There is a lot of good experience presented in that article. But there is one place where they screwed up: It's easy to make apps for Android that scale up to tablet-sized screens. Failing to do that isn't Google's fault, and whinging about Google's preference to feature apps that run on tablets is unhelpful. Especially so since they previous, correctly, decided to build an Android design from scratch. If you do that right, it will run on tablets. Based on the tablet issue, their idea of building specifically for Android is still infected by a lot of iOS-itis.
A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
11–20 of 47 posts
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#12I wish Apple/Google/MS would realise that they could stop operating an App Store and start running an App Mall instead. Inside their Mall, different third party stores could focus on different niches and demographics with totally different criteria for including and rating apps with different UX to browse and discover products. Some could use expert reviews, some user reviews, others taste based recommedations. Its c…
I don't know about Google, but I can't believe how Apple, the “design is how it works” shop can leave such a gaping hole in a place where it conspicuously matters. Every casual AppStore visitor immediately realises that they have no chance in hell of finding anything. First Apple boasts how many million apps they have on the store, then they make 99%+ of it unreachable. Bummer.
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#13We had good success at my last job at a big brand travel company, because our Apple rep really liked us. But me as an individual has no chance. I don't think Apple really cares about you as a developer as long as there are enough to make iPhone sales happen. It's sad though, I wish I could build an app discovery app which would be a lot of fun to do, but it's stupidly verboten.
How did you get your Apple rep? I have never quite found out how to "apply" to get one, or if it's all self-selected from within Apple...
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#14Apps are now discovered outside of the stores.
If you know where, please let the rest of us know (i.e. if the source has better discoverability than the AppStore).
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#15I wish Apple/Google/MS would realise that they could stop operating an App Store and start running an App Mall instead. Inside their Mall, different third party stores could focus on different niches and demographics with totally different criteria for including and rating apps with different UX to browse and discover products. Some could use expert reviews, some user reviews, others taste based recommedations. Its c…
It's amazing idea but I'm afraid that (at least in case of Google) it won't happen. I guess their logic is "if the Play store doesn't work as a promotional channel, developers will buy ads".
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#16I wish Apple/Google/MS would realise that they could stop operating an App Store and start running an App Mall instead. Inside their Mall, different third party stores could focus on different niches and demographics with totally different criteria for including and rating apps with different UX to browse and discover products. Some could use expert reviews, some user reviews, others taste based recommedations. Its c…
> I wish Apple/Google/MS would realise that they could stop operating an App Store and start running an App Mall instead.
You mean, like the "internet"?
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#17I wish Apple/Google/MS would realise that they could stop operating an App Store and start running an App Mall instead. Inside their Mall, different third party stores could focus on different niches and demographics with totally different criteria for including and rating apps with different UX to browse and discover products. Some could use expert reviews, some user reviews, others taste based recommedations. Its c…
> I wish Apple/Google/MS would realise that they could stop operating an App Store and start running an App Mall instead. You mean, like the "internet"?
We thought Internet 2 would be amazing and fast and open and free.
Turns out Internet 2 will be curated, closed, monitored, metered, and pay-to-play.
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#18Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#19I wish Apple/Google/MS would realise that they could stop operating an App Store and start running an App Mall instead. Inside their Mall, different third party stores could focus on different niches and demographics with totally different criteria for including and rating apps with different UX to browse and discover products. Some could use expert reviews, some user reviews, others taste based recommedations. Its c…
On android there are plenty of app discovery apps. But considering the fact that most users only download a fixed set of 10-20 apps , i wonder if most users care about app discovery or is it just a developer problem, at least in the short term.
Maybe there's no need. Or maybe the real problem isn't app discovery - but a problem of managing more than 20 apps on a phone and remembering to use them in the right context.
Re: A Developer’s Guide to the Wild West of App Discovery
#20I'm not sure I agree entirely on the press thing - although my experiences are from owning a mobile game company, not a mobile app company. For games, online press is great to start to be recognized within the community of peer groups/companies, but has never moved the needle for us, user-wise. We haven't been featured either, but that's made things harder on us. Getting featured is still huge for visibility. We're p…
What has moved the needle for you?
We had a dev relations contact and got featured worldwide with Hexiled, then a smaller feature later when we added more language support. I argue with my dev partner about press - I think the best tactic is more decent apps in the store trying to get a home-run feature by honing the app style, rather than begging little app reviewers for coverage.
I think if your feature gives your virality a launch pad, that's the best bet. We had the feature, but at the time our app was flawed and we had not yet introduced a couple of sharing functions.