Appdome: more Singaporeans expect protected mobile apps

Source: Appdome. Nearly six in 10 (59%) of Singaporeans believe mobile banking apps and digital wallets need the highest level of security, compared to 52.9% globally.

Appdome, the mobile economy cyberdefence automation platform, has found that Singaporeans have high expectations of mobile app security, mobile fraud prevention and on-device malware protection compared to their global peers.

The results, based on the 2nd annual Singapore Consumer Expectation of Mobile App Security survey, aims to help mobile developers, cybersecurity professionals and brands adapt their mobile app security and mobile anti-fraud strategies to consumers’ expectations for protection.

Survey highlights include:

Mobile apps dominate over web

More than half (59.2%) of Singaporeans prefer using mobile apps over web channels, an increase of 8% compared to the previous year. When compared to the global baseline, Singaporeans are 10.7% more likely to choose mobile apps first than their global peers. 

Best security for money

Nearly six in 10 (59%) of Singaporeans believe mobile banking apps and digital wallets need the highest level of security, compared to 52.9% globally. In addition, the data shows that their security expectations increase as their app usage increases. 

Malware is a growing concern

On-device malware concerns jumped significantly among Singapore consumers, up 222% when compared to similar findings from 2021, and 32.2% higher than the global baseline.

“Mobile consumers in Singapore are more concerned about hackers, mobile fraud and on-device malware attacks than their global peers,” said Tom Tovar, CEO and co-creator of Appdome. 

“The good news for brands is that Singapore consumers will respond positively when brands take the effort to distinguish themselves by providing a more secure user experience.”

The survey found that Singaporeans will advocate a brand when their security expectations are met. When asked how likely they would recommend an application that protected their data and use of the app, 27.9% of Singaporean consumers said they would post a positive app store review, and 29.1% said they would promote a brand on social media. When all forms of advocacy are combined, 96% of Singaporeans will reward brands that protect them vs 93.8% globally.

The Appdome survey also found that 83.9% of Singaporeans ranked protection against security threats, fraud and malware as equally or more important than new features in mobile apps. Singaporeans stated their top fears as: hacking (49.9%); mobile fraud (49.5%); and malware (37.7%). Slightly over a quarter (25.9%) of respondents also said that “developers don’t care about my security”, an increase of 224% when compared to last year’s results.

Details

The global survey, the Appdome Singapore Consumer Expectations of Mobile App Security, polled 25,000 consumers from across the demographic spectrum, including Android and iOS users, genders, countries, and economic backgrounds. Read the report at https://www.appdome.com/global-consumer-security-survey/.