Summary
My app "Hibika" has been completely absent from App Store search results since launch on May 25, 2026 — now over 5 weeks. This includes searching for its exact, unique brand name, which should be the most trivial search match possible.
App details
- App name: Hibika
- App ID: 6760477185
- Bundle ID: com.chrisbc.hibika
- Version: 1.2.0, status: Ready for Distribution
- Category: Health & Fitness / Habit tracker
What's broken
Searching "Hibika" in the App Store app or on apps.apple.com returns zero results — not even a distant match — in every storefront I've tested (Spain, US, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Japan). The app's direct product page loads correctly and is fully functional: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hibika/id6760477185
Search by keywords/subtitle terms also returns nothing, which is expected since those aren't indexed for a brand-new app with low install volume — but the complete absence for the exact brand name is not normal behavior and does not match any documented ASO ranking factor.
What I've verified so far
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Not a device/cache issue — reproduced across multiple devices, regions, and by independent third parties (including an Apple Developer Support advisor who confirmed the same result on their end).
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Not a regional listing gap — app availability is confirmed active in all major storefronts.
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A separate issue with user reviews not appearing on the product page self-resolved after a few weeks, but the search indexing issue persists.
Apple Developer Support case history
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Case escalated to a Senior Advisor in early June.
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Escalated to Engineering team on June 17 (ticket 180061872).
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As of July 2, no update or resolution provided, despite multiple follow-ups.
Question for the community
Has anyone experienced total invisibility in App Store search (including exact brand name matches) that lasted this long? If so:
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Did it resolve on its own, or did something specific fix it (title/subtitle change, rebuild, resubmission)?
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Any idea what backend indexing bug could cause a brand-new app to be excluded even from exact-name search?
Any insight from developers who've hit this — or from Apple engineers who might see this — would be hugely appreciated. Happy to share more diagnostic details if useful.