ASO Weekly: WWDC22, Antitrust Investigation & App Headlines

June 10th, 2022

by David Quinn

VP of Strategy & Partnerships at Gummicube, Inc.

Welcome to this week’s ASO Weekly – Gummicube’s recurring segment where we discuss some of the biggest events in the mobile app industry, app store developments, and how they may affect your App Store Optimization strategy.

This week, we’ll be exploring:

Takeaways for developers from WWDC22
Big Tech’s looming antitrust investigation in the UK
App making headlines

Apple WWDC22 – What’s the Consensus For Developers?

Once the countdown hit 00:00:00 on the WWDC22 countdown, developers and users were extremely excited to catch up on the latest developments taking place at Apple. On June 6th, Apple slowly unveiled many new features users will soon get access to like the new lock screen, and the long-awaited edit/unsend option in iMessage.

View the full list of releases in our previous blog over WWDC22.

As for developers, our ASO company has spotted some changes to the App Store as WWDC22 nears its end for the year. What can developers expect?

1. The Release of App Store Connect API 2.0

With the new API releasing this summer, app developers will now be able to manage in-app purchases and subscription APIs. Developers will be able to edit, delete and create in-app purchases, manage pricing structures and create promotions and submit them for review. Additional new features include better ways of responding to app reviews and enhanced app hang data diagnostics.

2. New Review Submission Page

Custom Product Pages and any In-app Events can be submitted for review without needing to release a new app version. Apple has released a new webpage for app reviews as well.

All submissions can be easily viewed from a unified interface. Additionally, Apple has introduced the iOS and iPadOS review submission process, allowing developers to get submission and progress updates from their portable OS devices.

The improved developer experience will allow developers to streamline their app release process with fewer hurdles and requirements. Without the need for new app updates for CPPs, developers also have the freedom to get their timely events out faster and more efficiently.

By using ASO technology like Splitcube in tandem with these new updates, developers can test their assets before releasing a new app update.

Google and Apple Might Face Anti-Trust Investigation in the UK

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) urged an immediate investigation of Google Play and Apple’s “stronghold” over their app store platforms this week.

This isn’t the first time Apple and Google seem to be caught in the crosshairs of global antitrust watchdogs. In 2021, both of these Big Tech companies faced similar charges in the United States on a federal and state level.

Both Apple and Google deny that any of their systems in place for their app stores are out of compliance and that their app store operations are an atypical case – serving as more of a marketplace than a monopolized entity. The point of interest for watchdogs; however, is the pricing structure with “high commission”, which raises red flags for possible predatory market manipulation.

Despite a looming investigation, both platforms have been compliant with self-regulating on a periodical basis to avoid this from happening. Both platforms allow safe and vetted apps to enter their operating system ecosystems as a means of protecting their users.

Bonus App Store News – App Making Headlines

Tik Toks Says 'Take a Break', Pushes to End the ‘Death Scroll’

TikTok says too much of a good thing, may indeed be a bad thing. A blog from TikTok, in light of touts for being bad for mental health, stated that users should take a break from the TikTok screen every once in a while.

To put this proposal into action, TikTok says it plans to introduce a new option for users to select how much uninterrupted time they want to spend on the app before they’re prompted to “take a break”.

Overall

As WWDC22 comes to a close for the year, developers and users all have new features to be excited about. The official release date for new iOS 16 features is set for September. However, developers can already see some changes taking place like the ASA pricing structure shift and API introductions. Both Google and apple face challenges ahead with mountains of global antitrust regulations, pushing both federal entities and Big Tech to find a restful resolution.

Want to learn more about App Store Optimization? Contact Gummicube and we’ll help get your strategy started.