Specifying when game appears in app store

General (non-technical) Marketing and Monetization
#1

I am planning on submitting my paid for version first so I can get the link to this to add to my free version.

I was wondering if once a game is approved by Apple, does it appear immediately in the app store or is it possible to choose when it goes live?

Obviously if I do not need to submit in this order please let me know but I assumed if I want the free version to include a link to the paid for version, I needed to submit the paid for version first? [import]uid: 7863 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 307024[/import]

#2

huh, I hadn’t considered that plan, thanks.

Yes the release date can be set in the future. In fact, you should set it way in the future and then change it back to the real release date after your app is approved. I’m talking months in the future, in order to allow plenty of time for the approval wait.

There are a lot of posts online about that; it is possible to screw up and set your release date for before the app gets approved, in which case you never get to be on the New list. [import]uid: 12108 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 24963[/import]

#3

Btw, something peeps might want to note…

I submitted for review on March 19th, got reviewed on the 25th, on the 26th I set it to become available on the 27th.

Early on the 27th it started appearing in the search results, but late on the 27th it appeared in the ‘Release Date’ list in the category BUT it appeared as being released on the 25th - which meant that it appeared at position 13 in the list, no where near the top, even though every app above it had a release date of the 26th. Ouch.

I have written to Apple, but no response yet (I don’t expect one TBH.)

Matt

www.tiltopolis.com [import]uid: 8271 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 29966[/import]

#4

hm great this is a fresh problem I’ll have to look online for other people reporting

sorry this happened to you but thanks for letting us know

ADDITION: I found this article online that talks about this issue. In particular this comment on the article appears to be exactly the situation you had:
http://www.dragthing.com/blog/2008/10/how-to-change-your-app-store-release-date/#comment-483

And then if you go down two more comments, Elia Freedman explains what happened. Assuming he is correct that means you need to set the release date far in the future before submitting your app, then set it to the date it’s approved as soon as it is approved.

That is supremely frustrating if that is true, because that means you have absolutely zero control over the release date and you must be able to log onto iTunes Connect right away whenever Apple approves your app.

Can some people who’ve released apps please explain how things work as far as release dates? The guy who wrote that article and that guy Freedman in the comments are saying two different things and I can’t tell who to believe. And anyway that article is over a year old so Apple has probably changed things by now. [import]uid: 12108 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 30004[/import]

#5

Wow. Thanks @jhocking, that is amazingly frustrating. Having to set the release date the moment of approval would appear to match up with the statement made as the displayed release date on the store matches my approval date, not my ‘publish’ date. Perhaps it is simply that Apple caught onto what devs were doing and didn’t like it. That doesn’t make sense IMHO because they have given us the ability to change it.

Would be good to hear from anyone who has heard back from Apple on this.

Matt [import]uid: 8271 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 30118[/import]

#6

If that is true then I don’t know why Apple even asks for a release date. They should just automatically set the release date to when it is approved. [import]uid: 12108 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 30151[/import]

#7

Yep. I think they do. [import]uid: 8271 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 30180[/import]

#8

oh incidentally getting back to the original question, apparently that won’t work. I guess you should update the free version right after the paid version is approved, but you want to submit them both at the same time in the first place. [import]uid: 12108 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 30182[/import]

#9

Was there ever a conclusive answer to this question.

My game Ball Frenzy has just gone from Waiting for Review to In Review (at 4.03am). I have the release date set to 1st May 2011. From what I gather as soon as the game is approved (assuming it is approved!) that I change the release date to the date the game was approved i.e if this was today then set release date to 7 April 2011.

Is this correct? [import]uid: 7863 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 31044[/import]

#10

Yes; Do NOT wait around or your game wont ever be at the top of the recently published list. [import]uid: 8271 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 31046[/import]

#11

Thanks Horacebury - I will watch my inbox and iTunes like a hawk for the next few days. May even have to skip sleep:) [import]uid: 7863 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 31051[/import]

#12

Just to clarify, if my game is approved at 7pm California time 7th April then it will be 1am in uk (or something like that) 8th april. Therefore confused whether to set release date to 7th april or 8th April

Btw I am in uk:)

Anyone? [import]uid: 7863 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 31120[/import]

#13

I think you set it for the US time. All times on the site are per country, but if you set all markets then it’ll be to Apple’s time. [import]uid: 8271 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 31124[/import]

#14

Where is the recently published list anyway? I submitted last night at 2am…and set the release date to yesterday’s date and had no idea about this issue! I just wanted to get my app out there as soon as possible.

Thanks for the heads up guys! [import]uid: 20687 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 32229[/import]

#15

App store app - category - filter on top right [import]uid: 8271 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 32231[/import]

#16

I just read another article related to this:
http://www.idev101.com/code/Distribution/checklist.html

First off, it confirms what we deduced here about the release date timing.

Second, it notes that what you do NOT want to touch the release date when submitting an update, because that can remove your app from the store. doh

Meanwhile as to the OP, what I’ve found when I look at a lot of iPhone developer forums is that you don’t need to wait until after an app is approved to get a link to it. Obviously the link won’t actually work until after the app is approved, but the app ID you use will already be in iTunes Connect as soon as you add the app there, before it is approved.

Thus the ideal plan is to setup your app in iTunes Connect but don’t upload the binary yet. You can get the app ID and use that to make links. Now upload the binary.

Also, you should submit the lite version a little after the full version (but you don’t have to wait until the full version is approved first) so that the links will be live. If you release the lite version before the full version then it’ll have broken links.

Here again it’d be great if people who actually have apps on the App Store can confirm this, that the app ID set when you submitted is the same app ID after approval. I’m seeing this information on a lot of developer forums, but I want to confirm that this is correct. [import]uid: 12108 topic_id: 7024 reply_id: 34779[/import]