How to Get Featured by Apple

A few years back, after building an iOS app called All Hours (no longer available), like most first time Indie Hackers from a developer background, I did no marketing and just built features. A winning combination that, as expected, found me launching with the sound of crickets.

... But, about a week into the launch, downloads went through the roof all of a sudden. I was so confused as to why, until I got a text from a friend saying it was on the front page of the (UK) AppStore. This was an incredible achievement for many reasons, with growth being the obvious one, but, for me, it meant I was one step closer to my long time dream of eventually winning an Apple Design Award. Years later, that day is still infinitely far away, so for now I will just drool at this post.

Shortly after this event, I had to give it all up and get a 'real job'. Because of that, for the longest time, I was unable to use and build upon this knowledge. But now I am back! And I am doing what I love, building great MacOS/iOS, with the hope that my up-and-coming apps, like SprintDock will get featured by Apple in the near future 🤞🏻

...So over the past few weeks and months, I have been dissecting other apps that have been featured by Apple and have abstracted what worked with All Hours. Now, I have to preface this post with the simple truth that even if you follow all these tips/suggestions to the letter, there is a high possibility that your app still won't get featured... sorry. Getting featured is still a numbers game, and we are all competing with thousands/millions of other Apps. But all of these suggestions will undoubtedly make your app a better experience regardless. So I hope you find at least one of these useful/insightful.

Native Only

This one is self-explanatory. Don't build non-native apps, PLEASE! Apple wants you to use Swift which is optimised to run perfectly on all Apple devices. Plus, non-native is UX blasphemy.

Uniqueness / Wow Factor

This does not have to mean your idea has to be unique. Often, building on an existing idea is a safer move as you know the market exists. What this does mean however, is your app needs a wow factor!

This may come in the form of a super unique feature. It may be the simplicity of your UI/UX, an incredible onboarding experience or even just a super cool transition/animation. All Hours, for example, aggregated reviews into a super clean UI so that users could see reviews from both Google and Yelp, to present a better rating. This was not unique, but it was unique in its approach and UX/UI.

Animations & Transitions

Now with SwiftUI, transitions and animations are easier than ever to achieve. This was not the case when I was building All Hours, but I knew many of the most impactful apps on the AppStore utilized animations so I spent a lot of time on the way each of the tiles transitioned into a detailed view. This, I believe, created a small but effective 'wow factor.'

That being said, animations, if overdone, can harm the UX experience more than benefit. So go easy on the rotating flashing views copied from your old MySpace page.

Inspiration

With everything I build/design, I try to see if anyone has done it before me and if so, how? Look at what works, what is already tried and tested.

I highly suggest looking at past winners of the Apple Design Award, as these are, in essence, what we are trying to achieve. Outside of that, there are plenty of places online to find great inspiration. For instance, I look at Dribbble daily for ideas. This has helped me immensely in finding ideas on how to approach a feature. For example, this Dribbble post from Golo gave me the idea of having a progress bar for the events within SprintDock.

Data Handling

I read a post a few months ago from an individual that was criticising anyone who didn't use a signup functionality when the app is initially launched. The need for capturing user metrics and getting a user to signup has its advantages. But it also has very clear disadvantages, as many people do not want to hand their personal information over as soon as they launch an app. More importantly, Apple stands with so many other data conscious users and their recent policies and privacy-focused features have made it very clear that Apple frowns upon apps that harvest unnecessary user data.

Think about which metrics are most important for you to capture. Less is better. But, if you do need to have a signup screen, for example, you should demonstrate value first, maybe with one of your 'wow factors'. A user does not owe you anything! It is your job to explain why they should hand over their email address/phone number/name to you. Give them a valid reason to do so, and be transparent with how it's used.

One of the best examples I have seen of demonstrating value upon initial launch was the trading app Robin Hood (before it fell from grace). When the user first opened the app, they could buy shares using fake money and see how the entire process worked before committing to anything. This demonstrated the value of the app and, along with helpful tooltips, gave people a reason as to why they should signup.

Localization

The AppStore is now available in 175 countries and most locales have their own team of curators. This is such a simple and incredibly affordable way of not only vastly expanding your market share, but also increasing the chances of getting featured as you have more Apple eyes (curators) on your app from different locales.

Just this weekend I, used Fiverr and other sources like Ideal Translation to get the SprintDock website translated into Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese (to begin with). Each translation usually costs less than $50.

Accessibility

Another simple, but sometimes overlooked, way of increasing your audience is to add accessibility functionality in your app for individuals who may have auditory, physical, cognitive, speech, and visual functional limitations. Your app should be accessible to everyone who wants to use it!

Apple has made note of developers that do this in previous Apple Design Awards. With the continuous push for accessibility API's and accessibility-focused features, it's obvious how important this subject is for Apple. But it should be extremely important to you too.

Permissions

Speaking of using Apple API's, it's highly likely your app may require access to certain permissions to use it, like Push Notifications.

Don’t just trigger this permission request when the app launches for the first time. You should, again, demonstrate value as to why the user should allow your app to send notifications, and why your not going to tell them on the hour every hour about your one-off 15% off IAP.

Error Handling

Nobody wants to see an error, but when they do make sure it's concise and clear to a non-technical user. Add context as to why they are seeing it and style it appropriately, using animations and icons. For example, if permission has been disabled by the user, present the user with a reason to enable them again with a CTA to iOS permission preferences.

Localizing errors can't hurt either.

Use Apple API's

We've already established that you should use the first-party accessibility API's, but should you use the rest? Absolutely (if it fits of course)! Apple is known to highlight apps that utilize its latest and greatest features because it's a great way for them to showcase those respective features. It's a win-win for all.

I watch every WWDC and the in-depth tech presentations that talk about these new features, and try and think about how to utilize them. Can iOS Widgets, for example, help create your 'wow factor'?

One successful example of this is WidgetSmith. The founders of WidgetSmith saw their opportunity to build an app that focused on the newly announce widget API. They were one of the very first to do it well, and because of this, they were showcased by Apple on more than one occasion.

Native Only

I know I said this one already, but I know some of you are still wanting to build your fancy web pages. Put the Javascript down dude, it's not worth it!

Have Fun!

I know this is a cheesy way of signing off but bear with me. Apps made with a passion to create something great instead of just for the sole purpose of having an app, do stand out. At least they do for me and I know for many others, including people at Apple.

And that's all I have for ya'll. If I have missed anything or please let me know.

My name is Joe Barbour. I have been developing for iOS & Mac over over 10 years. I gave up the daily grind 6 months back to become a Indie Hacker & Solo-Founder and am #BuildingInPublic on Twitter so drop me a follow and DM me or comment below if you have any questions or hot takes.