At WWDC, Apple says it will use AI to tag apps to improve discoverability on the App Store
In a session focused on updates to App Store Connect, its app distribution platform for developers, the company announced it will introduce App Store Tags — labels that highlight specific features and functionalities found in an app.
These tags will initially be generated by Apple's large language models using various sources, like the app's metadata. They'll then be human-reviewed before being applied to apps on the App Store.
Apple customers will be able to use these tags when searching for apps on the App Store, where the tags appear alongside the categories on the search page and the apps that appear in the search results.
Apple says the new tags will help surface information that's often buried in app listings, like the app's App Store description, category, metadata, or even in its screenshots. The tags, Apple believes, will help users more easily find the apps that offer the functionality they're looking for, while also giving developers a better idea about how their apps are being discovered.
Today, consumers find apps through a number of App Store features, including its editorial pieces on the Today tab, collections curated by the App Store's editorial team, by browsing app categories, or using App Store Search. Apple also monetizes the App Store with ads that can appear on the Today tab, the Search tab, on product pages, and in its search results.
When App Store users tap on one of the new tags, they'll be taken to a new page offering a curated collection of all the apps and games that offer similar features or functionality — an extension to the App Store's existing feature that points users to apps they 'might also like,' found at the bottom of individual listings.
Although the tags themselves are AI-generated and reviewed, developers will ultimately have the final word on which tags are associated with their apps. A new information page will be available in the App Store Connect software, where they can manage tags or deselect those they don't want to show up on their app's product page.
Apple is already using AI on its App Store to summarize an app's reviews by combining information into a short paragraph.
Tags aren't the only improvements coming to the App Store. Apple says that developers will also be able to create custom product pages that appear when a user searches for apps using particular keywords. It's also improving its app 'nutrition labels' feature; expanding its lineup of app age ranges (there are now five); and extending offer codes to consumables, non-consumables, and non-renewing subscriptions.
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