Don’t build another app. Build inside the ones people already open

The average smartphone user opens around ten apps a day, with about 34 in a month, according to Sensor Tower's State of Mobile 2026. Global app downloads grew by only 0.8% last year. The home screen, or app store, is not an open market; it is a short list that changes slowly. Every new consumer app must ask to be added, which is a challenging problem given the high acquisition costs.

Adjust's 2026 benchmark data shows gaming costs per install increased by 30% year on year. Mintegral's 2026 non-gaming report found that Android e-commerce installs in Southeast Asia are the most expensive globally, at more than six times the non-gaming average. AppsFlyer reported global remarketing spend at around US$31 billion in 2025, money spent to persuade people to return to apps they had already downloaded.

In markets where people spend in small, frequent amounts, these numbers compound, resulting in a lower lifetime value per user and a stretched payback period for every install. Even well-funded companies are investing in distribution. For instance, AI-driven companies like Perplexity and Google partnered with telcos such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio to reach hundreds of millions of users.

These companies recognize that the fastest route to mass adoption lies through telco and wallet relationships. Founders in seed and Series A stages should take note.

Operators and wallets possess four expensive assets that competitors struggle to build. First, verified identity, as SIM registration and wallet KYC ensure that users have been verified. Second, billing rails, because airtime, data, and wallet balances are already trusted payment methods. Third, retail presence through top-up counters and agents that reach users who rarely browse app stores.

Lastly, daily-open behavior, as people open their telco or wallet apps to top up, check balances, or pay bills, regardless of new content. These apps typically lack a reason to keep users engaged once their task is complete, creating a gap that a builder can fill without requiring users to download anything.

The most effective approach is B2B2C: building a product that lives inside a partner's app under the partner's brand and adds value to existing behaviors. The design principle behind this strategy is reciprocity. Users earn points through tasks such as watching a short video, playing a quick game, or browsing a local offer, which can be redeemed for airtime, data, or grocery vouchers.

This creates a real economic loop in prepaid-majority markets, where users avoid paying for data top-ups by earning them. The partner benefits from more frequent visits and longer sessions, while the user gains something they would otherwise have to purchase. However, this model only works if the value is concrete and quickly accessible, as points that take months to redeem or convert into unnecessary items are merely marketing tactics.

When partnering with telcos or wallets, founders often underestimate the limits of acceptance. In practice, being embedded means four key aspects: being white-label, launching quickly with minimal disruption, requiring no new user behaviors, and imposing no additional support burdens, as the partner's customer service handles any issues.

Although this approach means giving up the front door, it allows founders to compete based on retention and revenue results traceable to specific interactions. Before embarking on building an app for Southeast Asia, founders should consider three questions: which existing app already has the daily habit the product needs? What does the app owner lack that the builder can supply?

And can the builder prove, using the partner's data, that they have positively impacted the key metrics the partner cares about? The fastest route to 100 million users in Southeast Asia may not be a download but rather a tab inside an app users have already opened that morning.