Lapse, a photo app that forced users to invite friends, is running out of steam
Lapse, a photo-sharing app that growth hacked its way to the top of the App Store earlier this year, is starting to lose steam. The app, which had forced users to invite their friends in order to get in — a technique now being used by new social app ID by Amo, saw early success with this method of “going viral.” This September, the app jumped from No. 118 Overall to reach No. 1 on the U.S. App Store. However, growth hacks alone cannot sustain an app, a new report shows. Throughout this month and the last, Lapse’s downloads have started to drop and have now fallen as far as 70% down from their October peak. The data, which comes from app intelligence firm Appfigures, indicates that growth hacking your way to the top of the App Store isn’t a formula for ongoing success unless your product is capable of retaining its new users over the long term. Image Credits: Lapse downloads via Appfigures Originally launched in 2021, co-founders (and brothers) Dan and Ben Silvertown …