Updates to Universal Purchase and App Store Categories
February 5, 2020
Starting in March 2020, you’ll be able to distribute iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS versions of your app as a universal purchase, allowing customers to enjoy your app and in‑app purchases across platforms by purchasing only once. You can choose to create a new app for these platforms using a single app record in App Store Connect or add platforms to your existing app record. Get started by building and testing your apps using a single bundle ID with Xcode 11.4 beta.
In addition, categories will be unified across the App Store and Mac App Store to align with this change, and to help make your apps more discoverable. The following changes will be made.
- You’ll be able to select the following categories for iOS apps: “Developer Tools” and “Graphics & Design”.
- You’ll be able to select the following categories for macOS apps: “Books”, “Food & Drink”, “Magazines & Newspapers”, “Navigation”, and “Shopping”.
- The “Photography” and “Video” categories on the Mac App Store will be combined into “Photo & Video”. Mac apps and pending updates with the “Photography” or “Video” category selected in App Store Connect will be moved automatically to the combined category.
- “Kids” will no longer be a subcategory within “Games” on the Mac App Store.
As a reminder, you can change the categories and subcategories associated with your app at any time with an app update.