# ASO Monthly #54 October 2020: Antitrust actions, Play Store A/B testing, App Store pre-order release, and more!

- Link: https://phiture.com/asostack/aso-monthly-54-october-2020/
- Published: 2020-11-02T12:54:59+01:00
- Author: Julia Li

![aso monthly 54 aso stack](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/aso-monthly-
54-aso-stack.png)

In this ASO Monthly series, the [Phiture](https://phiture.com/) team reflects on
the previous month and sheds light on new trends in app store optimization, algorithm
changes, insights into conversion rate optimization, and tool updates.

NB: Phiture is hiring! You’ll have the opportunity to join Phiture and help us lead
the way in mobile growth. Check [here](https://phiture-jobs.personio.de/) for current
positions.

This update was written by ASO Consultant, Julia Li, at Phiture.

### **October 1 – Antitrust law against pre-installed apps drafted in Europe**

A new European legislation draft has raised the possibility of [prohibiting Apple and other companies from selling devices with their own pre-installed service apps](https://9to5mac.com/2020/10/01/pre-installed-apple-apps/).
The European Union issued an early draft of The Digital Services Act, which proposes
measures that would limit what big tech gatekeepers are allowed to do. The draft
mentions possibly banning big tech companies’ preferential treatment of their own
services on their sites or platforms, including the possibility of banning pre-installed
Apple apps in Europe. For ASO practitioners working with third-party apps in Europe,
especially ones that are currently in competition with Apple stock apps, this could
result in a lot of growth opportunities on the App Store. (Source: [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/1773edd6-7f1d-4290-93b6-05965a4ff0db))

### **October 1 – Indian start-ups looking to form alternative app store**

Over 150 tech companies in India are reported to be discussing [forming a new app store](https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/30/indian-startups-explore-forming-an-alliance-and-alternative-app-store-to-fight-googles-monopoly/)
to provide an alternative option to the market outside of the Google Play and App
Stores. While the conversation among startups initially lasted for a few days, the
initiative has now been escalated due to Google’s announcement of new billing policies,
which state that Google is entitled to a cut of up to 30% of app-related payments
for an app listed on Google Play. The new policies are due to come into effect next
year. (Source: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/30/indian-startups-explore-forming-an-alliance-and-alternative-app-store-to-fight-googles-monopoly/))

While there are no clear next-steps as of now, India is the largest market on Google
Play in terms of total downloads. ASO practitioners focusing on the Android market
must, therefore, pay close attention to how this evolves as a new app store could
shake up the entire market.

### **October 14 – Managed Publishing feature on the new Google Play Console**

After September’s announcement that the discontinuation of the classic Google Play
Console will come into effect from November 2, Google has further announced the 
rollout of a new feature called [Managed Publishing](https://android-developers.googleblog.com/).

Managed Publishing will replace Timed Publishing in the classic Google Console and
will provide more flexibility for ASO practitioners when publishing changes for 
an app. With the new feature, changes that have been approved and ready for publishing
will be shown on the publishing overview page and will go live only when you decide.
One thing that ASO practitioners should keep in mind is that store listing experiments
will also need to be published separately on the publishing overview page after 
setup.

![google play console publishing overview ](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/
2020/11/image1.png)

_Source: Android Developer Blog_

While previously, developers were only able to publish changes once all changes 
were approved with Timed publishing, Managed Publishing can be turned on and off
at any time to publish approved changes, even if there are other changes in review.

Managed Publishing is now available on the new Google Play Console, and soon there
will be a Managed Publishing icon in the left-hand navigation menu that indicates
when the feature is turned on for an app.

![google play console ](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image6.png)

_Source: Android Developer Blog _

### **October 14 – The Play Store A/B test on the side navigation menu**

Following the [A/B test on the search results of the Play Store](http://a/B%20tests%20in%20search%20results)
spotted last month, Google is carrying out another A/B test on the Play Store UI—
this time on the three-line side hamburger navigation menu. The latest UI test includes
an expanded floating window that pops up when a user taps on his/her profile icon
at the top right corner of the Play Store UI.

⌊The Play Store A/B test on the side navigation menu⌉⌊The Play Store A/B test on
the side navigation menu⌉⌊The Play Store A/B test on the side navigation menu⌉⌊The
Play Store A/B test on the side navigation menu⌉

_Source: [Android Police](https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/10/14/google-play-store-takes-hamburgers-off-the-menu-in-latest-ui-test/)_

While it is yet to be seen whether the test will be adopted as a permanent element,
ASO practitioners should take note and ensure that your app’s screenshots do not
feature a hamburger navigation menu.  With apps such as [Google Maps](https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/12/16/google-mapss-new-ui-has-no-side-menu-but-gets-a-5-tab-bottom-bar-with-quick-access-to-your-saved-places/)
and [Google Photos](https://www.gsmarena.com/google_photos_app_for_android_will_soon_phase_out_the_hamburger_menu-news-41809.php#:~:text=There%20will%20no%20longer%20be,be%20renamed%20to%20%E2%80%9CLibrary%E2%80%9D.&text=In%20addition%2C%20there%20will%20be,search%20bar%20at%20the%20top.)
set to part ways with the design this year, the hamburger could be conceived as 
an outdated icon.

