Apple May Have Tweaked App Store Ranking Algorithm, Making Downloads Matter Less
(Updated: Added comments from Glu Mobile, Gameview Studios, W3i and more data about apps that have seen ranking shifts. We’ve also added stories here about Facebook’s strange rise to #1 yesterday and how Apple has started rejecting apps that use offer walls. As of Tuesday, April 19, we’ve also added another story showing that new titles are beginning to bubble back up again on the top free charts.)
It looks like Apple made a number of changes to the app store’s ranking system last week, adding in new weights on top of download numbers to determine top apps, according to conversations we’ve had with a few pay-per-install and mobile advertising networks.
“We’ve been noticing changes in the Top Free rankings for at least three days now,” said Peter Farago, vice president of marketing at Flurry, which serves 80,000 applications with its analytics product. “From our point of view, Apple is absolutely considering more than just downloads, which we believe is the right direction to go in to measure the true popularity of an app.” Other pay-per-install networks tell us they’ve been detecting these changes too.
While it’s too early to tell exactly what the new weights are, a reasonable hypothesis would be that Apple is considering factors such as active usage. But we’ll keep talking to top developers and ad networks to learn more as we go. Apple has not returned repeated requests for comment. Flurry says it has theories, but it’s premature to share them with such a limited set of data.
The changes resulted in a pop for Facebook’s mobile app, which jumped to the #1 position for free apps in the U.S. after having mostly lingered between #10 and #20 for the last year and a half. That app, naturally, has extremely high daily active usage with 39.5 million users opening it every day, according to AppData. Netflix jumped to #19 after being ranked between #30 and 50 for the last month, while Pandora is at #6, up from hovering in the twenties for the last two months.
Glu Mobile, a larger publicly-traded mobile game developer with 50 iPhone titles available in the store, noticed that its game Gun Bros, jumped to #32 on the top free list after being more or less range-bound between #75 and 100. Meanwhile, its top-grossing ranking remained unchanged.
“It looks like it’s daily actives and monthly actives. Basically, how much is the product used? Is it just sitting there on the handset or is it being actively used?” said Mike Breslin, who heads marketing at Glu. “Download numbers can have a lot of duplicity.”
Google, which constantly tweaks its Android Market rankings, may have begun weighting an app’s ratio of daily active users to monthly active users — a measure of stickiness — more heavily in recent weeks, according to teen-focused social network MyYearbook. The company had noticed suspicious ranking fluctuations across its entire portfolio of apps. Google did not comment on this.
The changes are a big deal because Apple app store rankings have to date relied heavily on an app’s download rate. This has allowed an entire cottage industry to flourish. Networks like Flurry, Tapjoy and W3i allow developers to pay for downloads, which bump their apps into the top of the charts where they can get even more downloads from having the extra visibility. If they’re good, they stick at the top of the charts. If they’re bad, they fall quickly.
Many of the top mobile-social game developers buy installs to bring new users in the door, who they can monetize later with in-app purchases of virtual currency.
It’s unclear how these changes will affect these developers and networks. For one, if Apple is weighting active usage and ratings more heavily, then that will incentivize developers to create higher-quality, more engaging apps — which is a good thing. But it may also make user acquisition more unpredictable. It may even make it harder for brand new apps to be discovered because the rankings will favor longstanding apps that already have a large, existing base of users.
The financial fallout on these pay-per-install networks is unclear. W3i, one of the larger cross-promotion networks, said it started to pick up the algorithm changes last weekend, but that two of the company’s larger install campaigns had gone normally and that both apps broke into the Top 25.
“Most of us in the industry are still going to use any meaningful strategy we can to get downloads,” Glu’s Breslin said. “The hardest thing is to get someone to download a game. That real estate is so valuable. But we’re confident that once we get there, users will like our games. Quality is king.”
But other developers said they are in the process of re-evaluating the size of their spend on install networks.
