[Journey] Building an iOS & Android App Empire

[baidovich]

Using a VPS worked fine for me. For browser use Opera. When account creation you have to make sure you are using the location where your IP is. Choose a random street in the city your IP is in. Can make a new Gmail account, but phone verification should also be from the same country that you sign up from.

Thanks a lot bro.
Tried a vps before but my account was banned due to prior violations... seems like they still can track me, or someone else has already used that vps.

Can you recommend any good VPS providers?

Thanks again!

 

[nakamura]

Update:

Apps still make consistent $100-150 per day and the amount is growing since many apps I uploaded between 15th - 30th January are still in this sandbox/shadow ban (out of rankings on the Play store) and they are slowly entering the rankings and improving.

No app got removed. Seems like the removing "toxic countries" (no offense) really helped avoiding suspensions. These people (probably the same individual/competitor) kept flagging the apps and they knew the weakness of Google Play. They knew Google Play is not backing up their developer and remove/suspend apps for any kind of reason.

My Admob account is still limited. Now I am mostly using Appodeal and Facebook Audience Network.

I have never been the type of person who damages or copies others. Will never be. I always focused on myself and thats probably also the reason why I am such a threat to them.

All this suspension crap could be fixed, if Google would take their own policies more serious. For example: They suspended my app because I had an hyperlink in the app. They said I would "hack" into the device by launching another application. In reality the hyperlink (which linked to plain text without ads or anything bad) simply opened the browser of the phone and this was definitely not a "hack" or anything like this. You guys already see: It all depends on their intrepretation and this is why their policies are so meaningless.

So one of my first advices would be: Avoid getting flagged/reported. Even if its a hoax or absurd claim, they might have a chance of getting you suspended. Unfortunately.

 

[WarlordYT]

i still make 8-10$/day My Goal is 100$/day
One app i upload is also in shadowbox and do u know how much time it will take to make 1$ /day in high competition niches ?

 

[IYASS]

If you don't mind me asking, what's your process after the app approved and goes live in the play store?

I mean do you buy installs or do some ads or you do nothing just leave it like that and it will get installs???

I'm really confused about this part because I wanna try this soon

And what do you think about keyword installs to improve ranking did you try them before?

Good luck.

 

[nakamura]

i still make 8-10$/day My Goal is 100$/day
One app i upload is also in shadowbox and do u know how much time it will take to make 1$ /day in high competition niches ?

Its difficult to say. You need the right app, for the right audience at the right time to bank really hard.

Check this video

If you don't mind me asking, what's your process after the app approved and goes live in the play store?

I mean do you buy installs or do some ads or you do nothing just leave it like that and it will get installs???

I'm really confused about this part because I wanna try this soon

And what do you think about keyword installs to improve ranking did you try them before?

Good luck.

Once the app gets approved I start tracking the keywords and promoting the app. This can be done in several ways. For example keyword installs like you mentioned,social shares, FB groups, blogs, influencer, etc. The only question is: What is your goal. If its just about brand awareness influencer are a great way to promote the app. If its just the download count paid ads like Google adwords is a good choice.

In the end it depends on so many factors:
- is it actually worth it to rank the app? (monthly searches, trend and demand wiill answer this question)
- how is your competition doing and are they offering a better product than you do
- How much is your marketing budget
- your app itself

for example I really believe that if you have an app with an actual value people will download and also share it.

Yes, keyword installs really help with improving the rankings. I also drive external traffic from my websites and also from other platforms.

 

[cernat10]

Thank for your sharing! I just read the whole content and i am struggling the nearly same problem with Google services for 6 months. I have never used any Google services like Ads, admob or dev before. I just created new gmail, dev acc, admob and ads acc. for my first game project. I purchased a puzzle game from sellmyapp and reskined it and uploaded the Google Play. Admob has restricted when game has only 7 (seven) downloaded because of invalid traffic. Which traffic ?? I have never click my own ads or did something suspicious thing on my game or other services. After the restriction Google banned my admob completely. Then i create new one with clean ip and pc and used over 1 month. And then just after passed the threshold for payment, my admob banned again because of invalid traffic and policy problems again, no detail no acceptable reason. After that i searched on internet and decided to create a UK admob account, becasuse i am living in non eu country and google hasn't got offical office here and Google services working very very slowly here.For example you need to wait over 1-2 month for pin. AFter created the UK account everything was going well. I promoted the with Ads and getting download in good prices. 2 weaks after, i got email " ads serving limited and your acc is being assesing" . After 1 month waiting, i got a new email yesterday my account banned completely you can see in the image.

I want to ask you now what you recommend me now ? Buying old admob account is solution ? FAN is not paying in my country. Can i create a UK FB account and getting payment with Payoneer services ? Do you suggest to integrate appodeal or just FAN or Unity ads is enough. My game is downloaded 2 k and biggest part is Tier 3 countries. Which combination is better for me to use, only admob or appodeal with FAN unity ads and admob ?

 

[nakamura]

Which combination is better for me to use, only admob or appodeal with FAN unity ads and admob ?

I don't recommend buying Admob accounts, because you are never safe of getting your account disabled. Chance is pretty high, they are not dumb.

If I would be you I would use a mediation like Appodeal or the Admob mediation. Unity ads might be working well for you, since your app is a game. Otherwise, also use Applovin and other ad networks.

Admob also limited my account for the exact same reason: Invalid traffic. Could be possible the guys who reported my apps were also clicking the ads over and over again and to get them limited (normally Google is aware of this shit).

Google Admob has by far the highest ecpm and fillrate, but their support is NON-EXISTENT and they are pure evil. Like literally evil. They are suspending accounts just before the payment without telling a reason.

 

[cernat10]

I don't recommend buying Admob accounts, because you are never safe of getting your account disabled. Chance is pretty high, they are not dumb.

If I would be you I would use a mediation like Appodeal or the Admob mediation. Unity ads might be working well for you, since your app is a game. Otherwise, also use Applovin and other ad networks.

Admob also limited my account for the exact same reason: Invalid traffic. Could be possible the guys who reported my apps were also clicking the ads over and over again and to get them limited (normally Google is aware of this shit).

Google Admob has by far the highest ecpm and fillrate, but their support is NON-EXISTENT and they are pure evil. Like literally evil. They are suspending accounts just before the payment without telling a reason.

Thanks for your comments. If i use admob mediation still doesn't restriction problem ? do i put the admob in first place then Fan and unity ads in mediation system ? Or i use the admob mediation but dont use the admob ads just add fan and unity sdk ?

 

[nakamura]

Thanks for your comments. If i use admob mediation still doesn't restriction problem ? do i put the admob in first place then Fan and unity ads in mediation system ? Or i use the admob mediation but dont use the admob ads just add fan and unity sdk ?

From what I know the mediation will make sure you have the highest possible fill rate. So, you can implement FAN, Unity ads and other networks. You can choose the ecpm floor for the ads. Maybe also which networks are preferred. I never used Admob mediation, but you can give it a try.

 

[nakamura]

Update:

Just saw Admob lifted the Ad Limit a few days ago. The fill rate is back to 100%. I will add them to Appodeal or update the apps. Lets see! Btw. for your information: I didn't do anything special to get the limit removed. It just happened after around 45 days.

 

[WarlordYT]

Update:

Just saw Admob lifted the Ad Limit a few days ago. The fill rate is back to 100%. I will add them to Appodeal or update the apps. Lets see! Btw. for your information: I didn't do anything special to get the limit removed. It just happened after around 45 days.

Mine is still limited , it going to be 30 days
Are you getting traffic from new apps which you released on 15-30 JAN ? coz mine is in shadowbox period and i already burned 50$ on advertising

 

[nakamura]

Mine is still limited , it going to be 30 days
Are you getting traffic from new apps which you released on 15-30 JAN ? coz mine is in shadowbox period and i already burned 50$ on advertising

That's very strange. One app I uploaded on 20th January is doing well, but all the others are in this shadow box. From my experience this shadow ban lasts around 4-6 weeks.

Also ridiculous how Google integrated this shadow box/ban on almost all of their platforms. YouTube got this shadow ban, Google got this shadow ban (also called sandbox) and the Play Store also got it. At the same time these guys are praising content creation and be like "if you have relevant content you will rank", no, the reason they put us in this shadow ban is they want us to spend money on Adwords to get fast results.

 

[nakamura]

Update:

I just added my Admob to Appodeal, like I explained before: This is how I do it now:

Tier 1 & some Tier 2 countries = Admob
Tier 2, Tier 3 + High risk countries = FAN & Unity Ads

What are high-risk countries? Those countries where my competition is from mainly. In my case it is: Mostly Thailand, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh

The app is not available in those countries anyway.


And here are some insights for you guys. This is ONE app I uploaded three weeks ago. I was driving targeted traffic through social media and paid ads (adwords)

Here are the WORLDWIDE earnings in the last 7 days. Interstitials and Banners:


Here are the earnings from ONLY EUROPE + NORTH AMERICA:



$21 eCPM. 95% of the earnings are just from those two continents.

Now you can think by yourself: Is it actually worth it to risk your app and AdMob account for Tier 3 countries? In my opinion, no. Just imagine this: Earnings $1 per day from Thailand or India and having a high risk of getting reported or click bombed, then limited for "invalid traffic".

So yes, make sure you targeting Tier 1 high paying countries.

Now let me give you one more insight into my Adwords account:



What can you see here? I target only those Tier 1 countries for app downloads.
My daily budget: 5€
Conversions = App installs
Costs per install average = 0.07€ so around $0.085

btw. important to note: The CPI costs depend on your niche, the conversation rate, etc. don't think just because I pay 0.08$ per install you will only pay this as well. It really depends.

