Apple Worldwide Developer Conference

MAY 2024
Hello Developer
Hello
It won’t be long now! WWDC24 takes place online from June 10 through 14, and we’re here to help you get ready for the biggest developer event of the year. In this edition:Explore Pathways, a brand-new way to learn about developing for Apple platforms. Meet three Distinguished Winners of this year’s Swift Student Challenge.Get great tips from the SharePlay team.Browse new developer activities about accessibility, machine learning, and more.
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Introducing PathwaysIf you’re new to developing for Apple platforms, we’ve got an exciting announcement. Pathways are simple and easy-to-navigate collections of the videos, documentation, and resources you’ll need to start building great apps and games. Because Pathways are self-directed and can be followed at your own pace, they’re the perfect place to begin your journey.Explore Pathways for Swift, SwiftUI, design, games, visionOS, App Store distribution, and getting started as an Apple developer. Dive into Pathways
xyzMeet three Distinguished Winners of the Swift Student ChallengeElena Galluzzo, Dezmond Blair, and Jawaher Shaman all drew inspiration from their families to create their winning app playgrounds. Now, they share the hope that their apps can make an impact on others as well. Read about Elena, Dezmond, and Jawaher
 Meet with App Review online to discuss the App Review Guidelines and explore best practices for a smooth review process.Sign up for May 14 Join us in Bengaluru for a special in-person activity to commemorate Global Accessibility Awareness Day.Sign up for May 15 Learn how Apple machine learning frameworks can help you create more intelligent apps and games in an online activity.Sign up for May 19
New this month

Discover Apple Pencil Pro Bring even richer and more immersive interactions to your iPad app with new features, like squeeze gestures, haptic feedback, and barrel-roll angle tracking.Learn more
The rise of Tide GuideHere’s the swell story of how fishing with his grandfather got Tucker MacDonald hooked into creating his tide-predicting app.Read more

Explore simple, safe transactions with In-App PurchaseTake advantage of powerful global pricing tools, promotional features, analytics only available from Apple, built-in customer support, and fraud detection.Learn more


Get shared insights from the SharePlay teamLearn about shared experiences, spatial Personas, that magic “shockwave” effect, and more.Read the Q&A
Developer news and documentation 
 Explore the new framework for showing an inline preview in a web browser.Convert Pages, Numbers, and Keynote files to PDF Check out an update on data-independent timing. Writing ARM64 code for Apple platforms Get new and enhanced guidance on virtual hands and interactive elements in visionOS, sheets in iPadOS, and more.Explore the HIG

Supporting your App’s success

Apple offers a series of complimentary app marketing services to help get your app discovered.

Promoting your apps
Take advantage of marketing guidance, tools, promotional offers, and more to help drive discovery.

App Analytics
Measure your app’s performance and get unique insights with a variety of tools in App Store Connect.

Ratings and reviews
Ask for ratings and respond to reviews to improve your app’s discoverability, encourage downloads, and build rapport.

App updates
Stay competitive by engaging current users and attracting new ones with regular app updates.

Announcing the App Store Award Finalists

For over a decade, the App Store editorial team has taken a moment at the end of the year to celebrate the very best apps and games. As always, we focus on technical innovation, user experience, and design. Then we consider the impact these apps and games have had on our lives. 

iPhone App of the Year Finalists

AllTrailsDuolingoFlighty

These apps helped us explore a new language, the hiking trails in our community, and the world at large.

iPhone Game of the Year Finalists

AfterplaceHonkai: Star RailVampire Survivors

Our favourite iPhone games sent us on unforgettable intergalactic voyages, into the jaws of monstrous hordes, and to a fantasy land filled with surprises (and wry humour).

iPad App of the Year Finalists

ConceptsDaVinci ResolvePrêtàMakeup

This year we learned to express our creativity through multiple mediums—doodles, digital film, and daring makeup looks.

iPad Game of the Year Finalists

Lost in PlayPocket City 2

Want to build an incredible city? Journey through a child’s imagination? Meet this year’s iPad Game of the Year finalists.

Mac App of the Year Finalists

Linearity CurvePhotomatorPortal

Skillfully designed graphics, state-of-the-art photo editing, and mesmerizing escapes. We were instantly immersed in the worlds these apps transported us to—or inspired us to create.

Mac Game of the Year Finalists

ELEX IILies of PReturn to Monkey Island

Whether you’re pointing and clicking through a swashbuckling adventure, duelling deranged puppets, or jetpacking across a post-apocalyptic world, the power of Apple silicon brings these brilliant games to life.

Download these games on the Mac App Store.

