Apple denies favoring its own apps in App Store search results
Apple denies that the App Store uses an algorithm that makes Apple’s own apps appear at the top of the screen remarkably often in searches. The allegation comes from The Wall Street Journal, which took the test following complaints from developers.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple’s apps are the first choice in more than 60 percent of the cases when searches for basic keywords such as ‘maps’. In fact, Apple apps that monetize through subscriptions or purchases, such as Music and Apple Books, would appear as the first result in 95 percent of searches.
The Wall Street Journal states that this practice gives Apple a significant edge, against other app developers, in a market where about $45 billion is spent annually. Apple’s own apps already have ‘different standards’, the newspaper believes. Developers are told by Apple that the popularity of their apps depends on the number of downloads, user reviews and ratings, among other things. At the same time, there are more than two dozen Apple apps that come preinstalled on every iPhone and are protected. of reviews and scores.”
Apple denies the allegations and says it does not favor its own apps in any way. A spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that Apple has meanwhile conducted its own sample, with sometimes different results where its own applications did not end up in first place. Apple claims it uses an algorithm that relies on machine learning and past user preferences. However, the company does not reveal more details about that algorithm.