African mobile social network 2go has launched its long awaited for app for Android on the Google Play Store. The company, which scaled to over 10 million active users with only four developers, has been actively recruiting developer talent over the last 6 months to help accelerate it in to the smartphone market.

2go Largest Social Network in Nigeria
In Nigeria, where 2go is the largest social network, feature phones still dominate with around 88% market share, although AndroidT is growing increasingly important.

Android Fastest Growing Platform in Africa
“Android is the fastest growing mobile platform across Africa, and with sub US$50 Android devices on the horizon, 2go’s mostly feature phone user base can now migrate with 2go as they move to smartphones”, says Alan Wolff, who founded 2go with Ashley Peter while still at university in Johannesburg in 2007.

Android 52% of Sales in Kenya
According to Brad Taylor, MD of GfK South Africa, Android phones now represent 5.2% of current monthly phone sales in Nigeria, up from 3.4% in September 2012. Taylor notes that this trend is accelerating across Africa. “In Kenya, which is a more mature Android market, 52% of monthly sales are Android phones,” Taylor adds.

2go for Android now includes push notifications and a sleek user interface, which is intuitive and easy to use.

“Version 1 of 2go for Android is a good first step and we have received great feedback from users. But you can expect much more from us in the next few months as we refine the app and add functionality”, adds Peter. “This is just the beginning for 2go on smartphones.”