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Something broken with App Store search results / What am I doing wrong?
Something broken with App Store search results. What am I doing wrong? If I search for my chess app with the keyword "Chess", I am about 30 down the list. Those above me include Apps with far, far less reviews (10 times less). Apps that are nowhere near as polished. Apps with far lower ratings. Apps that have been around for a far shorter time (mine is 10 years old but regularly updated). Any idea what I might be doing wrong? I have tried changing the app name and keywords. The app is "Chess - Mastersoft" and you can see how poorly it ranks by searching for "Chess".
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555
Dec ’21
The AppStore still comes across as "Rigged"
As a developer the app store just feels kind of rigged, and you will never get a reasoned reply to your concerns. Here are two examples which aren't revealed by the new transparency report. I had 10 solitaire variants. My competitor had 10 variants. New rule 4.3 brought in which is fair enough, except that afterwards Apple removed my solitaire variants but allowed my competitor to keep all of theirs. Search for "Chess" on the app store (note I also have a chess app). Why does an old app with a rating of 3 stars and just 18 ratings come above Magnus Carlsen's app with a 5 star rating? He is the number one chess player in the World and his app is superb. It is exasperating and you will only get a "Thank you for your concerns, we have passed them to the relevant department" kind of reply. You never hear from them again on the subject. There are 1000s more examples ... The only way Magnus can rectify this is, I poresume, by buying Apple Search Ads.
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588
May ’23
Even when paying for search ads the App Store still seems rigged.
Here's my app with real reviews which is running a search campaign with the keyword "chess". My app is called chess so why can't I get ahead of a 3 star app with 18 reviews. Mine has 1000s of reviews and is rated 4.5 stars. It's like there is a lead brick attached to mine and surely the whole point of search ads is to improve keyword search. I don't want to waste money on search ads if it doesn't work, but why is my app below that one anyway?
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849
Jun ’23
How to speak to a real person about an App Store / Search Ads Scam?
My app was originally #1 in most countries for its main search keyword. It is now 20+ even using search ads. I have accidentally discovered a huge App Store scam where a developer can cheaply destroy any other app's ranking. I can also show I have been a victim. Howe can I speak to a real person to discuss this? Obviously it would be a bad idea to post it here. I seem to get semi "automated" responses when I use contact us.
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877
Jun ’23
Proof that Search Ads does not work.
My app can't get above a 7 year old abandoned app with a 3 star rating, with Search Ads targetting "Chess". My app has a closer match to the keyword "chess". I have spent $1000s but am 20th for "chess" way behind lower rated apps. I'm getting around 60% conversion and lots of impressions. Apple have told me to spend more. My app is regularly updated. The other has not been updated in 7 years. My app is surely a closer match to the keyword I am paying for? My app earned over $1M. The other app looks like it hasn't done great.
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726
Jun ’23
ITMS-90053 Mac Catalyst Invalid Binary
I am really stuck. I uploaded my Mac Catalyst app. The binary passes validation beforehand. I submit for review. After being in "waiting for review" for a couple of minutes it is rejected with "invalid binary" and comes back with an email saying "ITMS-90053: This bundle is invalid - The bundle identifier is already in use by a different software package." The only app that is using the same bundle is the IOS version where I added the Mac platform.
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501
Apr ’24