38% of app-using Brits don't pay for apps

38% of app-using Brits don't pay for apps
We can't all be Angry Birds

Apps may be the best things to happen to the mobile phone since Snake, but here in the UK 38 per cent of us have never spent money on them.

Although 88 per cent of people who took part in KPMG's fifth annual Consumer and Convergence report say they have downloaded at least one app to their mobile phones, nearly 40 per cent have never paid for a smartphone app.

While we're all very au fait with having apps on our phones, it seems there's still a psychological barrier that prevents a lot of us from seeing the exchange of money for their services as the norm.

Appless

It's a strange industry, which sees a relatively few developers making a lot of money from their apps and those creating free apps often rely on income from in-app advertising to make it worth their while.

Research released in November pegged Android as the app platform to watch, with Google's OS providing 50 per cent of app sales compared to iOS's 15 and Windows Phone's 1.7 per cents.

But if developers don't start earning decent income from creating apps, surely we're going to start seeing a decline in the quality and quantity of the software available on all platforms.

So support your local app developer by buying an app today and if you need inspiration, here's our run down of the ten best Android apps to get you started:

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.