App Store Featured is editorial promotion by Apple's App Store editorial team — placement in the Today Tab (Apple's daily-curated stories), the Apps Tab category features, the Games Tab, category-specific landing pages, or specific App Store Connect-driven featuring events. Featuring is one of the highest-impact organic growth events possible — featured apps typically see 10-50× their baseline daily install volume for the duration of the feature.
Featuring placements
- Today Tab — Apple's daily-curated landing page, the highest-traffic feature. Stories typically run 24-48 hours.
- Apps Tab "Featured" / "Editor's Choice" — apps-tab editorial picks, longer-running than Today.
- Games Tab "Featured" — games-specific editorial. Apple Arcade members have a separate featuring system.
- Category landing pages — featured slots within specific categories (Productivity, Photography, Education).
- Themed collections — "Best New Apps", "App of the Day", "Apps for Spring", seasonal themes.
- Apple Arcade / Apple Fitness+ / Apple News+ subscriber features — within those Apple service contexts.
What drives editorial selection (Apple's editorial team makes these calls, not an algorithm):
- High-quality app design — particularly visual design, animation, and unique iOS feature integration (widgets, App Clips, Live Activities, etc.).
- Polished launch — new apps in their first 30-90 days get disproportionate featuring attention.
- Compelling story / hook — apps with a strong narrative ("first AI-powered photo editor built for iOS 18", "rebuilt from scratch for accessibility") are easier for editors to write about.
- Visual screenshots and preview videos — the editorial team needs assets to use. Polished, distinctive assets help.
- Beta-program participation — apps participating in Apple's beta programs (new iOS features) get earlier editorial attention.
- Direct submission via App Store Connect — the "App Information → Promotional Text" field and "App Information → Marketing" submissions get reviewed by the editorial team.
Maximizing your chances
- Submit via App Store Connect — use the "Featuring nomination" workflow in App Information.
- Build polished marketing assets — make it easy for editors to feature you. Compelling screenshots, preview videos, app icon.
- Time around platform events — release apps around iOS launches, WWDC, major Apple platform milestones to maximize editorial attention to new apps.
- Use new iOS features — apps that adopt the latest iOS features (widgets, App Clips, Live Activities, latest UI patterns) get editorial preference.
- Build relationships if possible — direct contact with Apple editorial team members is available to apps with track records.
- Don't expect featuring as part of your launch plan — it's a high-leverage but unpredictable boost. Build a plan that works without it; treat featuring as bonus.
App Store featuring placements by impact
| Placement | Install lift | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Today Tab story | 10-50× baseline | 24-72 hours |
| App of the Day / Editor's Choice | High, multi-week impact | Days to weeks |
| Category page feature | Lower lift | Longer-running |
Featuring is high-leverage but unpredictable — nominate via App Store Connect, adopt the latest iOS features, and time launches around Apple events, but never bake featuring into the launch plan.