“Now that the picture’s a little different, we’re not really sure how smart it is to be spending a lot of money to gain visibility if we’re not seeing the best return on investment,” said John Hwang, who is vice president of social games at Gameview Studios, a mobile developer that Japan’s DeNA acquired in September. Gameview had used an install campaign to help get a recent title, Tap Jurassic, to 1 million downloads in ten days last month.
The rankings adjustment was also not the only change Apple made to the app store last week. The store now lets consumers browse all the way to #300 for top apps, which will ideally give a boost to apps that are ranked farther down in the charts. Before, users could see the top 50 apps.
April 18th, 2011 at 12:43 am
I believe that previously, Apple only displayed the top 50 apps, not the top 100.
Kim-Mai you’re amazing!
April 18th, 2011 at 7:10 am
You imply in your second to last paragraph that undermining install campaigns is a bad thing. This line of thinking is preposterous. Anything that can be done to prevent “gaming” the system is a good thing. Let’s call it what it is: cheating.
April 18th, 2011 at 7:46 am
[...] According to Inside Mobile Apps, several ad network and pay-per-install executives have noticed a change with the App Store rankings, though it’s too early to say what these changes are based on. Peter Farago, vice president of Flurry, said it’s clear that Apple is using more than download numbers, which he welcomed because it spoke to the true popularity of an app. It’s possible that Apple is now factoring in ratings and daily use into its rankings, said Inside Mobile Apps. I’ve reached out to Apple and will update if and when I hear something back. [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 8:52 am
[...] veste foarte importanta pentru dezvoltatorii de aplicatii si nu numai are legatura cu o posibila modificare in sistemul de afisare a aplicatiilor din AppStore. Pana acum Apple afisa pe primele locuri din [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 10:29 am
[...] Has Apple changed the way it calculates the top apps in the App Store? Could they be including more weight to review ratings and active usage data? This might be the case according to a report by Inside Mobile Apps. [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 11:19 am
[...] weil es bislang noch keine Stellungnahme seitens Apple gibt. Allerdings klingt dieser Artikel auf InsideMobileApps sehr plausibel und könnte sich auch auf die deutschen Charts beziehen. Daraus geht hervor dass [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 11:59 am
[...] Has Apple changed the way it calculates the top apps in the App Store? Could they be counting more weight to review ratings and active usage data? This force be the case according to a report by Inside Mobile Apps. [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
[...] today on our sister site Inside Mobile Apps, we reported that Apple may have changed the ranking algorithms in the iOS app store, favoring active usage in addition to downloads. A number of the bigger [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
[...] today, we reported that Apple may have changed the ranking algorithm for the iOS app store, favoring active usage in addition to downloads. A number of the bigger [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
[...] has reportedly modified its app ranking system to include criteria besides the number of application downloads. This change was noticed by ad [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
[...] maandag, 18 april 2011 (23:04) | Martijn Evertse 0 Apple is druk aan het sleutelen geweest met het app ranglijst systeem en heeft kennelijk een aantal criteria toegevoegd naast het logische aantal downloads dat een app [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
[...] has changed the way free and freemium games are ranked in the App Store, as reported by Inside Mobile Apps. The new ranking algorithm reshuffled various App Store top lists over the weekend. Previously the [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
[...] Apple tweaks App Store ranking algorithm to deemphasize downloads – I was always boggled as to why Facebook would never be in the top 5 free apps for the iPhone because, let’s be real, everyone uses that shit. Turns out, it may have been due to some fishy behavior by app companies “buying downloads” to artificially inflate their apps’ rankings on the charts. Now, it appears as if usage patterns start to figure into chart rankings. It’ll be good for users who use the chart rankings to explore good apps to get. [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
[...] Shared Apple May Have Tweaked App Store Ranking Algorithm, Making Downloads Matter Less. [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
[...] Insidemobileapps informuje, že algoritmus sa už neriadi počtom stiahnutí. Zdá sa, že hodnotenie závisí od [...]
