The App Store finally got some much needed love from Cupertino. Several app developers have noted that since Nov. 3, search results in the Apple App Store have changed. It now populates more relevant and more intelligent results when searches are performed than in previous months.
The improved search experience is evidence of Apple's ongoing revamp of the App Store's algorithms that dictates how apps are ranked and which of apps need to be populated in relevance to the user's input.
"I think it definitely represents a significant shift from changes in the past, where I think [Apple] just changed the weighting around certain variables like keyword input, or what keywords you had in the title," TechCrunch quotes Analytica founder Dan Held. "It's their attempt at understanding how different apps rank relative to each other."
Several sources have noted that Apple now ranks app search results using matches with keywords, brand names, competitors and more. Users have reported that this is the first time in which the App Store generated results that didn't have titles that matched the keyword or keyphrase used in the query. These were the observable effects of the updates done.
Earlier this week, Apple once again updated the App Store's algorithm, which further increased the results' relevancy. For instance, when searching for "Twitter" in the App Store, top-rated services like Twitterific and Tweetbot are now part of the list, thanks to the changes made earlier this week.
I just searched Twitter on the App Store and Instagram is gone, Tweetbot is #4, Twitterrific #5, and more relevant results overall.
— David Barnard (@drbarnard) November 12, 2015
Aside from the improved search results, a suggestion function, which takes into account the core purpose of the application, was added. With the changes made, Apple seems to be putting more emphasis on how app developers curate its apps within the App Store and shifting more control to users by taking into account what works for the majority based on the number of downloads and the rating that each app receives.
Furthermore, users seem to be responding positively to the changes made. Some have noted that it is a great improvement from the App Store of old that will not populate the wanted results if the keyword used does not match the title, exactly.
Photo: PhotoAtelier | Flickr
