A dormant user is someone who installed your app but hasn't opened it in a defined inactive window — typically 7, 30, or 90 days of no app open. The term is distinct from a churned user, who uninstalled the app or cancelled their subscription. Dormant users are still installed; they just haven't engaged recently. That makes them recoverable through re-engagement campaigns, which is why segmenting and tracking the dormant cohort is a standard part of mature app analytics.
Defining the dormant window
- High-frequency apps (messaging, social): dormancy threshold typically 3-7 days. Beyond a week of no app open is meaningful inactivity.
- Productivity / habit apps: 14-30 days. Users have weekly+ usage patterns naturally.
- Streaming / content apps: 14-30 days. Episodic usage.
- Utilities / low-frequency apps: 60-90 days. Some utilities only get used on demand (weather alerts, calculators).
Re-engagement channels for dormant users: - Push notifications: only works if the user kept push enabled. Most cost-effective channel for users still receiving push. - Email: reaches dormant users who disabled push (still have email). Slower but more durable. - Retargeting ads: paid retargeting via Meta / TikTok with user-list audiences. Useful for higher-LTV dormant segments where the recovery cost is justified. - Deferred deep linking: drive dormant users to specific relevant in-app content rather than the home screen — much higher reactivation rate.
Avoid spam-grade reactivation. Push-bombing dormant users with 5 generic notifications in a week often pushes them from dormant to uninstalled (worse outcome). Segment reactivation campaigns tightly — different messaging for 7-day vs 30-day vs 90-day dormant; different incentives for high-LTV vs low-LTV dormant.
Dormancy window by app type
| App type | Dormant threshold | Early-recovery odds |
|---|---|---|
| Messaging / social | 3-7 days | High |
| Productivity / habit | 14-30 days | Medium |
| Streaming / content | 14-30 days | Medium |
| Utilities / low-frequency | 60-90 days | Lower |
Recovery decays sharply with dormancy: 7-day dormant 20-30%, 30-day 10-15%, 90+ day under 5%. Segment reactivation tightly — and don't push-bomb, which turns dormant into uninstalled.