Apple's Top Free Charts Incorrectly Ranking Apple Apps on Some iOS Devices

[Exhale]

I know it's better for the algorithm to work right, but... Does this matter? Does anyone actually use the top charts to pick what apps to get?

Seriously, you living under a rock?

The fact that the top lists are insanely influential in terms of what apps get downloads/sells is an incredibly well known problem in the iOS App Store.

 

[YUNOThinkAnalytically]

Apple's Top Free Charts on some iOS devices appear to be incorrectly ranking Apple apps like iMovie, Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. As discovered by Sensor Tower and shared by TechCrunch, on some iOS devices, the App Store's Top Free Chart lists Pages, Numbers, and Keynote at higher ranks than on the desktop App Store and on other iOS devices.

For example, on an iPad mini 2 and an iPhone 5s, we found iMovie, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers all listed within the top 10 free apps, all at different positions. On an iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro, the only Apple app in the top 20 free apps is iTunes U, which also matches up with the desktop version of the App Store. iTunes U, according to Sensor Tower's data, is the only app along with GarageBand that should be listed in the top 10 of the free chart.

App Store Top Free Charts on iPad mini​

While MacRumors did not see the errant chart behavior on more recent devices, both TechCrunch and Sensor Tower have seen problematic ranking numbers on a range of different devices running iOS 9.1. Devices running iOS 8.3 did not seem to be affected by the problem.

App Store Top Free Charts on iPhone 6s Plus​

As TechCrunch points out, it's not clear if the discrepancy between App Store Top Chart listings is a bug or an intentional manipulation by Apple, but given the significantly different results from device to device, even those that are the same generation, it seems more like a bug than something done deliberately.Apps like Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and iMovie are listed in the Top Free Charts because they are provided to iOS users at no cost with the purchase of an iOS device, but these apps are not free, an issue that could potentially be causing chart problems. All of the above listed apps sell for $4.99 to $9.99.

Apple has, however, manipulated the App Store results in the past to highlight its own apps, so it could be the result of a direct work to promote its line of iWork apps to specific devices or specific users, but without comment from Apple, it's difficult to tell.

Article Link: Apple's Top Free Charts Incorrectly Ranking Apple Apps on Some iOS Devices

Or, they could be the top apps for certain size devices as they are free, but not automatically downloaded - or prompted to be downloaded on devices with a smaller capacity.

Could explain the discrepancy, as storage size wasn't mentioned in the article, as people with the smaller devices could still want to use those apps.

 

[driceman]

Seriously, you living under a rock?

The fact that the top lists are insanely influential in terms of what apps get downloads/sells is an incredibly well known problem in the iOS App Store.

Be a little more condescending with your ad hominem argument.

And if you say so. I guess I just don't pick apps to download based on the charts, nor do I know anyone who does. It's pretty much all word of mouth in my experience (which, having worked at Simply Mac and T-Mobile and helping people with their phones all the time, is more than most). But if you have some statistics to back up your insults, please let me know.

 

[driceman]

We need a top 'Top Charts' chart to get a better idea of what the most popular charts are. As long they are accurate I suppose.

More seriously, I do think discoverability of apps has never been great for either the iOS or Mac App Stores, they obviously want to strike a balance between simplicity and information for a wide range of users, but I do think there must be better ways to do it.

Oh look, a thoughtful response! I appreciate it

I agree. And again, I think it'd be better for the algorithm for what apps are most popular to work right, but your point is a better one: should what's popular be the most important thing for Apple to focus on in regards to the App Store? Or should it perhaps be to find the most relevant apps to you regardless of their popularity?

 

[driceman]

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: People tend to try apps that is popular. The same goes for movies and music. I purchased an album from iTunes in 2007 or 2008, can't remember which year... Anyway the album is called "In between" by Paul van Dyk. He is now my favorite artist and I have almost all his albums. I listened to the 30 seconds preview of the songs then decided to buy it. This was all made possible because he was in the top 10 albums on iTunes that day. He was even featured on apple.com and had a special web page. This is back when Apple had featured artist pages on iTunes using their Logic Pro software. It also showed their music gear and a couple paragraphs about the artist with pictures etc. Very cool. But yes it does matter what's in the top charts because it will influence some peoples decision in what they buy or try.

No I understand that part. My confusion is that I feel as though Apple would be better off making a system that determines your tastes in music, movies and apps than focusing on a popularity contest. iTunes should suggest Pail van Dyk to you because of your listening tastes, not because other people listened to it.

 

[C DM]

No I understand that part. My confusion is that I feel as though Apple would be better off making a system that determines your tastes in music, movies and apps than focusing on a popularity contest. iTunes should suggest Pail van Dyk to you because of your listening tastes, not because other people listened to it.

Don't they have, or at least had, something like that with Genius? In any case, having one shouldn't preclude them from having the other or to have the need to choose one or the other.

 

[driceman]

Don't they have, or at least had, something like that with Genius? In any case, having one shouldn't preclude them from having the other or to have the need to choose one or the other.

True, there's nothing wrong with having both. I guess I just figure that determining your own tastes is more important than getting you to download what other people download, so it should really take precedence. It would be a better way of getting lots of apps into the hands of people rather than just the most popular handful of them (and with Apple's talk of how much they care about the App Store and the developers who use it, I would think they'd agree). Again, I don't have anything against getting the top charts to work properly and exist on the store, but they just don't seem like they're that important to me personally.

 

[ke-iron]

No I understand that part. My confusion is that I feel as though Apple would be better off making a system that determines your tastes in music, movies and apps than focusing on a popularity contest. iTunes should suggest Pail van Dyk to you because of your listening tastes, not because other people listened to it.

That's the point of compiling a list of what other people are downloading or buying. I never used to listen to electronic music before I bought that album from Paul van Dyk. I bought it out of pure curiosity and now he's my favorite artist and electronic music is my favorite genre. They do have a new section in Apple Music called for you that compiles music based on what you listen to though. I hope you see why it's important to see the apps that other people are downloading as it migh introduce you to something you might come to love and wouldn't know about unless it was featured.

 

[driceman]

That's the point of compiling a list of what other people are downloading or buying. I never used to listen to electronic music before I bought that album from Paul van Dyk. I bought it out of pure curiosity and now he's my favorite artist and electronic music is my favorite genre. They do have a new section in Apple Music called for you that compiles music based on what you listen to though. I hope you see why it's important to see the apps that other people are downloading as it migh introduce you to something you might come to love and wouldn't know about unless it was featured.

I don't have anything against them having the feature in the store. I just think it's relatively less useful than the For You section, as you mentioned.

 

[C DM]

I don't have anything against them having the feature in the store. I just think it's relatively less useful than the For You section, as you mentioned.

At the same time might be more useful for some, just as it might less useful for others.