One in five smartphone apps are launched just once

Sports and games apps are the most likely apps to get dumped after a single session, whereas social media and weather apps are the most likely to take up permanent residence on consumers’ handsets.

Sports and games apps are the most likely apps to get dumped after a single session, whereas social media and weather apps are the most likely to take up permanent residence on consumers' handsets.

Twenty percent of all apps downloaded worldwide might seem like a lot, but it's actually a massive improvement and shows that on the whole, apps across all categories are getting better at offering something that people want in a package that is simple or intuitive to use.

According to research from app tracking and insight firm Localytics, in 2010, when Apple's App Store and Google's Google Play Stores were nowhere near close to offering 1 million apps to download, 26 % of apps were abandoned after their initial try. Even last year, the figure stood at 22 %.

But as well as app abandonment rates, app retention rates are also improving, and today 39 % of all apps get used at least 11 times once installed.

And when the numbers are spilt by platform, Android apps seem to be doing a better job of holding users' attention. Nearly half (45%) of apps on Android devices get used 11 times or more, compared with 34 % of apps running on iPhones, iPads and the Pod touch devices.

As for apps that fail to ingratiate themselves into a consumer's daily smartphone routine, they're most likely to be focused on sport or to be games. They have dumping rates of 23 % and 22 % respectively, placing them higher than the average rejection rate across both major smartphone platforms.

Photography and food and drink apps (21%) are also more likely to fail to inspire, while at the other end of the scale social networking (11%) and weather (9%) are the most likely to live another day.