Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Featured Apps in Revamped iOS 11 App Store Can See 800% Download Boost

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,545
39,400



Earning a featured spot in the revamped iOS App Store can increase app downloads by up to 800 percent, according to new data sourced from app analytics site Sensor Tower and shared by TechCrunch.

The data, collected from September 2017 to the present, suggests an app that's highlighted using either the "App of the Day" or "Game of the Day" feature in the U.S. sees the greatest increase in downloads.

ios11appstoregameoftheday.jpg

Specifically, "Game of the Day" apps have seen a median download increase of 802 percent for the week following the feature, while "App of the Day" apps have seen a boost of 685 percent.

Other features, such as a developer story or an app list can increase downloads by up to 240 percent. Stories resulted in a 222 percent boost in downloads, while app lists increased downloads by 240 percent. A theme feature had the lowest impact at a 164 percent increase in downloads.

appstorefeatureddownloadincrease.jpg

Sensor Tower has also outlined what kind of data Apple has chosen to highlight through the new App Store design. Many of the top publishers that have been featured are larger companies, like Electronic Arts, Warner Bros., Square Enix, Gameloft, Noodlecake Studios, and King, which is unsurprising as these companies have put out some of the most popular apps in the App Store.

13 of the top 15 featured publishers had at least one million U.S. iPhone downloads since the launch of the new App Store.

publishersbyfeature.jpg

Apple has, however, also focused on highlighting indie apps. 29 percent of apps featured since the launch of the new App Store have been from publishers who had fewer than 10,000 downloads at the time.
"While it's clearly the case that big publishers are more likely to receive the largest number of features, small publishers still very much have their chance to benefit from a feature on the App Store," said Sensor Tower's Mobile Insights Analyst, Jonathan Briskman.
Click to expand...
Apple introduced the redesigned App Store in iOS 11 to offer additional opportunities for exposure to app developers. The new App Store includes a "Today" section that's updated daily with app suggestions, featured spots, app lists, developer features, and more, and it splits apps and games into two distinct categories.

Content featured in the new App Store is chosen and curated by Apple's App Store editorial team, which ensures high-quality recommendations that don't rely solely on popularity rankings.

As noted by TechCrunch, Sensor Tower's data suggests that Apple's goal of increasing developer exposure through the new App Store design has largely been a successful venture.

Article Link: Featured Apps in Revamped iOS 11 App Store Can See 800% Download Boost
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/20/new-app-store-download-boost/
For those who may not know, Apple now has a form that allows indie developers to submit their apps and games for consideration here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hank moody
This illustrates two EXTREMELY important points:

1.) that Apple continues to have a Complete Stranglehold on App Discovery !, &

2.) that the iOS App Store is still catastrophically broken ... especially their Rankings algorithm !

Users should be able to Discovery apps they are interested in "On Their Own," NOT via Apple's decisions !!!

Users should have control options for filtering apps, based-upon their own criteria ... e.g., Rank apps ONLY via new Ratings within the past 1-2 weeks.

It's NOT Rocket Science, but for whatever Reason, Apple refuses to fix the problems ! ... and they are very easily fixed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chukronos, atikalz, Marekul and 14 others
Remember when the App Store had a New Releases section? Every newly released app had a chance to get a little bit of front page time, at least within the categories. I'm convinced that helped me jump start some of my apps back in 2010-2012.

I wonder if a lot of this has to do with the App Store being used solely on small screens today. When I would browse the New Releases in iTunes, they could easily show 20 icons, maybe more. Today, even on the biggest iPhone, the smaller screen limits how much they can show. It would be hard enough to give every newly released app a chance to be seen in iTunes, but nearly impossible on a small screen.
 
I don’t pay attention to the featured apps. Or anything that comes up on the opening page.

If I’m in the App Store, it’s because I need something. I don’t just browse to see what’s there. I’m only there if I have a need for something, and then I’m straight into the search tool.

In the early days when I was curious what there was (talking way early days in the first few years of iPhones)... I used to go browse by category and free within categories.

But honestly, these days I find apps to be mostly unnecessary. Of course there are my daily use apps for email, internet, and messages. But beyond that, I find that most apps are recreational. And I don’t use my phone for games. And, I don’t care to spend money on things that I don’t need. So an app has to be absolutely necessary to accomplish a task that I need, before I’ll even start looking for it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hank moody, Hastings101, lexvo and 5 others
App Store Search Algorithm is broken. . You can't find an app by its name. .
Main problem is the way they rank..
Take for example my app named "Custom Notch" which is paid.
Initially it is the only app with that name. So if you search you would find that app easily.
Then comes copycats who offer it for free with loads of ads and keyword optimisers who use that name in their keyword just to get discovered.
1000s of people come searching for the app "Custom Notch" the app becomes popular by word of mouth.
Most of them will see your app and skip and will download free copycat apps. Then they will delete it.
But App Store algorithm will think since lot of people are not interested in the your app it will decrease the app ranking for your app and increase the ranking for the other apps.
So your app will go down.
Visibility will go down.
Then downloads will go down.
Rank will go down again.
It is a vicious cycle.
Copycats and crap apps will come app in the search. .
Your app will be hidden deep among Millions of apps. .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marekul and simonmet
Cosmosent said:
This illustrates two EXTREMELY important points:

1.) that Apple continues to have a Complete Stranglehold on App Discovery !, &

2.) that the iOS App Store is still catastrophically broken ... especially their Rankings algorithm !

Users should be able to Discovery apps they are interested in "On Their Own," NOT via Apple's decisions !!!

