Hands up who uses a mobile device before going to bed! That’s right, everyone! Don’t be so surprised. We all do that and most of us know how harmful this activity is for our health but we can’t stop doing it. It is impossible not to check your phone during the night and this is why we won’t advise you to leave your device in the other room while you sleep. Instead, we will tell you that there are apps specially designed for solving this problem. One of them is Twilight and we will discuss the reasons why users appreciate it so much.
Brilliant Idea
Twilight was created by Urbandroid, a development team which started in 2010 and continues to create apps that “enhance everyday urban life”, as they describe their work. Urbandroid focus on creations that help users to improve their sleep. Twilight is an app available on Google Play Store which lowers the screen backlight for night reading and allows users to fall asleep earlier. Actually, the problem is the blue light which affects the circadian rhythm and reduces Melatonin production. That is the hormone responsible for the sleep-wake cycles. We just adapted the app description but if you want to know more about this process we invite you to check the articles recommended on the official site. Further, we will discuss the methods used by Urbandroid for attracting users.
How Twilight Did It
It’s been a while since we talked about Health and Fitness apps and Twilight seems a great example if you want to remember how to promote this type of apps.
Free
Let’s be honest! Whenever somebody recommends an app, the first concern before checking the app is its price. If it is a paid app, we all have second thoughts whether we should or shouldn’t spend our money on an app we’ve never tried before. But, at the moment we notice that the app is free we start downloading it. This is the psychology behind free apps but not always an install brings value to the development team because when users see that the app isn’t what they need, they uninstall it immediately. For this reason, it is important to have a relevant description of the app, not to do keyword stuffing hoping that everything will work out well. Luckily, this is not the case with Twilight since it offers all these beneficial features for free and explains the app’s functionality in detail.
Premium
Usually, developers offer a free product with ads and if users want to enjoy the app without promotional content they are asked to buy the premium version. But Urbandroid considered a different approach. The app is free without ads and it can be used without purchasing in-app items. In case users need additional features they can access the premium option. With Twilight Pro, they are able to adjust the transition time or to turn off the app when they aren’t using it. And it makes sense. What’s the point of displaying ads when users just want to focus on checking their phone for a few minutes (or hours, in some hopeless cases…)? Remember that ads are efficient only when they are applied in a smart way, not anytime and anywhere.
Onboarding
The truth is that there are people who aren’t aware of the harm caused by the blue light for their eyes. Despite this fact, the app is very intuitive and customers have no problems using it. When users run the app for the first time, a friendly onboarding flow gives them all the necessary information about the product. The app starts by explaining the principle behind its functionality with a tutorial and a preview button. Further, on the same page, users are invited to set their preferences by adjusting the color temperature, intensity, and screen dim. Next, they can customize the way Twilight applies the filter during a day. For more settings, users will be guided to the next page that allows them to check other facilities. In fact, the app is very easy to control and to adapt according to users’ needs.
Ratings
While most of us check our phone instinctively in the middle of the night, other factors can influence the way we sleep. Twilight app filters the blue light but it can’t do miracles. If you’ve never had a healthy sleeping routine, if you drink too much coffee during the day or if you have so many problems which keep you awake at night, you can’t count on Twilight to fix them. The point is that the app really does what it says. It applies a red filter and adjusts the phone screen according to local sunset and sunrise times. Users who understand its utility are encouraged to support the app. They can do that by sharing it with their friends, giving it a positive rating or donating for improving the app. A message is constantly displayed on the screen asking users if the app was helpful for them. This is an efficient way to make sure that users recommend your app without annoying them with all kinds of useless notifications.
Bonus Tip: You Need To Constantly Communicate With Your Users!
As we already mentioned before you need to keep in touch with your users. Whether you would love to see them giving you 5 stars in the app store or they are having troubles with your product you have to permanently maintain the connection with your customers. In this case, users often ask why Twilight needs information about their location. After explaining the reasons, other issues may appear. For example, with the launch of Android Oreo, the app doesn’t function as usual because Google doesn’t allow apps to apply filters over the lock screen and notification area. Instead of hiding this fact, the team answers to users’ questions, knowing that transparency is very important for the relationship between brand and customers.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Twilight is an appreciated app allowing users to check their emails and social accounts or to read before going to bed. At the same time, the way Urbandroid present the app represents an inspiring lesson for all app owners who want to impress their audience with a simple, yet an efficient product.