would need an app placed onto an SD card yet but if you wanted to transfer it here’s how.
We’re pulling these steps from Business Insider, we recommend you go to their site and read the full article here.
How to move apps to an SD card from an Android
- Open the Settings app and tap “Apps.”
- Tap an app that you want to move to the storage card.
- On the app’s details page, you should see a section called “Storage,” which summarizes how much space the app is taking up on your phone’s internal storage — tap “Storage.”
- You should see that the storage being used is Internal Storage. Tap “Change” and then, in the pop-up window, choose the storage card.
- To move the app to your SD card, just tap “Change” and then choose the SD card.
- On the next page, tap “Move.”
- When it’s done, the app will now be located on the SD card.
Bear in mind that the option to move to an external storage device is only available if the developer themselves has enabled that functionality. Not every app can do this, and not every phone can either. Apple devices are not manufactured with an external device slot. If you’re one that likes to transfer apps between devices this might be a downfall. Also, having the option to insert an SD card does help free up some of the storage on your Android device.
Are Apps Software?
Apps are to software as snakes are to reptiles.
By that text above you probably got the answer already but we wanted to break it down even further. Snakes are reptiles, and reptiles are snakes…and lizards…and turtles… and crocodiles.
Apps are software and software is apps…mobile apps…web apps…programs.
We had to clarify the difference between mobile and web apps because frankly there is one. A mobile app is a software that is used on a mobile device such as a phone. A web app is a software that is used on a device with access to a website. Phones act as computers nowadays so sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the two.
Most commonly your mobile app is one of the squares on your phone with round corners.
You may not even realize you’re using a web app. You might just think you’re on a website (and you’re not wrong). The web app allows a user to interact with the website in a way that a normal website can’t. Think PayPal or Venmo. Those are web apps within websites (and they’re mobile apps as well).
Sometimes for the sake of differentiation, it’s easier to just say app when referring to software on your phone and websites for software on the web. Just know, that apps are software and snakes are reptiles.
Are Apps Safer Than Websites?
Is using an app guaranteed safe? Why or why not? Read below to find out.
When you download an app you might have to pay for it. The app is run through Apple’s Store so it’s probably safe right?
Maybe. When was the last time that you checked to see who the author or developer of the app was? Are they reputable? Are they a company? An individual?
When you downloaded then loaded an app, what information were you asked to provide? Were you asked for an email? A phone number? How about a home address?
Believe it or not, all of the above has been asked within apps in the past. Sometimes this info is taken without you knowing it.
Questioning the fact that an app knows where you live?
Do you happen to allow location tracking with any of your apps? If you do, more than likely you go home to sleep at night correct? Do you think that the app doesn’t recognize where you go every day? Or where you are when you are using it? That’s the whole point of location tracking after all isn’t it? To track you?
Now let’s talk about websites. When you visit a website there are these things called “cookies”. These should be called bread crumbs. You recall Hansel and Gretel right?
To explain cookies simply, when you visit a website that has cookies enabled they are able to see where you go from that website. At each new website you visit thereafter, you leave a breadcrumb. Those websites can then use that data to target you and the others that visited their website with new information and new data. You’re basically leaving a trail for them to follow.
So are apps safer than websites? No. They might track you or your information a little differently than a website, but that doesn’t make them safer. It doesn’t necessarily make them unsafe either. You just need to be aware and judicious of what information you are providing.
If you’re bored and want to know the kind of information an app collects, try reading the privacy agreement in the app store. It’s quite…informative.
Or if you don’t feel like reading all that fancy jargon give us a call at 208 344 1115, or shoot us an email at hello@matraex.com. We’d love to break down app security versus website security for you.
Are Apps Free In 2022?
Free apps? They might not be as “free” as you think.
Are apps free to download in 2022? Yes. There most certainly are free to download apps out there. Check out the screenshot from our phone.
Do you see the word “GET” there? Those apps are free to download. Now, check out the first app on the list, “A Musical Story” it costs $4.99 to download. That’s a paid app. But, if you look a little closer under the “free” apps you will see “In-App Purchases”. Are they really free?
Your “free” app could just be a trial
You might be able to download the app for free but that doesn’t always mean you will have access to all of the main features. Sometimes it will be a 7-day trial. Sometimes you can only play the first level of a game. Sometimes you get the whole app for free. Sometimes.
Your powerbill will reflect the cost
Researchers at the University of Southern California, the Rochester Institute of Technology and Queen’s University did a study on phone usage found that phone apps with ads use 16% more energy. This translates to 1.7 cents every time a user used the app based on a per MB charge by AT&T. So if you are the type of person that plays on your phone throughout the day, your “free” app is actually costing you.
Do you consider your data free?
In 2018 Semantic did a study on 100 free apps in the Google Play Store and the data that they were able to gather on their users. Here’s some numbers:
45% had users’ locations tracked
46% had access to a user’s camera
25% could record audio
10% got your phone log
4% had user addresses
If you put a price on this kind of information would you really call it “free”?
You might want to check your data usage
with your phone carrier
Free doesn’t mean that it doesn’t use cellular data. If you don’t pay for unlimited data free apps might cost you, and if you pay for unlimited because of all of your “free” apps, they already are.
The Verdict?
So are apps free in 2022? Sure if it says “GET” that app is free to download. But is it really free? We’ll let you be the judge.
What Would You Do Differently If You Were To Build Your App Again?
