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Android the way 2go

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb's news editor.
Johannesburg, 10 Dec 2014
2go has 50 million registered users, over 10 million of which are active on a monthly basis.
2go has 50 million registered users, over 10 million of which are active on a monthly basis.

South African-developed mobile social network 2go has reached over two million monthly active users on its Android app in just over a year.

The network, which was initially developed for feature phones, was made available for Android on the Google Play Store in June last year. Peter Lockhart, head of product at 2go, says the milestone reached for Android is proof positive the African smartphone marketplace is not only viable, but thriving.

According to market analyst firm, IDC, Android shipments lead the global smartphone market, with 283 million units shipped, and over 84% of the market share in the third quarter of 2014.

Local research firm World Wide Worx's latest social media landscape research says, in SA, Facebook is the most widely-used social networking site, with about 9.4 million users, followed by Mxit (7.4 million), Twitter (5.5 million), LinkedIn (2.7 million) and, lastly, 2go with 1.1 million active users.

Launched in 2009, 2go has 50 million registered users, over 10 million of which are active on a monthly basis, sending six billion messages a month across Africa. The majority of users are in Nigeria. The company says its primary target market is Africa and emerging market countries where communication costs are high, users are price-sensitive and feature phones dominate.

Android has seen massive growth on the 2go platform, thanks to the introduction of sub-$50 smartphones, which are growing in popularity in Africa.

According to Lockhart, 80% of African users own a feature phone, and building for these devices will still be important in emerging markets for several years to come. However, he says the landscape is changing, largely due to the introduction of low-end smartphones powered by Google's Android operating system.

"Though nowhere near an iPhone in terms of capacity, these low-end smartphones have radically changed the marketplace. This is why, when we decided to launch a 2go smartphone app, we developed it for Android.

"With no marketing effort behind it, the massive success of our Android app shows just how popular smartphones are in the African marketplace. Too often, the common thought is that smartphones are only relevant for high-end consumers in Africa," Lockhart says.

He adds the app's success is due to 2go being cognisant of the realities of developing for the African marketplace.

"Our understanding of the market - price-sensitive users, expensive mobile data, low bandwidth networks and a fragmented Android base - means 2go is purpose-built for emerging markets. Our technology and ability to build technology that addresses these realities has been key to the success of 2go for Android."

Lockhart believes companies that want to make the most of this changing landscape need to be preparing now.

"While today 2go users are mostly on feature phones - which is a key differentiator for us - smartphones, especially low-end Android devices, are a critical part of 2go's future strategy. As users migrate from their feature phones, 2go is well-positioned to migrate these users to its smartphone apps."

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