Best Practices

App Names

Your app name is how users will search for your app. A name that is simple and easy to remember will yield more successful search results. Choose a descriptive app name that reflects what your app does and is distinct and appropriate. Keep app names as short and concise as possible.

• Fewer than 25 characters is recommended for best presentation.

• Pay particular attention to how app names appear when viewed on the App Store on iPhone/iPod touch and iPad.

• Don’t append descriptive text to your app name. For example “My Weather - real-time radar, temperature, wind and cloud patterns” is too long. The app name is better as simply “My Weather”. Reserve descriptive text for your app description.

• Ensure your app name does not violate the trademark or rights of a third party. For example “iPhone Sports News” would be inappropriate, because “iPhone” is an Apple trademark.

Most importantly, a customer should instantly associate the name and icon in the App Store with the name and app icon that installs on their devices after purchase or download.

If your app’s name in iTunes Connect is, for example, “Coraline’s Creative Cajun Cooking,” good choices for short names for devices might be CreativeCajun or CajunCooking or Coraline’s, because they directly evoke the long name—but not Good Eats, Louisiana, or Comfort Food, which do not.

For more information on preparing your icons for Mac apps, read iOS Human Interface Guidelines and OS X Human Interface Guidelines.

Categories

One important aspect of discoverability is the primary category you assign to your app. For users browsing the App Store, this is the category in which your app is listed. Make sure to carefully choose the category that best describes the main function of your app. All category submissions are reviewed by Apple.

The secondary category for apps is recommended to maximize the app’s discoverability on the App Store. Having your app appear in two categories is better than only one.

Icons

Keep your app icon iconic. The icon is the face of your app to users, so it must be memorable and present well at a small size. Memorable icons are clean and simple, showing only one visual. They are immediately recognizable and bring your app to mind.

To create great icons, follow these guidelines:

• Make the icon appropriate for your app.

• Create a simple icon that is consistent with the design of your app.

• Make the icon legible (even at small sizes).

• Don’t scale up images from smaller artwork.

• Avoid using words in your icon.

• Ensure small and large icons are consistent.

• Don’t clutter your icons with free or sale messages.

• Never include pricing information.

• Don’t brand your icons with company logos; the space is too small to be effective and the additional images clutter the presentation of the main image.

• Consider cultural sensitivities and use universal imagery.

• Don’t be afraid to consult a professional graphic designer.

For overall design assistance, consult iOS Human Interface Guidelines or OS X Human Interface Guidelines.

When your icons appear in the App Store and on a device, rounded corners and shine are added automatically. For iOS apps, if you are confident in your own shine-adding abilities, you can turn off the automatic shine using the shine parameter (the UIPrerenderedIcon key) within your submitted binary for the device home screen, the App Store, and the App Store on the device. (Be sure to correctly specify the desired shine to get the intended final results.) The shine parameter is not respected for Mac apps.

Your Icon:

Automatically Rounded:

Shine Automatically Applied:

Screenshots

One of the most important elements to discoverability is your screenshots. Create compelling and visually stunning screenshots. Place the best screenshot first. Show the actual pixels of your app, using the full screen, without graphics or borders around the image. Focus on showing the app as users will experience when interacting with your app.

When creating screenshots to be posted to the App Store, follow these general guidelines:

• Make sure the content is legible and appropriate.

• Don’t place the screenshot inside an Apple device image.

• Always remove the status bar from screenshots.

• Use all five screenshots to tell the story of your app.

• Don’t combine multiple app screens in the area designed for a single app screen.

• Take screenshots on the target device (not on Simulator). To do this, hold down the Power button and press the Home button. The screenshot is saved to the Camera Roll.

• Avoid overworking the screenshots with marketing messages and additional graphic treatments.

• Only add minimal graphic overlays when it is necessary to explain the image.

• Don’t forget to localize screenshots. Before taking the screenshots, set the iPhone or iPad language by going to Settings > General > International > Language.

• Consider cultural sensibilities and restrictions.

The first screenshot will appear as a search result on the device App Store on iPhone and iPad.

