# ASO Monthly #46 February 2020: Apple bugs, category updates, China market trends, Apple Search Ads beta testing and more - Link: https://phiture.com/asostack/aso-monthly-46-february-2020-apple-bugs-category-updates-china-market-trends-apple-search-ads-b13d2192903e/ - Published: 2020-03-02T10:16:12+01:00 - Author: Parv Bhargava _In the _[_ASO Monthly series_](https://asostack.com/aso-monthly/home)_, _[_Phiture_](https://phiture.com/)_ team reflects on the previous month and sheds a light on trends in app store optimization, algorithm changes, insights in conversion rate optimization and tools updates._ _This update was written by _[_Parv Bhargava_](https://www.linkedin.com/in/parv-bhargava-7a679910b/)_, Mobile Marketing Consultant at Phiture._ ### ⌊ASO Monthly #46 February 2020- Apple bugs, category updates, China market trends, Apple Search Ads beta testing and more ⌉⌊ASO Monthly #46 February 2020- Apple bugs, category updates, China market trends, Apple Search Ads beta testing and more ⌉ ### **ASO Conference 2020** ![aso conference 2020 agenda](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/aso- conference-2020-agenda.gif) The first agenda for the ASO Conference 2020 in Berlin on the 13th of May is out now! The all-star line-up features ASO experts from a wide range of industries, such as MAG Interactive, Skyscanner, Tilting Point, and more. Read the full agenda here: [https://asoconference.com/#schedule](https://asoconference.com/#schedule) ### **February 2nd — Apple fixes the impression attribution bug** For over six months Search impressions were attributed to Browse impressions. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the ASO community, Apple has acknowledged the bug, fixed it and reprocessed the historical data. ⌊app store connect⌉⌊app store connect⌉ _Source: App Store Connect_ ⌊app store connect app analytics⌉⌊app store connect app analytics⌉ _(Source: App Store Connect)_ ### **February 5th — Apple search Ads testing automatic recommendations in beta** Highlighted by [Jevgen Tarasenko](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jevgentarasenko/?originalSubdomain=ua) on ASO Stack and [Nadir Garouche](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6638352693566025728/) over LinkedIn — Apple Search Ads is finally heading in the same direction as adopted by its competing channels: automated recommendations; now in Beta. The plan is to have suggestions for keywords to be added, budgets and bids to edit and maybe more… ⌊search ads recommendations⌉⌊search ads recommendations⌉ _Source: Apple Search Ads_ ⌊search ads recommendations keywords⌉⌊search ads recommendations keywords⌉ _Source: Apple Search Ads_ ### **February 5th — Apple: Updates to Universal Purchase and App Store Categories** Starting in March 2020, you’ll be able to distribute iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS versions of your app as a universal purchase, allowing customers to enjoy your app and in‑app purchases across platforms by purchasing only once. In addition, categories will be unified across the App Store and Mac App Store to align with this change, and to help make your apps more discoverable. You’ll be able to select the following categories for iOS apps: “Developer Tools” and “Graphics& Design”. Click [here](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=02052020a) to read more ### **February 6th — Apple: Priority score disappears again** Apple stopped providing the Priority score via the API again. This is the second time in a month that the priority score has been set to zero. There are two parameters on Apple that describe traffic volumes certain keywords drive: Popularity Score and Priority Score. **Popularity Score** — a keyword measurement given by Apple to tell advertisers whether the keyword has enough search volume (comes from Apple Search Ads); **Priority Score** — reflects the recent search volume of a keyword in-app store, Apple auto-suggestions are based on it too According to Apptweak, they are using the last available data. We recommend checking with your tools to know what data you’re looking at. ### **February 7th — China’s mobile giants to take on Google’s Play store — sources** SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) — China’s Xiaomi (1810.HK), Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL], Oppo and Vivo are joining forces to create a platform for developers outside of China to upload apps onto all of their app stores simultaneously, in a move analysts say is meant to challenge the dominance of Google’s Play store. For more info [click here](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-mobile-exclusive/exclusive-chinas-mobile-giants-to-take-on-googles-play-store-sources-idUSKBN20018H?