App developers will have a new path for recognition and promotion of their apps, Apple told developers at WWDC 2024 this week. In an update scheduled to arrive in September alongside the release of iOS 18, developers will be able to alert Apple’s editorial team about new content or features in their app before it’s released for consideration in the App Store.
Today, the App Store editorial team creates stories about apps and their developers and groups apps of interest into collections highlighted across the App Store’s many sections. However, there was no formal process for alerting App Store editors about upcoming changes that would potentially qualify an app for this type of recognition. With the launch of the so-called “Nominations Showcase,” developers will be able to share their plans directly with Apple. This is managed via the App Store Connect app where developers actually manage their apps, installs, and sales.
From the new nominations dashboard in App Store Connect, developers will be able to create their nominations, either one by one or by uploading a spreadsheet to nominate apps in bulk. Apple recommends using a memorable name for the nomination, which will help editors understand what the new content or feature for their app is focused on. Developers can alert editors to three different types of updates: new content, app improvements, or new app launches.
In addition to the update name, developers will include a text description explaining any relevant details of the update and expected deployment date. Another field, “Useful Details,” will also allow developers to provide other information to editors reviewing their submission — such as the developer’s story, how the app was created, or their efforts around some other key factor, like the app’s accessibility or inclusivity features. .
In connection with this change, developers will also receive a notification from App Store Connect if the editorial team chooses to showcase the app on the App Store. By clicking on the notification, developers will be taken to a page with new marketing assets to promote your app designed to share the news on social media.
Apple will also provide marketing materials for other big moments in an app’s life cycle, such as when it first launches or when a new feature or release is released.
These features were announced in a session alongside other news about updates to TestFlight, Apple’s pre-launched app testing platform. One change that will make the testing process more useful for developers is the ability too Set criteria to filter by the type of testers to reach. For example, a developer could restrict their version of TestFlight to only those with an iPhone and Vision Pro, or only devices running a specific version of iOS. This way, when you share the public link to TestFlight, only testers who meet the criteria will be able to install the beta version of the app.
Apple also allows developers to create deep links to their apps’ custom product pages, that is, those pages they’ve created to highlight specific features of the app to a specific audience, or those that promote special deals. These custom links can be used when advertising the app via Apple Search Ads or on other platforms, such as social media sites.
Apple’s iOS 18 will be released to the public later this fall.