Thumb Brings New Opinion-Sharing App To Android, Says Average Engagement Now 5 Hours Per Month

Anthony Ha

Anthony Ha is a writer at TechCrunch, where he covers media, advertising, and random startups. Previously, he worked as a staff tech writer at Adweek, a senior editor at the tech blog VentureBeat, and a local government reporter at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing.... → Learn More

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
thumb android profile

Thumb, the mobile startup that makes it easy for users to ask for and share opinions, is bringing a big update to its Android app today.

Thumb 3.0 launched on iOS at the beginning of June. CEO Dan Kurani says the new app has already contributed to a big increase in user engagement over the past five-ish months, going from an average of 3 hours and 50 minutes per month to an average of 5 hours. (As a point of comparison, Thumb points out that Pinterest’s average user engagement has been reported at 98 minutes per month.)

As for the new Android app, Kurani says it will include all of the features included in the iOS version, as well as a few additions that make this “one of the rare cases where Android is going to move out ahead a little bit” — though the plan is to add bring these features to the iOS app in turn. The big Android-only feature (for now) is the ability to save “Thumbs up” and “Thumbs up” responses (which can be used to rate food, locations, puppies, or pretty much anything else that people post photos of) directly to your profile, making it easier to search for other users who gave the same answer.

Kurani notes that by collecting so many opinions, Thumb has, in essence, been building “an interest-based graph”, and the new version starts to take advantage of that data. (At the same time, he’s quick to add that the company never uses that phrase in the app itself, because its overuse has made it “almost a dirty word.”)

The version 3.0 improvements that previously launched on iOS include a revamped interface that’s supposed to simplify friend discovery, a chat feature, and a leaderboard. Kurani says the app also highlights the company’s new branding and message, which is all about “getting and giving opinions.” (Thumb’s branding has been evolving for a while now, most notably when it changed its name from Opinionaided last year.)

You can download the Android version of Thumb here, and the iOS version here.


Company: Thumb
Website: thumb.it
Launch Date: May 2010
Funding: $6.74M

Thumb is the easiest way for people to express themselves and to discover people like them. The simple act of ‘thumbing’ brings people together in a purpose-driven community that allows people to express what matters most to them, generates instant feedback, and helps people make meaningful connections. Thumb is available on iOS, Android, and via Website at http://www.thumb.it.

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Person: Dan Kurani

Dan Kurani is the Founder & CEO at Thumb Inc.

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