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews) ### **February 11th — You can now opt-out of receiving subscription renewal emails from Apple** Apple has added a new toggle to the top of the Subscriptions page on iPhone and iPad. By toggling the switch, users can choose not to receive email notifications every time a recurring In-App Purchase is charged. ⌊receive renewal receipts - subscriptions⌉⌊receive renewal receipts - subscriptions⌉ _Source: iPhone setting_ For more info [check here](https://9to5mac.com/2020/02/11/you-can-now-opt-out-of-receiving-subscription-renewal-emails-from-apple/) ### **February 18th — App Store Downloads Show China’s Workforce is Working from Home** [Ariel hypothesizes](https://blog.appfigures.com/app-store-downloads-show-chinas-workforce-is-working-from-home/)— Much of China’s massive workforce has been grounded since the coronavirus outbreak, forcing companies across the country to shut down temporarily. _Downloads of business messaging apps_ ![downloads of business messaging apps](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/ 03/downloads-of-business-messaging-apps-min.png) Looking at App Store download trends however a few of ASO practitioners see the same trend in productive, photo & video and education categories ### **February 19th — See reviews at a glance on App Store Connect** Flagged by [Ilia Kukharev](https://twitter.com/ilyakuh?lang=en) on ASO Stack, you can click on **See All **on the App Store preview page and check app reviews at a glance. Earlier it was not possible to see all the reviews at once but now developers and ASO practitioners can easily access and check the reviews in one fold. ⌊app store preview ratings and reviews⌉⌊app store preview ratings and reviews⌉ _Source: App Store Preview_ ### **February 20th — Apple considering third-party iOS apps as default** A Bloomberg report says Apple is considering allowing iPhone and iPad users to choose third-party default iOS apps for things like email and web-browsing. [9TO5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2020/02/20/default-ios-apps/#more-633187) concludes that the driving force behind it is unlikely to increase customer choice, but address antitrust issues. ### **February 25th — Apple will require games to have ISBN in China** Apple will reportedly require all games launched on its App Store to carry an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) in China from July 1st, 2020. According to [Gio Zhang](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6637933260829749248/), the new policy was announced by the China Press and Publication ministry, with the government stating that regardless of who the developer, publisher, or firm is, an ISBN number will be needed to secure a release in the country. ### **Tool Updates** #### 󠀁[**StorePreviewer – See How Your App Will Look Like On The App Store**](https://www.storepreviewer.com/?ref=producthunt)󠁿 #### 󠀁[Stay up to date and receive news and updates: {{ errorMessage }} Thank you for subscribing! You will get nutrified soon…](https://www.storepreviewer.com/?ref=producthunt)󠁿 #### 󠀁[www.storepreviewer.com](https://www.storepreviewer.com/?ref=producthunt)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Announcing Xyla: a New Marketing Intelligence Platform**](https://incipia.co/post/ios-development-industry-updates/announcing-xyla-a-new-marketing-intelligence-platform/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[We are excited to announce the launch of Xyla, a new marketing intelligence platform that helps marketers make better…](https://incipia.co/post/ios-development-industry-updates/announcing-xyla-a-new-marketing-intelligence-platform/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[incipia.co](https://incipia.co/post/ios-development-industry-updates/announcing-xyla-a-new-marketing-intelligence-platform/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**A Quick Way to Make ASO on Other Languages**](https://asodesk.com/blog/a-quick-way-to-conduct-aso-on-other-languages/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[Entering new markets could be one of the possible growth points for your mobile applications. For a competent new…](https://asodesk.com/blog/a-quick-way-to-conduct-aso-on-other-languages/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[asodesk.com](https://asodesk.com/blog/a-quick-way-to-conduct-aso-on-other-languages/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Impact of Apple’s Trending Searches on Impressions – ASO Blog**](https://www.apptweak.com/aso-blog/impact-of-apple-s-trending-searches-on-impressions)󠁿 #### 󠀁[Recently we studied the top Trending Searches to find out which apps were suggested most often in Apple’s Search Tab in…](https://www.apptweak.com/aso-blog/impact-of-apple-s-trending-searches-on-impressions)󠁿 #### 󠀁[www.apptweak.com](https://www.apptweak.com/aso-blog/impact-of-apple-s-trending-searches-on-impressions)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**ASO and App Localization: The Essential Strategy to Grow User Base**](https://asodesk.com/blog/aso-and-app-localization-a-must-strategy-to-grow-user-base/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[In this post, ASOdesk and Inlingo have teamed up to tell you about game and app localization. Based on our experience…](https://asodesk.com/blog/aso-and-app-localization-a-must-strategy-to-grow-user-base/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[asodesk.com](https://asodesk.com/blog/aso-and-app-localization-a-must-strategy-to-grow-user-base/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Uncover Your App’s Visibility with the New Search Visibility Score**](http://bit.ly/396hPGd)󠁿 #### 󠀁[As MobileAction, we are happy to release our new search visibility score! Your old friend is still cool & awesome but…](http://bit.ly/396hPGd)󠁿 #### 󠀁[bit.ly](http://bit.ly/396hPGd)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Research of competitive mobile niches in app stores based on data from ASOdesk**](https://asodesk.com/blog/aso-research-markets/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[From this read, you will know how to use all ASOdesk’s features