It's being reported that, following a supposed similar shift to Android Market's ranking system earlier in April, Apple has altered its own algorithm for the App Store.
The observation has been made by app analytics specialist Flurry, which claims to have monitored a change to the various weightings that determine how the chart positions are calculated.
The suggestion is the role of pure download figures is being downgraded, with more emphasis being placed on user activity within games and apps.
Charting the charts
"We've been noticing changes in the Top Free rankings for at least three days now," Flurry VP of marketing Peter Farago told Inside Mobile Apps.
"From our point of view, Apple is absolutely considering more than just downloads, which we believe is the right direction go to measure true popularity of an app."
Though it's not clear what changes may or may not have been made, the alleged alteration to the algorithm appears to be backed up by a reshuffling of the apps making it to the top of the App Store's charts.
In the US, the official Facebook app which has spent the vast majority of the last year and a half outside of the top 10 has suddenly jumped back to the top spot. This would certainly make sense from an activity point of view.
Angry Birds Free-fall
"I believe there was a tweak in the algorithm," Stefan Bielau, head of business development in Europe for W3i, told PocketGamer.biz.
"There are only four games left in the overall top 10 in Germany."
Germany's App Store rankings have seen movements aplenty, with Angry Birds Rio Free having suddenly fallen out of the top 15 as productivity apps such as Taschenlampe 4 and Handy Sicherung have climed the charts.
If true, it's a change that could impact on many businesses operating on the App Store, with many firms such as Flurry and W3i offering services that allow developers to pay for downloads to propel them to the top of the charts to gain the apps extra visibility.
By shifting the goalposts, such forms of marketplace manipulation could be made more difficult, although they, in turn, are shifting from pure download incentivisation towards requiring users to play the opening level of the content they download.
[source: Inside Mobile Apps]
News
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Top Stories
News
8 hours, 4 minutes ago
Pocket Worlds’ Highrise surpasses 40 million users as it unveils new development tools
Feature
Mar 25th, 2024
5 takeaways from GDC 2024: The games industry reckons with key challenges, Godot competes with Unity, and AI was the big trend without the big announcements
Feature
Mar 25th, 2024
Hot Five: Epic’s app store plans, Turkey’s tax exemptions, and Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile finally releases globally
Events
Mobidictum Network Lisbon April 2024 | Europe | Apr 16th |
HIT Games Conference Istanbul 2024 | Apr 18th | |
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
Mobidictum Meetup Barcelona September 2024 | Europe | Sep 1st |
Popular Stories
Feature
Mar 25th, 2024
5 takeaways from GDC 2024: The games industry reckons with key challenges, Godot competes with Unity, and AI was the big trend without the big announcements
Interview
Mar 22nd, 2024