Users should have control options for filtering apps, based-upon their own criteria ... e.g., Rank apps ONLY via new Ratings within the past 1-2 weeks.

It's NOT Rocket Science, but for whatever Reason, Apple refuses to fix the problems ! ... and they are very easily fixed.
Click to expand...
you are stressing me out.

it's apple's store for their operating system's application ecosystem. of course they have control over it. they feature apps that will attract more consumers to their store to download and buy apps.

there are other ways to find apps, like through search or categorization.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ikir
Funny, I have been hating that store update ever since it went live, showcased apps presented in infomercial mode and finding anything that didn't make the cut is awfully convoluted. I guess I'm missing something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aussi3
berrymetal said:
Great so in case one of my apps gets featured, it'll get around 800 downloads based on its current sales
Click to expand...
This might be hard to believe but some of us have a bit of loyalty to folks that hang in these forums. I second adding your app to your signature.

I never use the app store for suggestions. I do a google search and read up on apps that I need. Sometimes I’ll look for an article like “Top 5 notetaking apps” iOS. Then I’ll look up those a-ps and read reviews. For a while Apple thought it was smart to leave out sort features like date. So I’m reading through reviews that are 1 day old or 3 years old next to each other. A little shocking that their store was so horrible. They’ve added back the sort and it is a bit better now. Except they removed the filter for both iphone and ipad so I often have to search each item twice.
 
Last edited:
crsh1976 said:
Funny, I have been hating that store update ever since it went live, showcased apps presented in infomercial mode and finding anything that didn't make the cut is awfully convoluted. I guess I'm missing something.
Click to expand...

It’s more finding anything not featured is impossible if you don’t know the app by name lol
 
As always an army of whiners and brilliant minds who would run Apple much more better... lol.
New App Store is pretty cool and about anyone I know is che king these articles, I found myself checking today page 2-3 times a week and most of time i’ve Downloaded an app based on an interesting article.
 
v0lume4 said:
That's really impressive.

Genuinely curious -- do most people download new apps these days? I rarely do. And if so, it'll be an app that I search for directly.

I remember seeing a stat about a year ago that showed that most people (it was like 80% or something) use the same ~8 or so apps.
Click to expand...
Once I have my own set of apps, I don’t use App Store that often, unless I want to find a new game.
 
  • Like
Reactions: v0lume4
This is really obvious. Being on the top paid and free lists already does wonders but nothing like being the first thing you see when you open the App Store. The problem is having the resources or luck to make it there. I basically have all the apps I need and don’t look for new ones often but many of the newer ones I’ve downloaded are ones that have gotten this kind of exposure.
 
MacRumors said:



Earning a featured spot in the revamped iOS App Store can increase app downloads by up to 800 percent, according to new data sourced from app analytics site Sensor Tower and shared by TechCrunch.

The data, collected from September 2017 to the present, suggests an app that's highlighted using either the "App of the Day" or "Game of the Day" feature in the U.S. sees the greatest increase in downloads.

ios11appstoregameoftheday.jpg

Specifically, "Game of the Day" apps have seen a median download increase of 802 percent for the week following the feature, while "App of the Day" apps have seen a boost of 685 percent.

Other features, such as a developer story or an app list can increase downloads by up to 240 percent. Stories resulted in a 222 percent boost in downloads, while app lists increased downloads by 240 percent. A theme feature had the lowest impact at a 164 percent increase in downloads.

appstorefeatureddownloadincrease.jpg

Sensor Tower has also outlined what kind of data Apple has chosen to highlight through the new App Store design. Many of the top publishers that have been featured are larger companies, like Electronic Arts, Warner Bros., Square Enix, Gameloft, Noodlecake Studios, and King, which is unsurprising as these companies have put out some of the most popular apps in the App Store.

13 of the top 15 featured publishers had at least one million U.S. iPhone downloads since the launch of the new App Store.

publishersbyfeature.jpg

Apple has, however, also focused on highlighting indie apps. 29 percent of apps featured since the launch of the new App Store have been from publishers who had fewer than 10,000 downloads at the time.Apple introduced the redesigned App Store in iOS 11 to offer additional opportunities for exposure to app developers. The new App Store includes a "Today" section that's updated daily with app suggestions, featured spots, app lists, developer features, and more, and it splits apps and games into two distinct categories.

Content featured in the new App Store is chosen and curated by Apple's App Store editorial team, which ensures high-quality recommendations that don't rely solely on popularity rankings.

As noted by TechCrunch, Sensor Tower's data suggests that Apple's goal of increasing developer exposure through the new App Store design has largely been a successful venture.

Article Link: Featured Apps in Revamped iOS 11 App Store Can See 800% Download Boost
Click to expand...


I don’t believe it! How could free advertising from Apple boost your downloads? CONSPIRACY!

(In other words, I don’t believe this is news)
 
v0lume4 said:
That's really impressive.

Genuinely curious -- do most people download new apps these days? I rarely do. And if so, it'll be an app that I search for directly.

I remember seeing a stat about a year ago that showed that most people (it was like 80% or something) use the same ~8 or so apps.
Click to expand...

I’ve seen the same estimate that the majority of people are only using 8 apps or so.

I have dozens if not a hundred on my iPad. Even my paid ones I don’t use but felt the need to have like Procreate (Had to justify the pencil....) I have tons of games I bought in packs like Goat Simulator(s) and I never touch them. I bought game after game that had 4-5 stars, critically acclaimed etc, when they went on sale and I never play them.

The programs I use most on my iPad are all TV related. I treat it like a portable TV without needing cable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back