for market research of competitive niches and market…](https://asodesk.com/blog/aso-research-markets/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[asodesk.com](https://asodesk.com/blog/aso-research-markets/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Infographic: Google Play Store HTML Study 2020 – When ASO Meets SEO**](https://thetool.io/2020/infographic-google-play-html-aso-seo)󠁿 #### 󠀁[Are many Google Play listings SEO-optimized? ✅ Check our new infographic and discover our HTML SEO on-metadata…](https://thetool.io/2020/infographic-google-play-html-aso-seo)󠁿 #### 󠀁[thetool.io](https://thetool.io/2020/infographic-google-play-html-aso-seo)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Boost Your App’s Ranking with Keyword Optimization Feature**](http://bit.ly/2T7KROX)󠁿 #### 󠀁[We’re excited to bring you a brand new feature that will make your App Store Optimization efforts a lot easier: Keyword…](http://bit.ly/2T7KROX)󠁿 #### 󠀁[bit.ly](http://bit.ly/2T7KROX)󠁿 ### **Interesting Read** #### 󠀁[**Yield Curves and Mobile Marketing Analytics**](https://incipia.co/post/app-marketing/yield-curves-and-mobile-marketing-analytics/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[This post was written based on the presentation on Yield Curves at the App Growth Summit Masterminds Roundtable event…](https://incipia.co/post/app-marketing/yield-curves-and-mobile-marketing-analytics/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[incipia.co](https://incipia.co/post/app-marketing/yield-curves-and-mobile-marketing-analytics/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**SplitMetrics CEO’s Take on the Current App Store Trends**](https://splitmetrics.com/blog/app-store-trends-by-splitmetrics-ceo/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[Max Kamenkov, CEO and co-founder at SplitMetrics, shares exclusive insights that might help you succeed in today’s…](https://splitmetrics.com/blog/app-store-trends-by-splitmetrics-ceo/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[splitmetrics.com](https://splitmetrics.com/blog/app-store-trends-by-splitmetrics-ceo/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**3 ASO Tips Shopping Apps Must Embrace**](https://www.storemaven.com/3-aso-tips-shopping-apps-must-embrace/?utm_source=aso_slack_channel&utm_medium=aso_slack_channel)󠁿 #### 󠀁[A quick glance into the shopping category tells us most apps still ignore one of the basic rules of app store…](https://www.storemaven.com/3-aso-tips-shopping-apps-must-embrace/?utm_source=aso_slack_channel&utm_medium=aso_slack_channel)󠁿 #### 󠀁[www.storemaven.com](https://www.storemaven.com/3-aso-tips-shopping-apps-must-embrace/?utm_source=aso_slack_channel&utm_medium=aso_slack_channel)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Apple App Store ASO Hack: Grow your Keyword List x2, 3 or 4**](https://thetool.io/2020/apple-app-store-aso-hack-grow-keyword-list)󠁿 #### 󠀁[This content was inspired by the post Multiplica x3 los caracteres del Campo Keywords en App Store [ASO Hack] on…](https://thetool.io/2020/apple-app-store-aso-hack-grow-keyword-list)󠁿 #### 󠀁[thetool.io](https://thetool.io/2020/apple-app-store-aso-hack-grow-keyword-list)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Most Popular Apps & Games of 2019 – ASO Blog**](https://www.apptweak.com/aso-blog/most-popular-apps-games?utm_source=asostackslack&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=most-popular-apps-games)󠁿 #### 󠀁[As 2020 begins we decided to take a look at the Top Charts of 2019! In this review we looked at the Top Charts for both…](https://www.apptweak.com/aso-blog/most-popular-apps-games?utm_source=asostackslack&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=most-popular-apps-games)󠁿 #### 󠀁[www.apptweak.com](https://www.apptweak.com/aso-blog/most-popular-apps-games?utm_source=asostackslack&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=most-popular-apps-games)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Apple Search Ads: What to look for beyond basic setup**](https://mdm.academy/event/apple-search-ads-what-to-look-for-beyond-basic-setup/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[This workshop will cover deep strategy for Apple Search Ads: I will not cover ASA 101 (campaign structure, keyword…](https://mdm.academy/event/apple-search-ads-what-to-look-for-beyond-basic-setup/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[mdm.academy](https://mdm.academy/event/apple-search-ads-what-to-look-for-beyond-basic-setup/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**Apocalypse Soon: What happens when the iOS advertising ID is deprecated?**](https://mobiledevmemo.com/apocalypse-soon-what-happens-when-the-idfa-is-deprecated/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[It’s rare for me to speak with a mobile advertiser that doesn’t view the deprecation of the IDFA – Apple’s proprietary…](https://mobiledevmemo.com/apocalypse-soon-what-happens-when-the-idfa-is-deprecated/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[mobiledevmemo.com](https://mobiledevmemo.com/apocalypse-soon-what-happens-when-the-idfa-is-deprecated/)󠁿 #### 󠀁[**How to Use Creative Sets to Make the Most of Your Apple Search Ads**](https://www.ppchero.com/?p=44657)󠁿 #### 󠀁[Creative Sets as an alternative to A/B testing and useful tool for improving the conversion rate on the App Store…](https://www.ppchero.com/?p=44657)󠁿 #### 󠀁[www.ppchero.com](https://www.ppchero.com/?p=44657)󠁿