We’ve added three new features to the 42matters Explorer! Now, you can see which iOS apps have in-app purchases, determine which Android apps include interactive elements, and export more refined mobile app data.
If you haven’t noticed, our development team is on a roll. Over the past few days, we’ve added three(!) new filters to the 42matters Explorer. You should check them out: iOS Content Advisories, Google Play Content Descriptors, and Age Approved by Teachers.
But we’re not done yet! Not even close. It’s our pleasure to announce the addition of three more features to the Explorer platform. In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to two new filters — in-app purchases for iOS apps and interactive elements for Android apps — and a new app export feature that gives users more control over the data they download from the Explorer.
To skip ahead, click the links below:
iOS Filter: In-App Purchases
In-app purchases are pretty self-explanatory. They’re extra content, subscriptions, or services that can be bought inside an app. For instance, while you can download the Netflix app for free, you’ll need to purchase a subscription to access its streaming content. Other examples include virtual currencies or unlockable characters in mobile games.
So, as the name suggests, this new feature will enable you to filter iOS apps by whether or not they have in-app purchases.
Where Can You Find the In-App Purchases Filter on the Explorer?
To use the in-app purchases filter for iOS apps, do the following:
1. Launch the 42matters Explorer
Open the 42matters ‘Launchpad’ and click ‘iOS Apps’ in the section titled ‘Explorer.’
2. Tick the Box Next to ‘In-App Purchases’
From the Explorer dashboard, tick the box next to ‘In-App Purchases’ in the ‘Store Listing’ section of the left-hand toolbar. Select ’Yes’ or ’No’ depending on your preference. And that’s it! You’ll get a list that looks like this:
In-App Purchases From the Advanced Query API
That said, the Explorer is a big platform, and you might not be after all the bells and whistles. In which case, you should check out our Advanced Query API, which includes the same in-app purchases data found in the Explorer. Here’s an example from the Advanced Query API:
To take the Advanced Query API for a test drive, sign up for a 14-day free trial!
Android Filter: Interactive Elements
Next up, the interactive elements filter for Android apps. Interactive elements focus on what information an app has access to, what it can do with it, and whether there's user-generated content inside it that may be beyond publisher control.
The 42matters Explorer currently tracks the following interactive elements:
- Users Interact — This indicates whether there's user-generated content inside the app that may be unfiltered or uncensored by the developer. Apps that contain user-generated content include Instagram, Viber, and other social media apps.
- Shares Location — This tells you if an app is able to show your location to other users (a common feature on OTT messaging apps).
- Digital Purchases — This will let you know if an app facilitates purchases. Amazon Shopping, for example.
- In-App Purchases — We covered this one above, but to put it succinctly, this will enable you to see whether an app contains extra content, subscriptions, or services that can be bought inside the app.
- In-Game Purchases — This is basically the same thing as in-app purchases, only for mobile games.
- Shares Info — This will tell you if an app can share your personal information with third-parties.
- Unrestricted Internet — This indicates whether an app has complete access to the Internet (via Firefox, Chrome, etc.).
Where Can You Find Interactive Elements on the Explorer?
To access our Interactive Elements’ section via the 42matters Explorer, do the following.
1. Launch the 42matters Explorer
Open the 42matters ‘Launchpad’ and click ‘Android Apps’ in the section titled ‘Explorer.’
2. Tick the Box Next to ‘Interactive Elements’
From the Explorer dashboard, tick the box next to ‘Interactive Elements’ in the ‘Store Listing’ section of the left-hand toolbar. Use the search bar to find specific Interactive Elements, or browse all elements by clicking ‘List all.’
3. Select the Interactive Elements You Would Like To Filter
To find apps that use specific elements, tick the box next to the elements of interest in the pop-up. Then click confirm to apply the filter.
4. And That’s That!
You should end up with a list that looks something like this:
One thing to note! The 42matters Explorer provides the additional Interactive Elements filtering options “Match any” and “Match all.” The “Match any” function works as an OR operator, listing all apps that contain any of the elements you list. Alternatively, the “Match all” function will list all apps that contain all the elements you list.
Interactive Elements From the Advanced Query API
Just like in-app purchases, you can also use our Advanced Query API to extract information on interactive elements. Here’s an example from the Advanced Query API.
Try the Advanced Query API by signing up for a 14-day free trial!
Last but not least, thanks to our updated app export feature, you’ll have more control over the number of apps you export from our database. Indeed, this new tool — which is available for both iOS and Android apps — will enable you to export data on as many as 3,500 apps.
Where Can You Find the App Export Tool?
To use our precision app export feature, do the following.
1. First, Choose Which Columns You Want to Export
Click the “Configure Columns” tab in the right-hand corner of the Explorer dashboard. Then, tick the boxes next to the column content titles you’re interested in exporting.
2. Click the “Export Apps” Button to Open the App Export Dialog
In the dialog, you’ll be able to select how many apps you want to export either by entering the exact number or by adjusting the slider accordingly.
You’ll also have two additional options. You can either select “Currently selected columns” to export the columns you selected in step 1 (see above), or you can select “All columns” to export the entire dataset for each app.
When you’re done, click “Export.” This will initiate the export process and deliver your data to your registered email address.
Curious about our mobile app and game data? Try the 42matters Explorer free for 14 days!
Get Started With 42matters!
At 42matters, we provide app insights, data, and analytics via a host of useful APIs, file dumps, and the 42matters Explorer.
The Explorer, which you can try free for 14-days, is an app market research tool that offers a comprehensive look at app trends and statistics. Aside from content descriptor insights, this includes in-depth, visual information on downloads, categories, top charts, rating and review analyses, and more. This data can be downloaded as a CSV file and leveraged however you like — in your own algorithms, analyses, products, studies, etc.
If you would like to learn more about in-app purchases, interactive elements, or any of our other recent updates, schedule a free demo with one of our experts!