Apple Arcade Game of the Year Finalists

CityscapesHello Kitty Island AdventureStitch

Apple Arcade delivered endless entertainment this year. We embroidered beautiful patterns, simulated a sprawling metropolis, and made adorable friends on a tropical island.

Apple Watch App of the Year Finalists

PlannySmartGymTide Guide

This year’s finalists had us checking off our to-do lists, checking out the tides, and checking on our gains at the gym.

Apple TV App of the Year Finalists

BugsnaxFitOnMUBI

Whether you’re kicking back with a good movie, kicking it up with cardio, or kicking some butt—our Apple TV finalists make it look amazing on the big screen.

Cultural Impact Finalists

BalanceEndlingFinding HannahHow to Say GoodbyePok PokProloquoRebel Girls, Too Good To GoUnpacking

By telling little known stories that deserve to be heard and helping us care for ourselves and loved ones, these apps and games improved the world for us all.

App Store Marketing Tools

Generate short links or embeddable code that lead to your App Store product page and display your app icon, a QR code, or an App Store badge. You can also create custom marketing assets — such as banners and images — and add preset messages in multiple languages to promote your apps in your advertising efforts.

View the tools

App Analytics: peer group benchmarks

Put your app’s performance into context using peer group benchmarks, which compare your app’s performance to that of similar apps on the App Store. Peer group benchmarks provide powerful new insights across the customer journey, enabling you to identify what works well in your app and what can be improved. Apps are placed into groups based on their App Store category, business model, and download volume to ensure relevant comparisons. Using industry-leading differential privacy techniques, peer group benchmarks provide relevant and actionable insights — all while keeping the performance of individual apps private.

Custom product pages

Create additional versions of your App Store product page, each of which highlights a feature or specific content, then share a page’s unique URL in your corresponding marketing efforts.

iPhone showing App Store product page for Mountain Climber app featuring bike trails
iPhone showing App Store product page for Mountain Climber app featuring hiking trails
iPhone showing App Store product page for Mountain Climber app featuring rock climbing

Overview

You can create additional versions of your App Store product page on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or later to showcase different features or content within your app — such as a particular sport, character, show, or gameplay feature — and share them with different audiences through unique URLs. You can also use these pages to showcase seasonal or culturally relevant content. Each custom product page can include screenshots, promotional text, and app previews that are different from those on your default product page.

Configuring in App Store Connect

When creating a custom product page in App Store Connect, you can choose to start with a copy of your default product page or a blank page. You can then customize screenshots, promotional text, and app previews for any of your page’s localizations. Any metadata you provide must be submitted for review, which you can do independent of an app update. You can also use the App Store Connect API to automate metadata upload and submission for your custom product pages. You can have up to 35 custom product pages per app published on the App Store at a time. For a smooth review experience, make sure your screenshots and app previews follow the specifications and that all metadata follows the App Store Review Guidelines.

Marketing custom product pages

Once you’ve created a custom product page, you can use its unique URL to share it through your marketing efforts, such as social media advertising or promotional communications. For example, you can promote a sports team in an email campaign and link to the custom product page that highlights that team. The unique URL adds a new product page ID parameter to the default product page URL. For example: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mountain-climber/id12345678?ppid=45812c9b-c296-43d3-c6a0-c5a02f74bf6e

Custom product pages don’t appear when someone searches for your app or game on the App Store (except as a search results ad that you created with Apple Search Ads). However, they may appear in editorially curated selections on the Today, Games, and Apps tabs.

Advertising networks can also use custom product pages in StoreKit-rendered advertisements. They’ll use the custom product page ID as the customProductPageIdentifier when using SKOverlay, or as the SKStoreProductParameterCustomProductPageIdentifier when using SKStoreProductViewController.

Apple Search Ads lets you create Today tab ads and search results ad variations based on your eligible custom product pages. Tailor ad messaging and images for different audiences, feature launches, or seasonal promotions when you set up your campaign. Learn more about Apple Search Ads.

Measuring success

Once your custom product pages are live, you can measure their performance in App Analytics in App Store Connect. Under the Acquisition tab, you’ll see product page impressions, downloads, redownloads, and conversion rates to understand how effective each page is at encouraging app downloads. You can also view retention data and average proceeds per paying user for each custom product page. Additionally, you can compare the performance of your custom product pages against your default product page, and see whether people who downloaded your app from a custom product page stay engaged longer or spend more on in-app purchases.

App Store submissions now open for iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1

iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1, the world’s most advanced mobile operating systems, will soon be available to customers worldwide. Take advantage of Live Activities to help people stay on top of what’s happening live in your app, right from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island on iPhone. Bring desktop-class features, such as an editor-style navigation bar and enhanced text editing menu to your iPad app, and get the most out of the latest advancements in MapKit, Metal, ARKit, Core ML, and more.

