14 DAY TRIAL // Apple released the iOS 10.3 earlier this week and brought some notable changes that would affect iOS developers and the way they interact with users. The changes also affect the way developers name their apps, before submitting them to the App Store.
Apple will no longer allow developers to promote the price of their applications in the app names and screenshots submitted to the App Store. For the past month, Apple started blocking submissions to the App Store or Mac App Store if the metadata contains pricing details.
The measure isn’t new, considering that Apple mentioned in its overview of App Store product pages the fact that developers shouldn’t use the “Free” moniker in their app title. Some iOS app developers choose to include the word “Free” in app names, so that they can reach more users.
Developers can now respond to user reviews
But the good news for developers is that Apple will now allow them to respond to user reviews and offer them support or answer any questions that they might have. User ability to provide feedback for an app is useful for developers, but the new feature allows app creators to provide tips and even ask follow-up questions to identify and later fix whichever issues users might have.
In addition, developers can build a connection with their users and show their interest in resolving whichever issue they might have with the app. This might prompt users to rate the app even higher, if they get confirmation that developers are interested in solving problems that they might have encountered.
It’s worth mentioning that Google has been offering Android developers the option to reply to user messages in the Play store since 2013. Google has recently implemented a new section in its Play Store, one that has been quite successful in the App Store. Google recently started offering one free app per week for Android-running smartphones.