MANILA - With 40 million Filipinos on Android, Google's Play Store offers developers the opportunity to turn their idea into a million-peso venture.

Google Philippines on Wednesday gathered app developers to share how they earned up to $100,000 (P5 million) selling apps on Google Play, which has recorded up to 82 billion downloads in the country.

“This is a massive opportunity for any developer. The story is also about inspiring aspiring developers to come on board and see that there’s a massive opportunity to be had,” Google Philippines country manager Ken Lingan said.

Application downloads will increase as smartphones become cheaper, Lingan said.

Among those who shared their stories were Valenice Balace, one of the creators of dating app Peekawoo, Streetfood Tycoon creator Eric Garayblas and Howard Go, co-founder of game app developer MochiBits.

Here are 5 pointers from developers who found success on Google Play:

1. Go for brain games. Developers should have the business sense to build apps that will keep people hooked, according to MochiBits' Go.

"We're not gonna spend on a game that takes 2 years to make that might not make too much money, so all of our games are fast, easily made in 6 months. Because of that, it meant making word games," Go said.

2. Keep users interested. Mobile users are hooked on captivating content, said James Ronald Lo, co-founder of game development company Indigo Entertainment.

An app's lifespan is "directly proportional to the amount of content you’re willing to create," said Garayblas, whose Streetfood Tycoon has had 50 million downloads since its launch in 2012.

3. Know the right people. Allen Tan's first game app was downloaded 5 million times while the second was downloaded 1 million times in its first week.

A self-confessed shy person, Tan said a friend patched him with Google Play-Southeast Asia business development manager Vineet Tanwar.

"Indirectly, collaborators are the players, they say I love the game but gave us one star, most of the time they will tell you why you suck or when you're doing great," Tan said.

4. Find a mentor. Google recently launched the Indies Program in Southeast Asia, wherein chosen developers can get direct feedback from Google mentors.

Aspiring developers can apply through g.co/play/seaindies.

5. Keep it frugal. MochiBits' Go offers the most obvious and most practical advice: be thrifty.

Go said he and his partner did not own expensive devices when they started their developer business 7 years ago.