Build your app using Xcode 14.1 Release Candidate, then test and submit it for review. Please note, starting April 2023, all iOS and iPadOS apps submitted to the App Store must be built with Xcode 14.1 and the iOS 16.1 SDK. https://developer.apple.com/ios/submit/

Updates to Google Play Policies

Upcoming Policy Changes 

News from the Google Play Store

Effective September 30, 2022
We’re adding new guidelines to our Ads policy to improve the in-app user experience and to prohibit unexpected interstitial ads, inspired by the Better Ads Standards – Mobile Apps Experiences guidelines.


Effective August 31, 2022
We’re updating health misinformation guidelines to state that we don’t allow apps containing misleading health claims that contradict existing medical consensus, or that can cause harm to users.We’re updating our Impersonation policy to clarify that the policy prohibits impersonation of other entities or organizations.  We’ve also added some new examples regarding app titles and icons.

Effective September 30, 2022
We’re updating our Subscriptions policy to state that users must be able to easily cancel their subscriptions from within the app.

Effective November 1, 2022
We’re updating our Families Self-Certified Ads SDK Program to require that self-certified ads SDK providers must submit new policy-compliant, self-certified versions and a test app to remain in the Families Self-Certified Ads SDK Program. Learn more about Families Self-Certified Ads SDKs.We’re updating our existing stalkerware guidance with a monitoring apps flag “IsMonitoringTool” for all legitimate monitoring applications. All apps that use this tool must also disclose monitoring or tracking functionality in their Google Play store description.

New examples and clarifications
Additionally, we’ve added new examples and clarifications to some of our existing policies. Because these policies aren’t new or updated, our enforcement standards and practices for these policies remain the same. 

We’re clarifying our Child Endangerment policy to reinforce that we prohibit the use of apps to endanger children, including the facilitation of child trafficking, grooming, and sextortion.We’re clarifying our Families Data Practices policy to state that apps that solely target children must not transmit Android advertising identifier (AAID), SIM Serial, Build Serial, BSSID, MAC, SSID, IMEI, and/or IMSI. Apps that target both children and older audiences must not transmit AAID, SIM Serial, Build Serial, BSSID, MAC, SSID, IMEI, and/or IMSI from children or users of unknown age.

We’re consolidating health and medical-related policies into an easy-to-navigate page.We’re clarifying our Ads policy to emphasize that ads and their associated offers served in your app must be consistent with your app’s content rating.

We’re clarifying our Ads policy to state that the Ad ID may no longer be connected to a persistent identifier or personally-identifiable information for any purpose including analytics purposes.We’re clarifying the Made For Ads guidelines under our Spam policy to prevent apps from displaying interstitial ads repeatedly to distract users from engaging with an app and performing in-app tasks.

We’re moving country-specific guidelines from our Real-Money Gambling, Games, and Contests policy page to a link on our Gambling Application Form for easier reference.We’re clarifying our sensitive events definition and examples under the Inappropriate Content policy to state that we don’t allow apps that capitalize on or are insensitive toward a sensitive event with significant social, cultural, or political impact (for example, civil emergencies, natural disasters, public health emergencies, conflicts, deaths, or other tragic events).

We’re clarifying Privacy Policy guidelines under our User Data policy to state that all apps must post a privacy policy link in the designated field within Play Console and a privacy policy link or text within the app itself.

We’re also specifying that privacy policies must be publicly accessible and non-geofenced. Learn more about adding a privacy policy.

Unity Mobile Insights 2022: Growth and Monetization

Important Report for all business owners of mobile applications: Unity Mobile Insights 2022: Growth and Monetization. Enclosed are some of the main points that resonate with today’s app owners:-

Soft Launch

  • Canada is the preferred location for a soft launch
  • January is the preferred month for a soft launch
  • On average, a soft launch takes six and a half weeks to complete

Spend your Budget Wisely

  • Advertising in hypercasual games has 38% higher CTR than other genres
  • Games that are advertised in games of the same genre generally perform better with cannibalization not being a concern
  • D7 retention is much higher for games targeted at casual audiences for word, board, and puzzle games, than hardcore gamers for racing, role-playing, and simulation games

Sharpen your Ad Creatives

  • Ad creatives that showed actual gameplay performed better than any other ad content
  • Voice-over performs better than on-screen text for instructions
  • Showing gameplay of the player losing or failing at the game is effective

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2022

Call to code #WWDC2022 – Join developers worldwide from June 6 to 10 for an inspiring week of technology and community. Get a first look at Apple’s latest platforms and technologies in sessions, explore the newest tools and tips, and connect with Apple experts in labs and digital lounges

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