# How do you get your iOS app featured on the App Store?

> What Apple's editors look for, how to nominate your iOS app in App Store Connect, how early to send it, and what happens if they pick you, from Apple's pages.

URL: https://launchindieapps.com/blog/get-ios-app-featured-on-app-store
By Rashem, published 2026-11-03
Updated: 2026-11-03

## Short answer

Nominate it. In App Store Connect, open your app, find Featuring, then Nominations, and describe the launch or update at least three weeks ahead. Apple has no checklist: its editors look at design, usefulness, uniqueness, accessibility, localization and your product page. Not every nomination is picked, so send one for every real update.

Getting featured feels like a lottery you can't enter. It isn't. Since November 2024, App Store Connect has [a form for it](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=nx3eotat), and anyone with the right role on your team can fill it in.

Apple's editors still decide. But they decide from what you send them, and most launch plans never send them anything.

## Can an indie app get featured on the App Store?

Yes. Apple says [all apps and games are eligible](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/) for App of the Day and Game of the Day, "whether they're brand new or have been around for a decade."

Two more things work in a small app's favour:

- **Picks are local.** Apple says its featured selections are regionally curated, and it has [over 120 editors worldwide](https://www.apple.com/app-store/). An app that matters in one country can be featured there.
- **There's no checklist.** Apple says so on the same page. No minimum downloads, no paid tier, no agency.

What there is: a nomination form, and a list of what the editors look at.

## What do Apple's editors look for?

Apple lists [seven factors](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/) for apps, plus extra ones for games. Here they are, with what an indie maker can actually do about each:

| Factor | What Apple says it means | What you can do this month |
|---|---|---|
| User experience | Functionality that's cohesive, efficient and easy to use | Cut the one screen new users get lost on |
| UI design | Usability, appeal and overall quality | Fix the details you've stopped seeing |
| Innovation | New technologies that solve a unique problem | Adopt one new iOS feature that fits your app, such as a widget or Live Activity |
| Uniqueness | A fresh approach to a familiar category | Say in one sentence why yours isn't another habit tracker |
| Accessibility | A great experience for a broad range of users | Test with VoiceOver and Dynamic Type, then fix what breaks |
| Localization | Good support for more languages | Translate into one language your users already ask for |
| Product page | Compelling screenshots, previews and descriptions, and good ratings | Redo your first screenshot and the first line of your description |

You won't fix all seven before a launch. Pick the two that are weakest and true to your app, and mention what you did in the nomination.

## How do you nominate your app for featuring?

It takes about ten minutes ([Apple's steps](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-featuring-nominations/nominate-your-app-for-featuring/)). You need the Account Holder, Admin, App Manager or Marketing role.

1. In App Store Connect, open Apps and select your app.
2. In the sidebar, under Featuring, click Nominations.
3. Click the add button (+) and choose Create Nomination.
4. Give it a name and pick a type.
5. Write the description: what's coming and why it matters.
6. Pick a publish date, or a date range.
7. Fill in the additional information: related apps, countries, in-app events, links, helpful details.
8. Submit the nomination.

Once it's submitted, you can still edit it, but not its type or its related apps. If you have many to send, Apple also takes [up to 50 at once in a CSV file](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/nominations/nominations-template/).

## Which nomination type should you pick?

There are three:

| Type | Use it for | An indie example |
|---|---|---|
| App Launch | A new app, or a pre-order | Your first release, three weeks before you tell anyone |
| App Enhancements | New features or a significant update | Widgets, Apple Watch support, a redesign |
| New Content | New content, offers or events inside the app | A seasonal challenge, a new pack, a time-limited event |

One update, one nomination. Apple's games editors put it the same way in their [talk on featuring](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/meet-with-apple/249/): send each unique update as its own.

## What should you write in a nomination?

Short, specific, and in plain words. The template allows [1,000 characters for the description](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/nominations/nominations-template/), but the editors read many of these. Here's what each field is for:

| Field | What to write | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The app and what's new: "Your App 2.0: home screen widgets" | Up to 60 characters, and it's what they scan first |
| Description | What's coming, who it's for, and what's different about it | This is the pitch; the same story you'd tell [a writer](https://launchindieapps.com/blog/ios-app-press-kit) |
| Publish date | The day it goes live in the App Store | Pick it before you nominate, so the date is real |
| In-app events | Attach any that are approved or published | Apple recommends attaching them as early as possible |
| Supplemental materials | Up to 5 links: a TestFlight public link, a press page, artwork | Apple's games editors say they don't feature games they haven't played |
| Helpful details | Accessibility work, localization, who's behind the app | One person building it is part of the story |

Write the description as if the editor has never heard of your app. They probably haven't.

## How early should you nominate?

Earlier than feels necessary. Apple gives different numbers in different places:

| Where Apple says it | Lead time |
|---|---|
| [Getting Featured on the App Store](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/) | At least two weeks; up to three months ahead for wider consideration |
| [The nomination help page](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-featuring-nominations/nominate-your-app-for-featuring/) and [template](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/nominations/nominations-template/) | At least three weeks |
| Apple's games editors, [on video](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/meet-with-apple/249/) | About eight weeks if you hope for a story; they check nominations every week |

So plan on three weeks as the minimum, and more if you can. For a launch, that means nominating before App Review has even seen the build, which is fine: you can edit the date later. Set the release to manual so the date you gave is the date it ships. The [30-day launch plan](https://launchindieapps.com/blog/ios-app-approved-now-what) and the [launch checklist](https://launchindieapps.com/blog/ios-app-launch-checklist) both put this step first.

