Each developer, from solo indie devs to massive mega-corporations, has dreamt of Apple selecting them as a featured app on the App Retailer. There are hundreds of thousands of apps within the retailer, and when featured, yours is on the prime of the heap. A minimum of for a number of days.
Earlier than I am going additional, it’s vital to know I do know little or no in regards to the inner decision-making course of by which apps get featured. I do know there are editorial groups who make choices and that there are totally different groups for various areas, however that’s about it!
When the App Retailer first launched, I believe the apps that acquired featured had been probably sourced by the editorial groups themselves. I think about they might discover apps that they thought had been attention-grabbing and get suggestions from different Apple workers. There wasn’t any formal exterior nomination course of that I do know of.
As time went on, although, that modified. I’m unsure what kind the primary course of took, but when I keep in mind accurately, it began as an e-mail handle after which grew to become a kind you would fill in. In addition they began to write down nice guides on the right way to improve your possibilities of them selecting your app. The frequent notion was that it was a closed and secretive course of, however the doorways to nominating apps opened up a few years in the past.
Issues modified once more final week as the method grew to become much more structured. Right here’s the complete Developer Information announcement, however the gist of it’s which you can now submit and observe the standing of requests to have an app featured. You’ll be able to choose the kind of function you’re nominating your self for, like in case you add new content material or improve your app’s performance. You can even save draft variations earlier than you submit, and see who in your crew final edited a submission. It appears to be like nice.
The opposite factor that this alteration normalises is that it’s OK, and even inspired, to submit your app for that includes regularly. I’ve spoken to many individuals who submitted their apps as soon as once they launched after which by no means once more. Irrespective of whether or not your app has been featured earlier than or not, each time you do one thing important to your app is one other alternative. It’s all the time value contemplating whether or not your newest replace would possibly tip the scales within the eyes of a reviewer.
After all, none of this makes it any simpler to steer the editorial crew that they need to select your app. That job stays with you and stays as difficult because it all the time was! I like the brand new adjustments to App Retailer Join, although.
Dave Verwer 