What is an App Store Update?
An App Store update is the process a developer completes in order to update an app in the App Store using App Store Connect, Apple’s platform for releasing new and updated apps.
An update is a newer version of the app than the one that’s available to download in the App Store. The developer will submit the new version, wait for approval from Apple before publishing and making it available for download. An app developer must go through an App Store update if there are new features or bug fixes that will improve the experience for the end-user. Alternatively, a developer can intend to update their app only to change the metadata on the app’s product page or the keyword metadata to improve an app’s ranking.
Why is Updating the App Store Important?
App Store updates serve several vital functions in the lifecycle of an app:
- Enhancing User Experience: Regular updates allow developers to refine the app's functionality, fix bugs, and introduce new features that improve the overall user experience.
- Boosting User Retention: An app that is frequently updated signals to users that the developers are actively improving the product, which can increase loyalty and reduce churn.
- Improving App Performance: Updates can optimize the app's performance, making it faster and more efficient on the latest devices and operating systems.
- Staying Relevant: The App Store's algorithm favors apps that are regularly updated, which can lead to better discoverability and higher rankings.
Strategies for App Store Updates:
-
Maintain a Regular Update Schedule: Decide on a consistent schedule for releasing updates, whether it's monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. This helps manage user expectations and keeps your app top-of-mind.
-
Highlight New Features: Use the "What's New" section in the App Store to inform users about the latest changes. This can entice users to revisit the app and try out new features.
-
Optimize Metadata: Each update is an opportunity to optimize your app's metadata, including keywords, descriptions, and screenshots, to improve ASO.
-
Test Thoroughly: Before releasing an update, conduct thorough testing to ensure that new features work as intended and that existing functionalities are not broken.
Expert Insights: Consider implementing a beta testing program to gather user feedback on new features before a full rollout. This can help identify potential issues and gauge user reception.
How often should you update app store data?
Updating App Store data is a balancing act that requires consideration of various factors, including user feedback, app performance issues, feature development, and market trends. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but here are some general guidelines and expert insights to help you determine an optimal update frequency:
Minor Updates and Bug Fixes
- Frequency: Every 2-4 weeks
- Expert Insights: Regular minor updates can address critical bugs and performance issues as they arise, ensuring a smooth user experience. Small, frequent updates can also show users that the app is well-maintained.
Feature Updates
- Frequency: Every 1-3 months
- Expert Insights: Larger updates that introduce new features should be planned and spaced out to give users time to adapt to changes. This also allows for adequate development and testing time to ensure quality.
Seasonal Updates
- Frequency: As per seasonal events or holidays
- Expert Insights: Aligning updates with holidays or events can make your app feel current and increase user engagement. These updates can include themed content, special promotions, or limited-time features.
Metadata Optimization
- Frequency: Every 4-6 weeks or after significant app updates
- Expert Insights: Regularly review and tweak your app's metadata, including keywords, descriptions, and screenshots, to improve search visibility and conversion rates. Metadata should also be updated to reflect new features or changes in the app.
Responding to Market Changes
- Frequency: As needed
- Expert Insights: Be prepared to update your app in response to new device releases, operating system updates, or changes in user behavior and preferences. Staying agile can help you capitalize on new opportunities or mitigate potential issues.
User Feedback
- Frequency: Continuous monitoring, update as appropriate
- Expert Insights: Keep an eye on user reviews and feedback. Addressing user concerns through updates can improve user satisfaction and ratings.
Regulatory or Policy Changes
- Frequency: As required by new regulations or policy updates
- Expert Insights: Ensure your app complies with any new regulations or App Store policies to avoid being penalized or removed from the store.
App Store Update and ASO
Yes, updating the content of an app with new features, or fixing bugs that have been detrimental to the users’ experience are vital. But for ASO, updating and improving the metadata on an app product page breathes new life to an app which will keep ‘conversion rate decay’ at bay. This decaying is the phenomenon whereby conversion rates drop due to unchanged marketing visuals and messages over time. If an audience is only exposed to ‘old’ unengaging creatives on an app’s product page that if they didn’t appeal to users (for whatever reason) enough to convert them on their first visit, likely won’t convert them if they were to visit again. If we break users into two groups it shows clearly where the focus needs to be:
- Users who visit the page, engage with the creative / messaging and are successfully converted to download. Great, no problem.
- Users who visit the page fail to engage with the creatives shown and therefore don’t install the app. Problem. In order to see an increase in conversion rates from this group, creatives / messaging will need to be refreshed.
Essentially ASO plays a big part in understanding which creatives / messaging work or don’t work for an app’s audience, and only an app update that brings refreshed metadata will prevent conversion rate decay and improve conversions.
COVID-19 UPDATE 