Most app developers start with one but have so many ideas they end up developing multiple apps. After
you’ve built your first app, it’s time to evaluate the process and figure out what you might do differently.
Let’s look at a few things to consider before you decide to develop your next app.
Fewer Features
Did you include too many features in your first app? After launching, maybe you found out users felt
overwhelmed by the features or simply didn’t use most of them.
While you want your new app to be the coolest with the best features, too many features can cause
issues. It’s better to start off with an app prototype with the most important features and add features
as users make suggestions.
Investing too much Money
Maybe your first app cost you a large sum of money and you really don’t want to go down that road
again. With our app prototype service, you can keep the initial investment lower and fine-tune your app
before investing a larger amount of cash.
Focus on the User More
Did you spend months upon months with tunnel vision the first time around? You treated your app like
a new baby joining your family and wanted it to the absolutely perfect. It turned out to be your vision
and launched just as you wanted, but the users barely factored into the equation.
Getting as much input from test groups, user groups, early adopters, early investors, and others helps to
make your app stronger. Our team will help you with your next app by providing an app prototype
service. In just two weeks, we deliver a working app to your phone, which you can use for testing with
users and presenting to investors.
Outsource the Work
Did you have your app developed in-house? This can get rather expensive since you pay for the people
working on your app day in and day out.
When you outsource the work to a development company, you pay when you need them, not when
they show up to work.
When you hire Matraex, we charge a flat fee for our app prototype service. It doesn’t matter how many
developers we have on the project or the amount of time it takes them each day, the fee is the same.
Outsourcing your app development can help you avoid unnecessary expenses. The right developers will
already know the programming language you need and will likely work faster than an in-house team.
Plus, ongoing expenses only occur when you need work done instead of when employees clock in for
the day.
If you’re ready to develop another app, our app prototype service offers the right solution for you. Why
should you have to fork over tens of thousands of dollars and wait months to see your app in action? Let
us create an app prototype for you in just two weeks!
What App Will You Launch Next?
You’ve finished launching an app and you have a mind full of ideas for the next one. What will it be? Did
you learn from the process? Are you going to go about it differently this time around?
There are a few key things to remember when launching a new app. Even if you’ve been through the
process before, you have decisions to make with this new app. Let’s look at a few things to remember
before you launch your next big app idea.
Will users find value?
The most important factor to help you decide to develop a new app is whether or not the users will find
value. Will they be willing to pay for the app, refer others, or will there be another way you can turn a
profit from the app?
If the users don’t find value in your app, it won’t provide the profits you desire.
How long will it take to build your new app?
Did the first app you developed take months or even a year to finish? Do you really want to go through
months of development again?
Some apps take longer than others to develop. It depends on the type of team you choose and how you
go about app development. Maybe you’re ready to jump back into developing another app, but you
want to look at your options this time around.
You can choose traditional app development and wait an average of four to six months. Another option
is to choose our app prototype service and have something to present to investors and customers in just
two weeks.
If you don’t want to invest the full cost of app development in time and money, start by creating an app
prototype. With a prototype, you gain the advantage of getting an app on your phone in less time to see
what users and investors think.
How much will your new app cost to build and maintain?
Figuring out the cost is vital to any app project. If you choose to develop the app in full before launching
it, you will likely spend tens of thousands of dollars, maybe more. Maintaining the app will also come
with ongoing costs to consider.
You can lower the cost of development by starting with our app prototype service. We charge a flat fee
of $10,000 to develop your app prototype and you’ll have a working prototype in just two weeks.
If you’re ready to launch your next app, it’s time to consider the right process. Maybe you went through
the full app development process last time around without a prototype first. This time, it’s wise to start
with an app prototype with only the most important features. After gathering suggestions and data from
users and investors, you can develop your app better while keeping the initial cost down.
So, You’ve Launched an App, Now What?
You went through the process of developing an app and launched it. Now, what do you do with the app?
What’s next?
After you’ve launched, it’s time to gather data, make adjustments, and, in some cases, re-launch. You
want to find out the features users like the most and anything they want next. Of course, this is
assuming your app has a way to collect suggestions from users.
For most apps, development is continuous. You will launch updates and add features as you discover
what users want. It’s important to know, app development is a marathon, not a sprint. You will want to
make your app even better by adding in new features, improving existing features, and getting rid of
unnecessary features.
User Suggestions
Depending on the type of app you’ve launched, collecting user suggestions is the next step after
launching. Let users tell you what they like and what they wish your app provided. Whether you provide
a survey or give them away to make suggestions in the app, this data is priceless if you want to create a
better, more user-friendly app.
Cut Costs & Create a Better App with an App Prototype
If you haven’t developed your app yet or you’re about to start working on the next app, it’s time to
consider an app prototype. By choosing full app development, you’re committing the maximum time
and money to a project without collecting any user suggestions. An app prototype provides a better way
to launch your app with a lower investment.
Instead of wasting time and money guessing what users want, create an app prototype with minimal
features. Then, when you find out what users actually want and need, you can invest in the features you
know they will use and like.
At Matraex we provide a fast, low-risk app prototype service to ensure you gain the tools to develop the
best app for your users. Our team will create an app prototype in as little as two weeks giving you
something tangible to present to investors and customers.
You can gain invaluable insight into what users want with our app prototype service. Once you have the
right information from your app users, you can make a larger investment into the right features you
know will be a hit!