Apple Invests More in App Store: App Bundles, Better Search, Videos And TestFlight
Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference 2014 came with several huge new introductions and announcements. It also gave developers a sigh of relief by investing on the iTunes App store in iOS.
The company has 1.2 million iOS applications. Viewing each app is a bit tedious. To address this problem, Apple is giving a makeover to the App Store with new features like App Bundles, Better Search, Video Previews and Test Flight.
App Bundles And Video Previews
With app bundles, the developers can create a better market by taking the apps in bundle and selling them in groups at a discounted price. This will allow users to purchase multiple apps at once a few taps.
Also, developers will provide the tool of video previews of apps which first came out on Android. The video preview will help developers who put in hard work in creating high quality apps with transitions and animations to increase their sales. It allows consumers to view the app in action before making decision to purchase it. The apps will also feature an Editor's Choice logo to help with app recommendations.
Trending Searches
Tim Cook announced a special feature in the App Store which is an essential feature that will give developers to find their apps easily.
Users will have access to "Explore tab" which allows browsing through categories and subcategories by making it easier to discover the right apps. Also, the users will have a better view of apps through Trending Searches r to see the popular apps available while searching becomes faster.
The techcrunch report suggests that the "Explore tab" and the "Trending searches" features will replace the "Apps Near Me" section in the iOS 7.
Test Flight
Apple announced the official integration of TestFlight, an app beta testing service into iOS making it easier for developers to let users test certain apps that are in-progress versions before they are released.
Also, regarding App store changes, developers are taking sides as they are introduced with a new software development kit that will have 4,000 new APIs to catch hold into. As per the change, the developers can build their own widgets for the Notification Center without the homescreen.