Third-party mobile app developers’ continued participation in platform-centric ecosystems: An empirical investigation of two different mechanisms

•A dual model explains third-party developers' continued participation in a platform.•Two contrasting mechanisms in long-term exchanges were used for theoretical framework.•One mechanism escalates dedication to a platform while the other constraining to it.•Factors from the two mechanisms clarify why app developers remain in Apple's platform.

Platform-centric ecosystems run by Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. enable the companies to magnify the values of their products and services on an unprecedented scale, by harnessing third-party add-on software such as mobile apps. Despite the importance, however, there is a dearth of empirical research that investigates how third-party developers’ continued participation is actually determined. This paper examined two different mechanisms increasing dedication to a platform and constraining exit from the platform, respectively. Specific factors in each mechanism and their casual relationships were tested and discussed in the context of Apple’s mobile platform.