Glossary

Active installs

The number of devices that currently have your app or game installed. Total installs (installations of the program) includes active installs plus the number of devices that installed, and then uninstalled, your app or game.

Analytics

Program(s) for gathering information about usage patterns of your app or game (such as what demographics of users are playing your game, for how long, where, and when). Google provides some analytics in the developer console, but you can also use third-party packages such as Flurry (flurry.com) or write your own.

Asynchronous games

Games played off-line in which one player may take a turn, notify the other player, and wait for the other player to make a move in response.

Build

A given version of an app or game that has been compiled into an executable file.

Carrier

A telecommunications company that provides telephone and Internet services to mobile devices.

Emulator

Software that simulates the function of another piece of hardware or software. An Android emulator, used for testing apps, simulates an Android device in your desktop environment.

Fault tolerance

One measure of a system’s robustness — specifically, how well the system continues to function under a wide range of circumstances, including damage or partial loss of functionality.

Firmware

Software stored in read-only memory (ROM) and designed not to be routinely modified.

Health bar

Visual indicator of a character’s life total in a video game.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

A software tool for developing software. Usually includes a source code editor, debugging tools, profiling tools, and other features to increase the speed and ease of software development.

Iterating

Repeated process of revising and testing to develop an app or game.

Long-tail distribution

A set of things in which there are a large number of a few types, a moderate number of types with medium frequency, and a “long tail” of many types with only a few in number. Digital markets allow for long tails to be more profitable than traditional markets because inventory space is cheaper and search is easier. App stores almost universally have a long-tail distribution.

Mobile ecosystem

The current state of the mobile marketplace and user base, including hardware, software, infrastructure, distributers, and users.

Non-market app

An app or game that is distributed and installed from somewhere other than an app store, such as from a development environment.

Porting a game

The process of converting a game that runs on one platform (such as PC) to run on another (such as Android).

Retention rate

Analytic figure that represents the percentage of users who download a game and continue to keep it installed, rather than uninstalling it.

Rooting

Configuring a hardware device to gain administrator access, allowing the user greater control over the software that is installed, including the operating system.

Source code

Instructions in a human-readable computer language that are compiled into a machine-readable format.

Synchronous games

Games played in real time, in which all players must be playing the game at the same time.

Virtual controls

Input methods that simulate physical hardware. For example, your game may have a virtual joystick or buttons that are manipulated via a touchscreen interface.