## Where can an app be featured?

More places than the Today tab. Apple [lists these](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/):

| Placement | Where people see it |
|---|---|
| Stories | The Today tab on iPhone and iPad, Discover on Mac |
| Collections | Themed groups of apps, across the App Store |
| App of the Day, Game of the Day | The Today tab, refreshed every day |
| In-app events | Today, Games and Apps tabs, search, and your product page |
| Editors' Choice | A badge on your product page, chosen per storefront |
| Personalized recommendations | Based on what each person has downloaded |

Almost all of these are editors' picks. In-app events are the one you create yourself and then hope the editors pick up.

## Do in-app events help you get featured?

They give the editors something timely to feature. An in-app event is a dated thing happening inside your app, such as a challenge or a premiere. It can [last up to 31 days](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/in-app-events/) and be promoted up to 14 days before it starts.

Events show on your product page and in search results on their own, which is worth having even if no editor picks them. And Apple says it [shares them with its editors](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/in-app-events/) for promotional consideration. Attach the event to your nomination as soon as it's approved.

They suit apps with something that happens: a new season, a challenge, a launch week. A to-do app without one shouldn't invent an event just to have one.

## What happens if Apple picks your app?

Usually an email, and not always one with a date:

- **A request for artwork.** If your app is being considered, Apple [may email](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/) your Admin, App Manager and Marketing users asking for promotional assets. The [artwork guidelines](https://help.apple.com/asc/appspromoart/) say a request is no guarantee of a feature, and that Apple can't give run dates or advance notice.
- **An email when it's live.** Turn on the "App Store Featuring" email in your App Store Connect [notification settings](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/account-management/user-notifications/), so you hear when your app is featured.
- **A push for the Today tab.** For some Today placements, Apple sends a notification through the App Store Connect app, along with ready-made images you can share.

Share them. A feature is also your best post of the year.

## What if your app never gets featured?

Apple doesn't say how many nominations it picks, or why it passes on one. So treat the nomination as part of every release, not a one-time bet:

- **Nominate every real update.** A new feature, a new language, Apple Watch support. Each is a fresh chance.
- **Fix the product page.** It's on Apple's list, and it's also what converts the people who find you anyway. The [listing checker](https://launchindieapps.com/tools/app-store-listing-checker) flags the gaps, and the [screenshot generator](https://launchindieapps.com/tools/app-store-screenshot-generator) makes new screenshots in Apple's sizes.
- **Launch everywhere else too.** Featuring is one place. [The Launch Map](https://launchindieapps.com/guides/where-to-launch-ios-app) has the others, each checked on its own site.

## Where Launch Indie Apps fits

A [Launch Indie Apps](https://launchindieapps.com/blog/what-is-launch-indie-apps) listing is a place to launch that doesn't depend on an editor's calendar: a person reviews the app, the listing stays up after launch week, and the Launch Kit writes the posts for everywhere else.

## Do this today

Open App Store Connect, find Featuring in your app's sidebar, and start a nomination for your next update, even as a draft. Then turn on the App Store Featuring email in your notification settings.

## A note from Rashem

I'd rather you nominate ten updates and get featured once than wait for the perfect one. If you're picked after reading this, tell me at hello@launchindieapps.com and I'll share it in the newsletter.

## Questions

**How do I nominate my app for featuring on the App Store?** In App Store Connect, select your app, then under Featuring click Nominations, then the add button. Choose App Launch, App Enhancements or New Content, describe what's coming, pick a publish date and submit.

**How far in advance should I submit a featuring nomination?** Apple's nomination help page asks for at least three weeks. Its Getting Featured page says at least two weeks, and up to three months ahead for wider consideration.

**Can a new or small app get featured on the App Store?** Yes. Apple says all apps and games are eligible for App of the Day and Game of the Day, brand new or a decade old, and that there's no checklist of requirements.

**Will Apple tell me if my app is featured?** You can turn on the App Store Featuring email in App Store Connect's notification settings. For some Today tab placements, Apple also sends a notification through the App Store Connect app.

## Sources

- Getting Featured on the App Store, Apple Developer: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- Nominate your app for featuring, Apple Developer: https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-featuring-nominations/nominate-your-app-for-featuring/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- Nominations template, Apple Developer: https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/nominations/nominations-template/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- User notifications, Apple Developer: https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/account-management/user-notifications/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- Enhancements to the App Store featuring process (November 12, 2024), Apple Developer News: https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=nx3eotat (checked 2026-11-03)
- App Store Promotional Asset Guidelines, Apple: https://help.apple.com/asc/appspromoart/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- Explore game curation and featuring on the App Store, Apple Developer (Meet with Apple): https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/meet-with-apple/249/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- In-App Events, Apple Developer: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/in-app-events/ (checked 2026-11-03)
- App Store, Apple: https://www.apple.com/app-store/ (checked 2026-11-03)