In The App or On The App – Which is Correct?

When it comes to talking about something that is inside of an app, whether it’s features that got recently added, or accounts you’ve recently discovered, should you say “in the app” or “on the app”? Are they interchangeable? Is one of them incorrect? This article will answer all those questions.

Is It “In The App” or “On The App”?

The correct answer is “in the app”. “In the app” is used because you’re talking about things that are inside the app itself, which therefore makes “in the app” the correct expression to use. “On the app” sounds awkward and strange because “on” is used mainly for websites and platforms.

Therefore “in the app” and “on the app” are not interchangeable at all, and you should use the former rather than the latter.

A good way to summarize the difference is that “on” is generally used for applications that serve as platforms, because when it comes to platforms, you use “on”.

However, for the broad concept of “apps”, you just use “in” because you’re talking about something that is inside an app.

In The App

“In the app” is a grammatically correct phrase that should be used when discussing individual features and details regarding digital applications. You can use “in the app” when you have to talk about distinct elements of an app’s structure.

The preposition “in” is normally used to describe things that are contained within other things. By using “in the app”, you’re expressing that you want to talk about something inside of the app.

Here are a few example sentences that will teach you how to use “in the app” in a sentence:

1. You have to go to the settings menu in the app itself to disable that specific option.
2. In the app you will find many good photography filters that you can use as much as you like.
3. In the app you can have up to three different profiles all with different saved settings and photos.
4. I’m going to use the thumbnail feature in the app to create the thumbnail for this video.
5. In the app you can get a new type of currency just by waiting enough time inside of it.
6. In the app there are several different paths you can choose, and each has its own benefits.
7. There are many game-specific features in the app that can improve your game experience.

On The App

“On the app” is a sentence that has a somewhat smaller range of use. You normally use the preposition “in” to refer to features inside of apps, however when you’re referencing things that are hosted inside of apps that are also platforms, you use “on the app” instead.

Therefore, “on the app” can be used in a range of situations that isn’t quite as large as the range of situations “in the app” has.

Here are some example sentences that will show you how to use “on the app” in a sentence:

1. On the Tinder app there are a lot of dating profiles made by people in different countries.
2. On the Twitter app you will find many random pictures uploaded by users every day.
3. On the Instagram app there are many different accounts belonging to amateur photographers.
4. On the store’s app you can find the prices for all the different products that they sell.
5. On the app you can find different things to do with your invested currency.
6. On the app you can identify the dates in which different archeological pieces were found.
7. On the app you will find a repository of royalty-free music and images for you to use.

Is “In The App” or “On The App” Used The Most?

According to the Google Ngram Viewer, “in the app” sees a lot more use than “on the app”, which makes sense because the scope of the latter is significantly more narrow than the scope of the former.

An interesting fact is that, according to the chart, use of both phrases spiked in use around the years 2005 and 2006.

However, “in the app” has always been more popular than “on the app”, and the trends indicate that it will continue to be more popular for the time being.

Is It “In The App Store” or “On The App Store”?

The correct answer is “on the app store” and not “in the app store”. Because the App Store is an online website, you treat it the same way that you would other websites, by using the “on” preposition rather than the “in” preposition.

A good way to conceptualize why you use “on” and not “in” is that you’re not “in” the web, you’re “on” the web.

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