We have already seen how big a business app developers have be it iOS developers or Android ones. However, there are certain things that are not out in public about them. One of the tricks used by app developers is a tool called Uninstall tracker. Yes, it is exactly what the name suggests. It is basically a tracker if the app has been uninstalled or not. This was found very recently by Bloomberg and they have published a report regarding it. According to the outlet, app developers have started to use Uninstall trackers for their apps.
Also, it should be noted that uninstall tracker usage is against the policy of both Google and Apple. It is also said by Alex Austin, CEO, Branch Metrics that “It’s just generally sketchy to track people around the internet after they’ve opted out of using your product.”. Therefore, it must be clear that uninstall tracker usage is illegal as well as unethical. However, you must know that they are being used in some of the apps that you use. Moreover, it is impossible to know about them as well. This is due to the fact that the uninstall trackers use silent push notifications.
To make things clear about Uninstall tracker operation, they are very simple. These trackers will send a silent push notification as ping to the app and if it does not get a pingback, it means that the app is uninstalled. Therefore, this data will be sent to the developers of particular apps so they can target users of the app to reinstall their app. Now, Uninstall Trackers were made in order for developers to check whether there is an unusual uninstall rate of their app after recent updates. But, this use-case of uninstalling trackers is not what it was developed for. Interestingly, Uninstall trackers are said to be used in some popular apps like Spotify as well.