What elements of the App Store product page will you be able to put to an A/B test in iOS 15? How will you be able to check the different variants of product pages? What will be the in-app shown in search results or when selecting App Store editors? Read about the upcoming changes in iOS15 that will have a positive impact on App Store Optimization and the number of app downloads below.

A couple of weeks ago, WWDC 2021 (World Wide Developer Conference) was held, and the changes that will be introduced in the App Store starting at iOS 15 were announced. There are a few major modifications that can positively affect the visibility and conversion of your app or game in the App Store. Since iOS 11, there have been practically no considerable changes for developers focused on organic traffic in the App Store.

The changes that will start at iOS 15 will translate into greater visibility of your app in the App Store and more downloads from organic traffic.

The key alterations for people responsible for the visibility of your game or mobile application in the App Store.

A/B testing (product page optimization)

Apple has kept us waiting long before introducing the possibility of testing different versions of the product page. Google Play Console has allowed A/B testing for several years now. Currently, A/B tests can be performed for the App Store using external tools that imitate the App Store. It is a poor solution and on top of that, it’s very expensive. Since iOS 15, you will be able to test 3 different variants of the product page, meaning that they do not have to be A/B tests; they can be A/B/C/D tests. In the upcoming version of iOS, it will be possible to test icons, screenshots and promotional videos (the so-called app preview).

A/B testing for games or mobile apps in the App Store will last up to 90 days, and you will be able to browse the results (number of views, conversion) from the test in the App Store in the App Analytics section.

The App Store recommends testing individual elements of the product page 1: 1, i.e., icon vs. icon, screenshots vs. screenshots, etc. A/B tests will have to be reviewed and approved by the App Store, but fortunately you will be able to test them without updating the application.

Source: apple.com

The upcoming iOS 15 update lacks the ability of testing different titles, keywords in the title and the effectiveness of these keywords in conversion and visibility in search results. I do hope this option will be available soon.

To summarize:

• possibility of testing 3 different variants + 1 original page
• A/B or A/B/C/D testing will last up to 90 days
• the ability to test icons, screenshots and promotional video
• no possibility to test keywords in the title, subtitle
• A/B testing will not require application updates

Customized product pages

Starting at iOS 15, it will be possible to customize product pages for applications or mobile games. You will be able to include screenshots, promotional text and an advertising film on the product page that will be different from the original. Each product page will have its own unique URL. You will be able to create up to 35 product pages. Product page results (including views, downloads, and download conversion) will be available in the app analytics section (App Analytics).

It will be a convenient solution for developers who have a wide audience, e.g., mobile bookmaking applications such as Bet365, William Hill, Betfair will be able to create separate product pages for football, volleyball or tennis fans and measure their effectiveness. There will be no need to update the application when creating product pages. Unfortunately, as with A/B tests, there’s no possibility to check keywords in the title.

Source: apple.com

To summarize:

• Elements on customized product pages include promotional text, screenshots and promotional video.
• the possibility of creating up to 35 customized product pages
• the results from the customized product pages will be available on AppAnalytics
• each customized product page in the App Store will have its own unique URL that you can apply externally

In-App Events

In-App Events will be an interesting solution and an additional field for acquiring new installations from personalized recommendations, from browsing and searching in the App Store, editor choices. In-App Events will also play an informative role.

Source: apple.com

In-app events related to e.g., movie premieres, livestreaming, live events, in-game events will be visible in the App Store. Mobile games that engage users with Live-Ops will surely benefit from it.

The above changes should have a positive impact on positioning your mobile app in the App Store. That said, I am missing some changes for testing the title, subtitle and promotional text. Hopefully the App Store will include metadata in upcoming iOS versions.