I will double the daily budget now and then compare it to the FAN earnings.

 

[X0t0]

Hey man how do you fix the 4.1 risk of violation for Facebook , i keep getting it

 

[WarlordYT]

How do u get 80% impressions from these ad requests , my ad request to impression is 40% also eCPM is 10-12$ for USA and for europe it is 3-6$ . How are u getting so good eCPM
can u show the countries page in FAN ?

 

[s8nn]

My plan is to make apps for Android and iOS in different niches. Later on I will give it a try with mobile games. I want to provide the users with the best possible quality, also in order to get a high retention. I am not going to make easy apps like Wallpaper downloads or something, but something more useful and meaningful.

My main motivation is NOT money. It is to build something sustainable. However, there is A LOT of money to make in the mobile/mobile gaming industry, it is not a secret. Some guys would say it is saturated, but I don't believe so. I just have to be better than the competition. I am willing to go this extra mile.

About me making apps so far:

I started from scratch on February 2020. I had no coding skills and was totally overhelmed with all the knowledge, coding stuff, etc. However, I managed to get the basics and improved step by step. Always learned something new on the way. It was all about getting into this mobile app industry, testing and making experience.

So far I made and monetized around 5 apps so far. I tested the limits, how far I can go until the apps get removed, and also how far I can go with the advertising. There are so many things to consider when making apps. Also, so far I made around $5k or more with apps.

What I got:

- Marketing skills
- iOS and Android developer account
- Ad network accounts
- Knowledge about the market, what I can do and what I shouldn't do (also in regards of Google and their policies)

How will you monetize the apps?

Through ads only so far. I don't plan to implement in-app purchases at this moment.

What ad networks are you going to use?

Admob (has the best eCPM from my experience), Facebook Audience Network/FAN and for some apps Appodeal mediation.

How will you make the apps?

With Swift, Java and for some I will use Flutter.

How will you drive traffic?

Through ads, SEO, social media, in-app ads and ASO

Will you use or do any Blackhat techniques/apps?

No, everything will be whitehat. I found Google has this "zero tolerance" approach on Apps and also on Adsense/Admob. They will directly delete/suspend your account/apps without any chance of reinstating. Basically they don't give a fuck. I don't wanna give them any chance to delete or suspend my account, therefore everything is going to be legit.

Please keep in mind: I don't want to make any apps or my niches public on here. I know many guys (especially in the app business) are copying, using some blackhat techniques or trying to damage/report each other. I want to prevent this from happening.

Yo how do you code the apps and shit? I’m planning to take computer science, is that the right class to take to learn this shit?

 

[Ignatius O]

Nice journey you have here

 

[OccultKingdoms]

Stop wasting your time and get hired at a company. Your skills are worth a bit more than fucking admob.
If your ultimate goal is to make $100 per day with app development, I suppose something went wrong.

 

[nakamura]

Stop wasting your time and get hired at a company. Your skills are worth a bit more than fucking admob.
If your ultimate goal is to make $100 per day with app development, I suppose something went wrong.

First of all: Easier to say than to do. I didn't study anything related to this. I prefer freedom over depending on a company, having colleagues and a boss who tells me when I am allowed to go to holiday and when not.

And don't think I am only making $100-150 per day with apps. I am also having many other projects, some of them earn me way more money. By the way: I could scale it up and earn more. Good luck scaling up your salary in a company.

Thats a typical slave mentality and low resolution thinking.

No mate, I am the fucking guy who is going to hire others. I don't get hired.

Yo how do you code the apps and shit? I’m planning to take computer science, is that the right class to take to learn this shit?

Well, if it helps you. I didn't study anything related to it. All the information on how to build apps are available online. YouTube, Udemy, etc.

How do u get 80% impressions from these ad requests , my ad request to impression is 40% also eCPM is 10-12$ for USA and for europe it is 3-6$ . How are u getting so good eCPM
can u show the countries page in FAN ?

So many factors that come into play. For example your niche, what kinda ads you show, how many ads you show, where you are showing the ads, the structure app, the functionality, etc.

Seriously, I thought very well about where to place what kinda ads to maximize the ecpm. And since your app might be way more different than my app, there is no single solution to it.

Check the adwords screenshot. You can see the main countries I am targeting and get traffic from.

About the 80% impressions: check if the SDK is up to date. Check if you need an app-ads.txt file. It also depends on your niche

Hey man how do you fix the 4.1 risk of violation for Facebook , i keep getting it

Its very hard to judge. It really depends on the app itself. I don't know the quality or the niche of your app, so I have no idea. I got the 4.1 violation twice, sent an appeal and they approved the app.

 

[detriot]

Those CPI costs are very very low... May I only ask of you app category by assuming releasing this piece of info would not hurt your business in any way. Thak you!