Methods and apparatus to identify users associated with device application usage
Methods and apparatus are disclosed to identify users associated with device application usage. A disclosed example method involves obtaining demographics of persons to participate in a panel for an audience research study, identifying a set of applications to be monitored, providing devices associated with the persons in the panel with a meter to record usage of the applications and with a user-to-application associator, the user-to-application associator to define associations between the applications to be monitored and the persons associate with the device before the applications are launched, receiving data from a first one of the devices identifying a first one of the persons as a primary user of a first one of the applications in the set of applications, receiving data from the first device identifying usage of the first application, and associating the demographics of the first person with the usage of the first application.
1. A method comprising:
detecting, with an application detector executed by a processor of a device, applications to be monitored on the device by comparing a list of applications to be monitored with applications installed in memory of the device;
receiving, with an associator application executed by the processor of the device, user inputs via a user interface of the associator application displayed on a display of the device, the user inputs identifying associations between the applications to be monitored on the device and eligible users of the device;
recording, in the memory of the device, the associations before the applications to be monitored are initiated;
detecting, with an integrated meter that facilitates tracking usage of a first application, an initiation of the first application on the device;
determining, with the associator application executed by the processor of the device, user identification associated with the first application, the first application detected using the integrated meter, the determining performed without making a user query via the user interface when the first application is included in the applications to be monitored, the user identification determined based on a first one of the associations between the applications and the eligible users, wherein the user identification is associated with a newly installed application when the application detector identifies addition of the newly installed application to an application database present on the device;
making the user query via the user interface to determine user identification information associated with the first application when (1) the first application is not included in the applications to be monitored, or (2) a current user of the device is not associated with the first application according to the associations between the applications and the eligible users; and
crediting, based on the user identification information, the current user with using the first application, wherein the user identification information is not based on a panelist-provided identification number.
2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the associations between the applications to be monitored and the eligible users via the user interface includes:
presenting the list of applications via the display; and
receiving the user inputs as selections of primary users associated with respective ones of the applications.
3. The method as defined in claim 2 , further including:
receiving selections of second users; and
associating the second users as secondary users associated with the respective ones of the applications.
4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the recording of the associations between the applications and the users includes:
detecting when a second application of the applications to be monitored is installed;
prompting for selection of at least one of the eligible users via the user interface; and
recording the association of the at least one of the eligible users with the second application.
5. The method as defined in claim 1 , further including:
when a second application is initiated for a first time on the device and the current user is not associated with the second application:
displaying the user interface of the associator application on the display of the device to prompt the current user to provide identification; and
recording an association between the current user and the second application; and
when the second application is initiated for a first time on the device and the current user is associated with the second application:
determining user identification associated with the second application without making the user query via the user interface.
6. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the recording of associations includes receiving a selection of the applications from the list of applications to be monitored.
7. The method as defined in claim 3 , further including:
after the initiation of the first application is subsequently detected on the device, receiving a selection of the current user; and
associating the current user with the first application as the primary user of the first application.
8. A tangible computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a processor of a device to at least:
before a first application is initiated on the device, execute a second application on the device to:
receive user inputs via a user interface of the second application displayed on a display of the device, the user inputs identifying associations between eligible users of the device and the applications to be monitored; and
record the associations before the applications to be monitored are initiated; and
after the first application is initiated on the device as determined using an integrated meter that facilitates tracking usage of the first application:
determine user identification associated with the first application, the first application detected using the integrated meter, without making a user query via the user interface when the first application is included in the applications to be monitored, the user identification determined based on a first one of the associations between the applications and the eligible users, wherein the user identification is associated with a newly installed application when installation is detected based on detection of addition of the first application in an application database present on the device;
make the user query via the user interface to determine user identification information associated with the first application when (1) the first application is not included in the applications, or (2) a current user of the device is not associated with the first application according to the associations between the applications and the eligible users; and
credit, based on the user identification information, the current user with using the first application, wherein the user identification information is not based on a panelist-provided identification number.
9. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 8 , wherein the second application prompts for selection of a primary user from a list of the eligible users and creates the association between the primary user and the first application based on the selection.
10. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 8 , wherein the second application is to create a plurality of associations between a plurality of primary users and a respective plurality of applications.
11. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to at least:
before the first application is initiated, create a second association between a secondary user and the first application.
12. The tangible computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 8 , where the instructions further cause the processor to at least:
after the first application is initiated, change the association between the primary user and the first application by designating a subsequent user of the first application to be the primary user.
13. A user device comprising:
an application detector to detect a plurality of applications installed on the user device, the applications to be monitored for usage;
a user interface presented on a display of the user device, the user interface to receive user input indicating a selection of one or more eligible users to be associated with at least a first application of the plurality of applications to be monitored, the user input received before the first application is initiated; and
an associator in communication with the application detector and a communication interface, the associator to:
record an association between the one or more eligible users and the first application before the first application is initiated; and
detect, with an integrated meter that is to facilitate tracking usage of the first application, an initiation of a first application on the device;
after the first application is initiated on the device as detected using the integrated meter:
determine user identification associated with the first application without making a user query via the user interface when the first application is included in the applications to be monitored, the user identification determined based on the association between the first application and the one or more eligible users, the user identification associated with a newly installed application when installation is detected based on detection of addition of the first application in an application database present on the device;
make the user query via the user interface to determine user identification information associated with the first application when (1) the first application is not included in the applications to be monitored, or (2) a current user of the device is not associated with the first application according to the association between the first application and the one or more eligible users; and
credit, based on the user identification information, the current user with using the first application, wherein the user identification information is not based on a panelist-provided identification number.
14. The user device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the application detector is to identify the applications to be monitored by comparing application identifiers from an application database with application identifiers of applications installed on the user device.
15. The user device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the application detector is further to detect initiations of the applications on the user device to be monitored for usage.
16. The user device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the associator is further to, after one of the applications to be monitored is initiated and the initiated application is not associated with any user, update the association between a primary user of the initiated application and the initiated application by designating the current user of the initiated application to be the primary user.
17. The user device as defined in claim 13 , wherein the user interface is further to receive a selection of a secondary user to be associated with the first application to be monitored.
18. The user device as defined in claim 17 , wherein the associator is further to record the association between the secondary user and the application.