### **October 15 – App Store pre-order release**

App pre-orders can now be available on the App Store up to 180 days before the app’s
official release date. The longer lead time gives ASO practitioners more flexibility
when managing pre-order strategies to ensure the release is aligned with promotions
in and outside of the App Store, which could, in turn, encourage more pre-orders,
and ultimately a more successful app release.

 

![pre-order on the app store](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image3.
png)

_Source: Apple Developer _

### **October 21 – Apple Search Ads Certification**

Apple has launched an eight-lesson, self-paced online training program called the
[Apple Search Ads Certification](https://searchads.apple.com/help/advanced/0070-learn-about-certification/?cid=sa-193-2-P0020543-459621&cp=em-P0020543-459621&sr=em).
To become Apple Search Ads certified, you will have to complete all eight lessons,
take the 50-question exam, and earn a score of 80 percent or higher.

[Apple Search Ads](https://phiture.com/asostack/the-asa-stack-a-strategic-framework-to-develop-and-master-apple-search-ads-9bd917689d73/)
and App Store Optimization often work hand-in-hand in maximizing app units on the
App Store. ASO practitioners and app marketers alike who are interested can start
learning and demonstrate your app marketing proficiency at [certification-searchads.apple.com](https://certification-searchads.apple.com/).

![apple search ads certification ](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/
image4.png)

_Source: Apple Search Ads _

### **October 29 – The Play Store A/B test on the “Compare apps” section**

At the end of October, Google was spotted experimenting with a “Compare apps” section
under the individual app listing.

![compare apps section](https://phiture.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image7.png)

_Source: Android Police _

The new section compares similar apps head-to-head on important metrics such as 
ratings, number of downloads, ease of use, and other supported features relevant
to the app category such as offline playing and visual quality for media players.

For ASO practitioners, the side-by-side comparison could mean a growing importance
of ratings, number of downloads, and app features in driving installs on the Play
Store. ASO practitioners should keep a close eye on how your Android apps are doing
in terms of ratings and reviews compared to your competitor apps, as well as any
unique features that are supported by your competitor apps.

#### **Upcoming Events in November 2020**

11-13 November — [SubSummit 2020](https://subsummit.com/?utm_source=phiture_conf_list)

18 November — [App Growth Summit APAC 2020](https://appgrowthsummit.com/events/app-growth-summit-apac-2020/)

25-27 November — [Nordic Game Conference 2020](https://conf.nordicgame.com/?utm_source=phiture_conf_list)

#### **Tools Update in October 2020**

**AppTweak –**

[Check out an app’s Google Tags in our Live Search](https://www.apptweak.com/en/aso-blog/check-out-an-app-s-google-tags-in-our-live-search)

[Monitor your best keywords across countries](https://www.apptweak.com/en/aso-blog/monitor-your-best-keywords-across-countries)

**App Radar**

[Store Listing Editor has a new user interface and features](https://appradar.com/blog/how-can-you-efficiently-update-your-app-store-listing-for-different-localizations)

**AppFollow**

[App management startup AppFollow raises $5M Series A round led by Nauta Capital](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/28/app-management-startup-appfollow-raises-5m-series-a-round-led-by-nauta-capital/?guccounter=1)

**Tune **

[Capture Every Conversion, Part 1: Pixel Tracking for Affiliate Marketing Campaigns](https://www.tune.com/blog/capture-every-conversion-part-1-pixel-tracking-for-affiliate-marketing-campaigns/)

#### **Interesting to read**

[A Step-By-Step Guide To YouTube Influencer Marketing for Mobile Games](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/a-step-by-step-guide-to-youtube-influencer-marketing-for-mobile-games/)

[Non-linear: the Universe of the User Lifecycle](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/non-linear-the-universe-of-the-user-lifecycle/)

[Playable Ads: The Right Way to Use Them for Your App](https://phiture.com/mobilegrowthstack/playable-ads-the-right-way-to-use-them-for-your-app/)

[5 reasons to connect your Apple & Google Console](https://www.apptweak.com/en/aso-blog/5-reasons-to-connect-your-apple-google-console)

[What are App Clips and How to Use Them?](https://www.apptweak.com/en/aso-blog/what-are-app-clips-and-how-to-use-them)

[Which apps need to attract organic traffic](https://asodesk.com/blog/which-apps-need-to-attract-organic-traffic-research-of-asodesk/)

[When ASO will start bringing results](https://asodesk.com/blog/when-aso-will-start-bringing-results/)

[How competitive analysis helps in App Store Optimization](https://asodesk.com/blog/how-competitive-analysis-helps-in-app-store-optimization/)

[How to Build a Winning Gen Z Strategy on Mobile](https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/reports/how-to-build-a-winning-gen-z-strategy-on-mobile/)

[Mobile App Usage Surged 25% YoY in Q3 2020](https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/mobile-app-usage-surged-in-q3-2020/)

[SEO Backlinks: What Are they and How Are they Relevant to ASO for Google Play?](https://thetool.io/2020/seo-backlinks-aso-google-play)

[Competitive Retail Events to Spur Record 60 Million Hours Spent in Shopping Apps the Week of Prime Day 2020](https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/mobile-minute/prime-day-2020-forecast/)

[Shopping, Food & Drink App Launches Have Grown More Than 50% Year-Over-Year in the U.S. Since March](https://sensortower.com/blog/covid-new-app-launches-growth)

[App Growth Talks: Daniel Peris Molina](https://splitmetrics.com/blog/app-growth-talks-daniel-peris/)

How Automation Can Simplify Mobile Ad Production