April 18th, 2011 at 11:45 pm
[...] auf vordere und umgekehrt. Dabei sind die Gründe nicht auf den ersten Blick nachzuvollziehen. Eine Reihe von Anbietern hat nun gegenüber InsideMobileApps bestätigt, dass es diese teils massive… Apple gab bisher keine Stellungnahme ab. Vermutet wird, dass neben den Downloadzahlen nunmehr auch [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 3:15 am
[...] są to oczywiście informacje potwierdzone przez samo Apple ale zdaniem serwisu Inside Mobile Apps, sygnalizują to wydawcy aplikacji na platformę iOS. W ostatnich dniach miało miejsce [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 3:27 am
[...] hypothèses quant à ce changement arrivé ce week-end en provenance de insidemobileapps relayés par 9to5mac dans la suite du [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 4:01 am
[...] Apple appears to have changed the algorithm used to rank apps on its App Store, taking into account how often they are [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 4:55 am
[...] App Store change appears to have only just taken place. Inside Mobile Apps cites chart boosts in the US for free iPhone apps including Facebook, Pandora and Netflix, with Facebook back at the [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 5:51 am
[...] to a blog posting by Kim-Mai Cutler, Apple has once again changed the algorithm that it uses to create the Top Charts lists for both [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 5:58 am
[...] move comes on top of a ranking algorithm change we reported yesterday. It looks like Apple is considering extra factors in addition to downloads [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 10:13 am
[...] a quote from Inside Mobile Apps, Peter Fargo, vice president of Flurry said “We’ve been noticing changes in the Top Free [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 10:48 am
[...] to a report from Inside Mobile Apps, Peter Farago, VP of marketing at analytics firm Flurry, noticed the change last week, but says [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 11:00 am
[...] Apple has rejected “dozens of apps” that use offer walls, and it has also apparently changed the ranking algorithm for its all-important top apps list to favor user engagement over number of [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
[...] that got a bump on the free charts over the past week — possibly because of a change in Apple’s ranking algorithm — look like they are declining [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
[...] iOS apps have broken into the top grossing lists this week, which doesn’t seem to have been affected by rumored ranking algorithm changes. The iPhone boasts more new titles than the iPad and there are plenty of tax apps that have popped [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
[...] Apple banning pay-per-install apps from the App Store says Tapjoy Apple tweaks app ranking system Apple May Have Tweaked App Store Ranking Algorithm, Making Downloads Matter Less [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
[...] with the recent rumblings about new ranking systems and Apple rejecting pay per install apps, the real issue here isn’t a new one. These are all [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
[...] past couple of days has seen some changes to the way that Apple ranks apps. In my view, this is a long overdue step. Allowing apps to essentially “pay for [...]
April 19th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
[...] このニュースが、Appleがアプリケーションのランク付けのアルゴリズムを変えたという報道の翌日なのは、偶然ではない。新アルゴリズムは、App Storeを経由しないダウンロードを、数えないようにしたのだろう。 [...]
April 20th, 2011 at 12:08 am
[...] internetowy Inside Mobile Apps donosi o możliwych zmianach w sposobie wyświetlania rankingów w App Store. [...]
April 20th, 2011 at 2:04 am
[...] AppStore‘a oraz firm, które zajmują się tworzeniem gier i aplikacji na system iOS. Jak pisze serwis InsideMobileApps, pozycje programów na liście najpopularniejszych nie są już wyłącznie zależne od tego, ile [...]
April 20th, 2011 at 2:08 am
[...] no coincidence that the news comes just a day after reports that Apple is now using different algorithms to decide how applications are ranked (and is [...]
April 20th, 2011 at 8:33 am
[...] موقع Inside Mobile Apps أن Apple قد تكون أجرت تغييرات معتبرة على خوارزميتها [...]
April 20th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
[...] Appears to be Continuously Tinkering, Not Issuing a One-Off Change: As we noted yesterday, the apps that got an unusual boost through the weekend — well-known consumer Internet brands like Facebook and Skype that aren’t games — [...]
