Why are developers hesitant to release apps for Android?

Have you ever wondered why many developers, particularly smaller ones, are hesitant about releasing their apps for Android? Well just take a look at Monument Valley, a popular mobile game for Android and iOS. The developers behind the game recently came out to say that about 5% of the installations of the their game on Android were legitimate while the rest were pirated. Compare that to the 60% legitimate installations on iOS and the answer becomes clear.

The developer behind Today Calendar Pro is dropping some depressing numbers about how rampant piracy remains on Android. In a Google+ post Jack Underwood says 85 percent of the installations of his $5.99 calendar app are not paid downloads from Google Play. The numbers are even more depressing for Monument Valley, a popular mobile game on both Android and iOS. Recently the team behind the puzzler said only five percent of installations on Android were legitimate. This contrasts sharply with the iOS version, which saw a 60 percent rate of piracy. Neither number is encouraging however, indicating that both Apple and Google must do more to help developers protect their work. While traditional tools to push back involve using in-app upgrades or encrypting certain features, Underwood is taking a more unorthodox approach: annoying the pirates. He’s programmed the app to drop in random, pirate-themed events if the app determines the installation wasn’t from a legit source (pictured).