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How to get featured on the App Store as an indie developer

ASO 14 October 2026 · 9 min read

Featuring isn't reserved for big studios. Apple's editors highlight new apps, significant updates, In-App Events and "great stories", and the only way in is the same form for everyone. What separates the nominations that get picked is mostly what they pitch and when, not the size of the team.

How nominations work

In App Store Connect, open your app and go to Featuring → Nominations (Apple's guide). You need the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager or Marketing role. There are three types:

• App Launch: a new app or game, or a pre-order.
• App Enhancements: new features, functionality or a significant update.
• New Content: new content, offers or events inside an existing app.

Pick the type that matches what's actually happening; once submitted, you can't change the type or the related apps. Everything else can be edited.

When to submit

Apple asks for a minimum of two weeks' notice, and recommends nominating up to three months ahead for wider featuring consideration. App Store Connect's guide recommends at least three weeks. In practice:

• A launch or an update built around a new iOS feature: six to eight weeks ahead.
• A regular update or a content drop: three to four weeks ahead.
• Under two weeks: submit anyway, but expect it to be considered for a later window.

What to pitch

Editors plan stories on a calendar, so a nomination needs a dated reason to feature you. Strong reasons:

• A launch or pre-order.
• An update that uses a new Apple technology for something people will notice.
• A meaningful new capability, not a bug-fix release.
• An In-App Event with dates, which you can attach to the nomination once it's approved.
• A fit with a moment on the calendar: back to school, New Year habits, an awareness day, a regional holiday.

Weak reasons are worth knowing too: "version 2.0", a visual refresh with no new features, or a point release. Nominating every release dilutes the ones that matter; one or two strong nominations a year reads better.

Lead with one angle. Pick the strongest of: the one thing your app does that's obvious in a 30-second demo, the real story of why you built it, a new Apple technology used for a clear benefit, or the moment it fits. An editor should be able to write a headline from your first sentence.

What Apple's editors look at

Apple says there's "no checklist of requirements", but lists what the team considers: user experience, UI design, innovation, uniqueness, accessibility, localization and your App Store product page (screenshots, previews, description, ratings and reviews). Games add gameplay, art, controls, story, replayability, sound, performance and value.

Three of those are things an indie can fix before nominating:

• Product page: screenshots that show the app as it is today, readable captions, and a description that isn't a feature dump. An editor sees exactly what a customer sees.
• Localization: if you nominate for Germany or Japan, your page there should be in German or Japanese. Check what each storefront actually shows with the free ASO review.
• Accessibility: VoiceOver labels, Dynamic Type and good contrast are concrete things to mention, and editors notice them.

Writing the nomination

Write like a developer briefing a journalist, not like an ad.

• Name: app, moment and date, e.g. "Hydra: Habits update, January 2027". It's for Apple's team, not customers.
• Description: first sentence says what's shipping, for whom, and when. Then the one thing people can now do, why now, any Apple technology and what it does for users, proof (ratings, press, user numbers), and how much this release matters to you.
• Helpful details: who you are and why you built it, plus accessibility and inclusivity work. Solo developers and real origin stories are things editors build stories around.
• Supplemental materials: up to five links. A TestFlight public link, a 30-second demo video, a press kit, artwork.

Avoid superlatives ("revolutionary", "best-in-class") and never imply you expect to be featured. Specific nouns and numbers do the work.

If you're selected

Apple may email people on your team with the Admin, App Manager or Marketing role asking for promotional artwork, usually with a short deadline, so check those inboxes. For placements like App of the Day you're notified in the App Store Connect app and can share the assets. A request for artwork means you're being considered, not that it's confirmed.

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