In Apple's App Store, iOS device users can browse through handpicked apps on the Featured tab and go through the list of the top apps on the Top Charts tab. There is currently no way for users to get customized recommendations on the apps that they should download, as users instead have to browse through the apps by themselves and see if anything catches their interest.
The way that iOS users discover apps for their devices, however, could soon change.
A report by Bloomberg claims that both iPhone and iPad users will soon be greeted with a new kind of App Store that sources are saying could be launched within the coming two weeks.
According to Bloomberg's sources, the updated App Store will have a new tab named For You, which will be similar to the sections in Apple News and Apple Music of the same name.
The For You tab for the new App Store will be providing personalized app recommendations to users, with the recommendations to be based on the apps that they have previously downloaded.
The introduction of the For You tab to Apple's App Store will also see the merging of the online store for the iPhone and iPad, which currently have separate App Store apps. The new App Store will work for both Apple's smartphones and tablets, and will contain the same user interface and features such as the upcoming For You tab.
The sources wished to remain anonymous due to the information on the App Store update not yet being made public. A spokesman for Apple declined to comment on the matter.
The decision behind the said addition to the App Store remains unclear, as well as the implications on the privacy of iOS users. Privacy concerns have long been the factors that prevented the usage of data on customer behavior to generate more sales, and this would be the case with the For You tab said to be using the data of the past purchases of users. The tabs of the same name are different in other Apple stores such as Apple Music, with the user selecting the genres and artists that power the For You tab of the music streaming service.
Other online stores, such as Amazon with its online retail outlet and Google with the Google Play Store, have already been using the data on the past purchases and preferences of users to recommend products and apps.
Apple was recently involved in a controversy over its App Store, as Spotify accused the company of denying approval to an update of the music streaming service as Apple looked to eliminate competition for Apple Music.
