android-market-researchlisted

# Android Market Research This is **stage 1** of the Android app pipeline. It runs *before* planning. The job is to replace assumptions with evidence: what already exists in this category, what users actually complain about, how these apps make money, and where the opening is. Planning that starts from real market facts produces a far sharper product than planning from a one-sentence hunch. Pipeline position: ``` > RESEARCH > planning -> monetization -> (replan) -> design -> MCP code -> polish ``` ## Stage 0 - right-size before you research Before any searching, settle one thing: is this a quick/personal/throwaway build, or a product the user actually intends to ship? Ask if it is not obvious. The answer sets the depth of everything downstream: - **Quick / personal / utility:** do a 5-10 minute pass - name 2-3 obvious incumbents and the one gap, skip sizing, ASO, and most of the brief. Do **not** spin a throwaway timer into a commercial product. Hand off a one-paragraph brief and move on. - **Real / shippable:** run the full flow below. Most over-scoping starts right here: an open prompt like "make a timer" is not permission to plan a startup. When in doubt, ask. ## Core philosophy 1. **Evidence over intuition.** Every claim in the brief should trace to something observed - an app on the store, a review, a pricing page, a search result. Don't invent market sizes. 2. **Competitors are free product research.** For almost any idea, 3-7 apps already live in ro