Marketing Description

Write a clear, concise, and informative app description. The first few lines are the most important area you have to describe your app. It’s your chance to make a great first impression. Focus on functionality and design of your app from a user viewpoint. Describe what makes your app special and specify what features separate your app from others.

To provide the best possible description:

• Include a brief opening paragraph or two and a short bulleted list of main features.

• Localize for international markets where appropriate.

• Only include user reviews, accolades, or testimonials at the end, if at all.

• The Marketing Description is not easily actionable. Don’t include lengthly URL’s or other call-to-action messaging.

• Use line breaks and bullets to enhance legibility. Don’t add extra white space between text or lengthen your description unnecessarily.

• Be aware of the App Store screen size and of what is visible when the description is showing.

Make sure these content areas are filled in properly:

• Copyright Holder. Should read, for example, © 2013 Acme Inc. (The App Store adds the copyright symbol.)

• Version Number. Use standard versioning practices (for example: 1.0 and 1.1). Do not include words such as build and version in your version number.

• URLs and Emails. Make sure all support and marketing URLs are live before posting your app to the App Store.

• End User License Agreement (EULA). The EULA must be consistent with the minimum iTunes terms and conditions. If you need the user to explicitly accept the agreement, do so from within your app.

When updating your app, complete the “What’s New” field thoroughly and thoughtfully. Add call-to-action messaging to encourage users to update. Present the changes in plain and authentic language rather than technical jargon. List items in order of importance.

Keywords

Entering thoughtful and strategic keywords that pertain to your app will help your potential customers locate your app more easily when searching on the App Store. If you choose unique keywords, your app has a better chance of being specifically located relative to other apps when customers use that keyword in the App Store search field. Assigning extremely common keywords could lessen your chance of being located quickly.

When choosing a keyword, do not use competing app names or inappropriate words; all keyword submissions are reviewed by Apple.

• Don’t include objectionable terms.

• Don't include trademarked terms.

• Don’t include company or product names.

• Don’t include celebrity names.

• Don’t include irrelevant terms, as this is a common rejection.

For example, this is how search results are presented on the App Store on iPhone and iPad:

URLs

Create a landing page for your app on your website. Provide additional information beyond what is included in your app metadata. For example, include an app trailer, more screenshots, testimonials, or industry accolades. Consider providing a downloadable media kit that includes high-resolution app icons and screenshots, your company logo, and marketing text describing your app.

Create a support system for your app on your website. Make it easy for users to contact you directly with app issues, feedback, and feature requests. In addition, consider including an in-app way for users to contact you.

To ensure flawless presentation, avoid links to blogs or pages with mostly dynamic content.

Promo Codes

You can request up to 50 promo codes per approved version of your app in iTunes Connect. Create a plan to use these promotions, including seeding appropriate press and editorial contacts prior to release. Reach influencers with these codes who can create buzz and awareness for your app. Advise the press to publicize only when your app is actually available for customers to download to create actionable marketing.

Vanity URLs

For offline communications like print and TV, provide a simple way for users to find your app with an easy-to-remember App Store Short Link. The App Store automatically generates these URL’s for all apps and companies. See Creating easy-to-read short links to the App Store for your apps and company for more information.

• Single App: AppStore.com/Keynote

• All Apps: AppStore.com/Apple

• Single App with Company Name: AppStore.com/Apple/Keynote

Smart App Banners

Safari’s Smart App Banner feature in iOS 6 provides a standardized method of promoting apps on the App Store from a website. These banners improve users’ browsing experience compared to other methods. Tapping the banner will take users directly to the app on the App Store. For more information, see the Safari Web Content Guide.

(iOS only) App Size

iOS apps can be as large as 2 GB, but the executable file cannot exceed 60MB. However, consider download times when determining your app’s size. Minimize the file’s size as much as possible, keeping in mind that there is a 50 MB limit for over-the-air downloads.

Abnormally large binary files are usually the result of storing data, such as images, inside the compiled binary itself, instead of as a resource inside your app bundle. If you are compiling an image or large dataset into your binary, it would be best to split this data out into a resource that is loaded dynamically by your app.