Google Play and the App Store are always changing – updates, algorithm tweaks, and policy shifts can all have an impact on how apps perform. These changes influence rankings, visibility, and even which apps gain momentum in the market.
Our team closely monitors these shifts to understand how they might affect your app. By staying informed, we can quickly adapt our strategies to keep your app competitive. This way, we make sure your app stays visible, ranks well, and continues to grow. Being flexible and proactive allows us to turn these changes into opportunities to help your app succeed. So let’s take a closer look at Google and Apple updates during November 2024.
AppStore
AI-generated Review Summaries
The App Store will soon feature AI-generated review summaries. This means users won’t need to read through all the reviews – Apple will provide a concise summary instead.
According to an unofficial App Store article shared by 9to5Mac, these AI summaries will appear on app pages alongside descriptions and screenshots. They’ll automatically update as new reviews come in, ensuring the information remains current, similar to a recent feature Amazon introduced to summarize product reviews.
Apple notes that an app must reach a certain number of reviews for this feature to be available. Initially, it will roll out in select regions. To maintain accuracy, developers will have the option to report summaries they believe misrepresent their app.
This feature is part of Apple’s broader adoption of AI technologies. Previously, the company introduced text and notification summarization features in iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1. While Apple hasn’t announced an exact launch date for review summaries, their presence in the App Store API suggests the release could be imminent.
AppStore Search Update
The App Store has been updated, and Apple now offers a more powerful search feature. Users can now search using natural language and descriptive tags, making it easier and faster to find exactly what they need.
In general, it’s not yet clear how this will impact app rankings and search results. However, with the addition of natural language and descriptive tag support, it’s possible that apps optimized for broader and more detailed queries could see changes in visibility. We’ll need to monitor how these updates affect search behavior and adapt strategies accordingly to ensure apps maintain strong rankings.
Updated Process for Submitting a Feature Request
The App Store has updated the process for submitting a feature request! There’s now a dedicated section for this in App Store Connect. To find it, open your app in App Store Connect and scroll down to the bottom of the menu on the left. There you’ll see a section called “Nominations” – this is where you can submit your feature requests.
Compared to the previous form, the new process is much simpler, with far fewer fields to fill out. There are two main sections:
- Description (1,000 characters): This is where you explain why your app should be featured.
- Additional Information (500 characters): Use this to highlight what makes your app stand out from others.
An interesting new feature is the ability to submit multiple requests at once using a CSV file. You can find the template in the same section. Apple also mentions on its page that for smaller features, you should submit your request at least 2 weeks in advance, while larger campaigns should be planned at least 3 months ahead.
Google Play
Developer Console New Design
Google Play is continuing to experiment with a new console design, which seems to be in a testing phase. Users have reported that the updated interface appears, disappears, and then reappears without any prior notice.
This inconsistent rollout suggests that Google is gathering feedback and fine-tuning the new layout before a broader release. Such updates are typically aimed at improving usability, streamlining workflows, or introducing new features, but the frequent changes can be confusing for developers who rely on the console for daily tasks.
It will be interesting to see how this new design evolves and whether it brings significant improvements to the overall user experience once it’s fully implemented. For now, developers may need to adapt to the back-and-forth shifts while the testing continues.
Google will warn users about potentially low-quality apps
It seems that Google is working on a new feature to warn users about potentially low-quality apps in the Play Store.
An app might be flagged based on the following criteria:
- A higher uninstall rate compared to similar apps.
- Limited information provided by the developer.
- A small number of users.
These warnings are expected to appear directly on the app’s Play Store page rather than before downloading. This approach makes sense, as the listed criteria don’t necessarily indicate poor quality (especially the last two points). It seems more like an effort to provide users with additional context rather than outright discouraging downloads.
SUM UP
In conclusion, the latest changes in Google Play and the App Store introduce important adjustments that could impact app launches, marketing tactics, and how algorithms perform. Staying informed about these updates is crucial for fine-tuning promotion strategies and ensuring consistent app growth. By monitoring these shifts, developers and marketers can adapt their methods and stay competitive in the ever-evolving app marketplace.
