Featured Apps in Revamped iOS 11 App Store Can See 800% Download Boost

Earning a featured spot in the revamped iOS App Store can increase app downloads by up to 800 percent, according to new data sourced from app analytics site Sensor Tower and shared by TechCrunch.

The data, collected from September 2017 to the present, suggests an app that's highlighted using either the "App of the Day" or "Game of the Day" feature in the U.S. sees the greatest increase in downloads.

ios11appstoregameoftheday
Specifically, "Game of the Day" apps have seen a median download increase of 802 percent for the week following the feature, while "App of the Day" apps have seen a boost of 685 percent.

Other features, such as a developer story or an app list can increase downloads by up to 240 percent. Stories resulted in a 222 percent boost in downloads, while app lists increased downloads by 240 percent. A theme feature had the lowest impact at a 164 percent increase in downloads.

appstorefeatureddownloadincrease
Sensor Tower has also outlined what kind of data Apple has chosen to highlight through the new App Store design. Many of the top publishers that have been featured are larger companies, like Electronic Arts, Warner Bros., Square Enix, Gameloft, Noodlecake Studios, and King, which is unsurprising as these companies have put out some of the most popular apps in the App Store.

13 of the top 15 featured publishers had at least one million U.S. iPhone downloads since the launch of the new App Store.

publishersbyfeature
Apple has, however, also focused on highlighting indie apps. 29 percent of apps featured since the launch of the new App Store have been from publishers who had fewer than 10,000 downloads at the time.

"While it's clearly the case that big publishers are more likely to receive the largest number of features, small publishers still very much have their chance to benefit from a feature on the App Store," said Sensor Tower's Mobile Insights Analyst, Jonathan Briskman.

Apple introduced the redesigned App Store in iOS 11 to offer additional opportunities for exposure to app developers. The new App Store includes a "Today" section that's updated daily with app suggestions, featured spots, app lists, developer features, and more, and it splits apps and games into two distinct categories.

Content featured in the new App Store is chosen and curated by Apple's App Store editorial team, which ensures high-quality recommendations that don't rely solely on popularity rankings.

As noted by TechCrunch, Sensor Tower's data suggests that Apple's goal of increasing developer exposure through the new App Store design has largely been a successful venture.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...

Top Rated Comments

Cosmosent Avatar
97 months ago
This illustrates two EXTREMELY important points:

1.) that Apple continues to have a Complete Stranglehold on App Discovery !, &

2.) that the iOS App Store is still catastrophically broken ... especially their Rankings algorithm !

Users should be able to Discovery apps they are interested in "On Their Own," NOT via Apple's decisions !!!

Users should have control options for filtering apps, based-upon their own criteria ... e.g., Rank apps ONLY via new Ratings within the past 1-2 weeks.

It's NOT Rocket Science, but for whatever Reason, Apple refuses to fix the problems ! ... and they are very easily fixed.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flyinmac Avatar
97 months ago
I don’t pay attention to the featured apps. Or anything that comes up on the opening page.

If I’m in the App Store, it’s because I need something. I don’t just browse to see what’s there. I’m only there if I have a need for something, and then I’m straight into the search tool.

In the early days when I was curious what there was (talking way early days in the first few years of iPhones)... I used to go browse by category and free within categories.

But honestly, these days I find apps to be mostly unnecessary. Of course there are my daily use apps for email, internet, and messages. But beyond that, I find that most apps are recreational. And I don’t use my phone for games. And, I don’t care to spend money on things that I don’t need. So an app has to be absolutely necessary to accomplish a task that I need, before I’ll even start looking for it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
97 months ago
I am so shallow when it comes to Apps. If the app icon already doesn’t please me I don’t even look any further
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
berrymetal Avatar
97 months ago
Great so in case one of my apps gets featured, it'll get around 800 downloads based on its current sales
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
v0lume4 Avatar
97 months ago
That's really impressive.

Genuinely curious -- do most people download new apps these days? I rarely do. And if so, it'll be an app that I search for directly.

I remember seeing a stat about a year ago that showed that most people (it was like 80% or something) use the same ~8 or so apps.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Christoffee Avatar
97 months ago
Great so in case one of my apps gets featured, it'll get around 800 downloads based on its current sales
Put a link to your app in your signature.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)