Installing a new app can be exciting. When you’ve found one that may be just what you need, opening it is like unboxing a new toy. So why do so many apps insist on halting you in that moment to ask for an account?

By finding and installing an app, users have already shown some commitment to the product. It has earned a place on their home screen. When an app requires users to register or login, they are adding a layer of friction during the crucial first impression. Instead of being greeted with an account gate, what if users were introduced to the features and shown the ropes until their identity was necessary to establish?

Luke Wroblewski, Product Director at Google, has already discussed the measured benefits of gradual engagement. For the sake of curiosity, let’s take a trip through the App Store to see how teams are welcoming new users here in 2016. They tend to fall into one of three categories: