How to boost
app revenue with alternative app stores

How to publish your app to Huawei's AppGallery

Due to the absence of Google services on Huawei devices, AppGallery has become a full-fledged app store. This makes it essential for developers targeting Huawei's premium and middle-class audience, which has proven to be profitable. AppGallery is the only way for the audience to get to know your product.

1. Create a Huawei developer account:

   • Click here to create your account. This will give you access to Huawei's development tools and AppGallery Connect.

2. Create a new project in AppGallery Connect:

   • Login to AppGallery Connect with your developer account.
   • Go to "My Apps", then click on "My Projects". Please note that all Google services available in your application must be replaced with Huawei equivalents (HMS services) for the app to work properly.
   • Click on “Add Project” and select “Enable Huawei Analytics” if you want analysis services for this project.

3. Upload your app to the project:

   • Open your newly created project card.
   • Click “Add App” under Project settings.
   • Fill in the required information (Platform, App name, Category, and Default language).

4. Release for review:

   • Configure basic information about your app for release, such as compatible devices, app name, icon, screenshots, brief introduction, and introduction video.

Once the request is approved, the app status changes to Released. Then your app will be available to users on AppGallery.

How to publish your app to Xiaomi's GetApps

Xiaomi's GetApps boasts over 200 million monthly active users across key markets like India, Indonesia, Russia, and other European and CIS countries. Moreover, GetApps is pre-installed on all Xiaomi devices, providing a built-in user base ready to discover new apps.

Here’s how you can tap into these emerging markets:

1. Create accounts:

   Sign up for a Xiaomi Account and a Mi Developer Account. You need both to access the Mi Developer Console and manage your app.

2. Prepare your app:

   Ensure your app is ready for upload, including any necessary SDK updates. This step ensures your app meets Xiaomi's requirements.

3. Create app in GetApps:

   • Click on "Distribute", then "Create Application".
   • Fill in the necessary details such as app name, package name, default language, and other required information.

4. Upload your app:

   • Upload your APK alongside your app’s icon, and screenshots.
   • Fill in app details like name, desired regions, and whether you want an immediate or postponed release time.

5. Review and publish:

   • Submit your app for review. Once approved, it will be available on GetApps within 1-3 business days.

With this simple process your app can reach Xiaomi's extensive user base. For detailed instructions, refer to the Mi Developer documentation.

How to publish your app to Samsung’s Galaxy Store

Samsung Galaxy Store provides access to a massive user base as it comes pre-installed on all Samsung devices, ensuring high visibility. Additionally, the store supports various monetization options and offers promotional opportunities through Samsung’s marketing channels, helping you boost app downloads and revenue.

Here’s a quick rundown of how you can publish your app on the Samsung Galaxy Store:

1. Create a Samsung developer account:

   Sign up for a Samsung Developer Account on the Samsung Developer website. This will allow you to access the Samsung Seller Portal and manage your apps.

2. Set up seller office:

   • Log in to the Seller Portal, complete your profile with personal, financial, and tax information.
   • Apply for commercial seller status if you plan to sell your app.

3. Prepare your app:

   • Ensure your app is fully tested on Samsung devices
   • Verify your app meets Samsung’s guidelines. This includes compatibility with Samsung-specific features if applicable.

4. Submit your app:

   • Register your app in the Seller Portal by clicking "Add New App".
   • Fill in the necessary details such as app name, description, category.
   • Upload your APK, icons, and screenshots.
   • Configure pricing, distribution regions, and any in-app purchase items.

5. Submit for review

   • Samsung will review your app for compliance with their standards. Once approved, your app will be published in the Galaxy Store and available to millions of Samsung users.

These steps will help you get your app listed on the Samsung Galaxy Store, enabling you to reach a wide audience of Samsung device users. For detailed instructions, you can refer to the Samsung Developer documentation.

How to start monetizing your app from alternative stores

Adding your app to more app stores increases your chances of reaching a bigger audience. No matter which network (or networks) you use to monetize your app, a larger user base means you can boost ad impressions and revenue.

For example, here’s how you can start monetizing your app using the Yandex Advertising Network:

1. Set up app monetization through Yandex Ad Network

   First, link your newly published app in Yandex Advertising Network. Here are detailed instructions on how to do it. Then select your monetization method through your mediation, Yandex Mediation (if you use Yandex) or direct ad integration into your app.

   
   

   An example of how mediation works in Yandex Advertising Network. When the user goes to the ad screen, the app sends a request to Yandex Mediation. The platform then determines which ad from which ad network will bring the most revenue when displayed.

2. Choose which ad formats you want to display in your app

   There’s a variety of ad formats that can be shown to users. Depending on your audience and its usual engagement with your app, some formats can be more effective than others. Some possible formats include:

   • Banner ads
   • Interstitial ads
   • Rewarded ads
   • Native Ads
   • App Open ads
   • Feed ads
   • InStream ads

    

   

   *Examples of in-app ad formats offered by the Yandex Advertising Network

    

3. Create and launch the relevant ad units

   Start displaying ads to users who’ve downloaded the app from all the stores where it’s available. Finding an optimal monetization approach usually takes time and resources of an in-house monetization expert or a service that takes care of it for you.

4. Monitor your revenue and optimize

   You can observe your monetization activity in the Yandex Advertising Network analytics section or third-party solutions. Here are the key metrics to keep an eye on:

   • Basic: requests, impressions and clicks
   • Analytical: fill and show rates
   • Monetary: RPM, eCPM

Check for any available tools to analyze statistics before you start monetization. And in case you need a 360-view of your app’s performance, check out AppMetrica – a complementing solution for app analytics that shows all in-app monetization drivers.

How to attract users to your app in alternative stores

If you want to take the reins and drive users to your app, running ad campaigns is your best option.

For example, Yandex App Campaigns, a Yandex platform for user acquisition ads for apps, automatically integrates with AppGallery and GetApps in addition to Google Play and Apple Store. This saves you time on creating new campaigns for individual stores and you can get conversions from several stores simultaneously within one Android campaign.

Moreover, if the user clicks on a Yandex App Campaigns ad in an alternative store (AppGallery or GetApps), the download process will only take two steps vs. four steps at Google Play and Apple Store. This can significantly improve your conversion rate from click to app download.

Let’s continue using Yandex App Campaigns as an example and see how you can ensure your UA campaigns take users to their preferred app stores:

1. Publish your app to your preferred alternative app store

   First, upload your app to your target alternative app stores. We’ve covered how you can do this in the above sections for Huawei’s AppGallery and Xiaomi’s GetApps.

2. Include a tracking link to your ad campaign

   Add the link to your app page while creating your ad campaign. The integration doesn’t support universal links, even with deeplink tracking. So, don’t forget to use a single-platform tracking link in this step.

3. Choose your preferred ad network

   Now, you can select your preferred ad network where you want to run your ads. If you want to make sure your ads are visible to 100M+ users of Yandex, select Yandex Advertising Network as your preferred ad network.

4. Select your target app stores

   Finally, select all the alternative app stores you want to drive users to. By default, in Yandex App Campaigns, all alternative stores are selected; but you have the option to customize the selection to your requirements. However, if all alternative stores are disabled, the user is automatically redirected to Google Play.

NOTE: Your Bundle ID should match in all Android stores (Google Play, GetApps, AppGallery) for the app store integration to work.

Making these simple adjustments to your app campaign settings will ensure users are redirected to the appropriate alternative app store when they click your ad. For more detailed instructions, you can refer to our documentation.