April 20th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
[...] hypothèses quant à ce changement arrivé ce week-end en provenance de insidemobileapps relayés par 9to5mac dans la suite du [...]
April 21st, 2011 at 1:46 am
[...] via Apple May Have Tweaked App Store Ranking Algorithm, Making Downloads Matter Less [...]
April 21st, 2011 at 2:52 am
[...] (Inside Mobile Apps の記事、CNET Japan の記事、本家 /. 記事より) [...]
April 21st, 2011 at 3:04 pm
[...] Desde hace al menos una semana todas las aplicaciones ‘incentivadas’ han sido rechazadas por Apple, los desarrolladores han recibido un mensaje con el cambio en las políticas de posicionamiento. [...]
April 22nd, 2011 at 4:51 am
[...] App Store change appears to have only just taken place. Inside Mobile Apps cites chart boosts in the US for free iPhone apps including Facebook, Pandora and Netflix, with Facebook back at the [...]
April 22nd, 2011 at 4:58 pm
[...] Apple May Have Tweaked App Store Ranking Algorithm, Making Downloads Matter Less by Kim-Mai Cutler, Inside Mobile Apps [...]
April 24th, 2011 at 2:02 am
[...] App Store lze nově prohlížet žebříček až 300 Top aplikací a podle serveru Inside Mobile Reports Apple zároveň pozměnil algoritmus právě pro určování žebříčku Top aplikací. [...]
April 24th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
[...] Has Apple changed the way it calculates the top apps in the App Store? Could they be including more weight to review ratings and active usage data? This might be the case according to a report by Inside Mobile Apps. [...]
April 25th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
[...] factors that affect the app store rankings. And recent reports allege that the recipe has changed. Inside Mobile Apps first reported last week that more emphasis has been placed on daily and monthly usage. It may no [...]
April 28th, 2011 at 9:09 am
[...] allow publishers participating in these sorts of programs into the iTunes App Store due to what Apple said was "an excessive influence in the listing order or ranking on the App [...]
May 6th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
[...] and many Tapjoy campaigns are actually operating normally as we speak. The rankings algorithm, which Apple tinkered with last month, looks like it largely went back to what it used to be and new apps are surfacing with [...]
June 29th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
[...] weil es bislang noch keine Stellungnahme seitens Apple gibt. Allerdings klingt dieser Artikel auf insidenmobileapps sehr plausibel und könnte sich auch auf die deutschen Charts beziehen. Daraus geht hervor dass [...]
October 18th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
[...] Flurry, a third-party analytics provider, picked up the change that was reported on the blog Inside Mobile Apps. Apple however was tight lipped about the same. Flurry reported sudden shifts in the rankings of [...]
February 11th, 2012 at 6:08 am
[...] kurzem hat mich folgende nicht allzu gering frequentierte Nachricht in den einschlägigen Tech-Blogs auf einen Gedanken gebracht. „Apple ändert den Algorithmus zur Berechnung der AppStore [...]
February 14th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
[...] also tweak the rankings algorithm so it doesn’t rely so heavily on raw download volume. Apple continually experiments with the rankings system, and temporarily made a dramatic change last spring. But it quickly reverted back to a more [...]
April 9th, 2012 at 8:57 am
[...] good guess from InsideMobileApps is that Apple has started to factor in active usage into its rankings, rather than basing those [...]
May 1st, 2012 at 11:42 am
[...] Whether that’s cracking down on incentivized downloads, banning paid-for-reviews or modifying the rankings algorithms to take into account app usage vs just app downloads, the “easy” ways of moving up in [...]
January 3rd, 2013 at 10:05 am
[...] Apple and Google just updated their ranking systems in their respective app stores and based on what we are seeing they both decided to punish apps that ‘game’ the system. Now the stores seem to check to see how often your app is downloaded AND how often it is used by those who download the app. So if you are paying folks to download your app you will get punished HARD. As a result ShopSavvy’s rank in every market has improved and our daily downloads have almost doubled. Here is a run down: [...]