ASO news digest. February 2024

The ASO news digest is our desire to keep abreast of the updates that have occurred in the mobile application market over the past month. Any update or change in the rules of the major app stores can have an impact on app store optimization tactics and strategy. Here you can find the February 2024 update from the App Store and Google Play.

ASO news from the App Store

1. Apple offers advice on changes to iOS, Safari and the App store in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act.

Since the entry into force of the Digital Markets Act still raises many questions, unclear interpretations and doubts, Apple has initiated 30-minute online consultations, where we have the opportunity to communicate with a company representative and ask all pressing questions about alternative distribution on iOS , alternative payments on the App Store, purchase links on our webpage, new business terms and more.

2. Apply for the Swift Student Challenge by February 25th.

The Swift Student Challenge, Apple's competition for students to create awesome app playgrounds, closed in February - have an app idea? This is our chance to share and realize it.

3. Xcode 15 for iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17 or watchOS 10 - this requirement comes into effect on April 29.

As of this date, all apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built using Xcode 15.

4. Submissions for applications for the latest OS versions are now open.

iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, tvOS 17.4, VisionOS 1.1 and watchOS 10.4 will soon be available to customers worldwide. We build our apps using the latest Xcode and the latest SDK, and then test them using TestFlight.

For EU apps

Developers who have agreed to the Supplementary Agreement on Alternative Terms for Applications in the EU can set up distribution on the marketplace in the appropriate geo. Eligible developers can also submit apps to the market and offer apps with alternative browser engines.

Once these versions of the platform become generally available:

• First annual installation fees begin to accrue, and new commission rates come into effect for these developers.
• Apps that offer alternative payment methods in the EU will be accepted on App Store Connect. In the meantime, we can conduct testing in an isolated environment.

5. ASA (Apple Search Ads) in new countries!

Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay - this is the list of countries where the ASA indicator will soon appear. This indicates excellent prospects for the South American mobile application market as a platform for the expansion and successful promotion of our applications.

ASO news from Google Play

Google Play was especially low-key in February, with a few updates to the development environment and announcements of follow-up events in March.

1. Android Studio Iguana works stably

We launched Android Studio Iguana 🦎 in a stable version. Now it's even easier to create high-quality applications. With features like version control support in App Quality Insights and new native support for creating base profiles for Jetpack Compose apps, this version improves our development workflow as we optimize our app.

2. Hybrid Wear OS interface

Google announced improvements in performance and power for Wear OS. They made fundamental changes to the design of the platform and significantly expanded the capabilities of the Wear OS hybrid interface, which improved two key areas: power and performance.

3. First developer preview of Android 15

On February 16, the first preview version of Android 15 for developers was released.

Android 15 continues to build a platform that helps improve our productivity by giving us new ways to create superior media experiences, minimize battery drain, make apps run as smoothly as possible, and protect user privacy and security across a diverse range of devices.

The official release is currently tentatively scheduled for this summer.

Follow the news and achieve your goals💙