Apple is exploring major changes to its app store, including allowing developers to pay to have their app promoted to users, Bloomberg News has reported.
The company has a dedicated team of 100 people working on plans to overhaul the store, the report claims – citing sources familiar with the project – and is led by Todd Teresi, formerly the head of Apple’s iAd advertising group.
A new paid search option would let developers pay for their app to appear alongside related search terms such as weather or puzzle. It could also create a new revenue stream for Apple and deploy staff from iA, which is being cut back.
It is also exploring how to improve search for users, making apps easier to find.
The app store sells more than 1.5m apps for Apple phones, tablets, and now the Apple Watch. But developers commonly complain that there are so many apps for sale it can be hard to promote their apps.
Apple also tightly controls curation of its app store, and the highest profile apps are either hand-selected by them or are already in the store’s list of the 20 bestselling paid and free apps in each genre.
Developers had a mixed response to the report.
@ttayl0r @verge @AppStore I see better ways to make money then pissing off 99% of the @AppStore developers @pschiller
— Kori Handy (@KoriDHandy) April 14, 2016
@c_pruett you're missing the point, what has been lacking is a way to directly pay Apple. That's what every developer has been clamoring for
— Tom Moss (@rebelleader) April 14, 2016
Apple was contacted for comment.
