Apple turns on App Store Genius recommendations for developers

Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2019
As the expected launch date for Apple's next-generation iPhone draws near, the company flipped the switch on App Store Genius recommendations and a Chomp-inspired tile layout for the iPhone in iOS 6 beta, further refining the app purchasing system ahead of its debut this fall.

Apple rolled out a revamped App Store for iOS 6 beta on Friday, though at the time it appeared to be a work in progress as Genius recommendations weren't yet activated and the "Chomp-inspired" layout seen on the iPad version had yet to make its way to the iPhone.

The company has apparently made some changes over the weekend, as Genius is now live and iPhones running iOS 6 beta are consistently seeing the tiled user interface styled after Apple-acquired app search engine Chomp. Previously, the iPhone's App Store would switch between the traditional list view and the new tile-based system.

With Genius for apps, users can browse through apps based on previous purchasing history just as in iOS 5, however the new implementation adds a "Not Interested" button to refine results. It is not yet clear how the new feature will work because it is inactive, however the method could be similar to the current "Swipe to Delete" option.

iOS 6 Genius


Genius takes the place of "Categories" at the bottom of the App Store's UI, a metric that is now included as a sorting method for recommendation results. For now, the only category available is "All," though it looks as though more comprehensive functionality will be provided when the app launches this fall.

iPad Genius


The Chomp-style tile layout first seen last week on the iPad version of the App Store is also being used on the iPhone, with the large, nearly full-screen tiles offering bigger icons and app images. It doesn't appear that any new information is offered with the interface besides the addition of a screenshot, bringing into question the system's functionality compared to iOS 5's list view. The feature is implemented across the entire app, as seen below in the store's "Search" function.

iPhone App Store


Apple is widely expected to debut the next-generation iPhone running iOS 6 at a Sept 12 special event with U.S. shipments to follow on Sept. 21.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15


    Blech


     


    That's all I have to say to the new layout. Convoluted, confused, and far from intuitive. What is with this recent spate of "fixing what isn't broke" anyway?

  • Reply 2 of 15


    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post

    That's all I have to say to the new layout. Convoluted, confused, and far from intuitive. What is with this recent spate of "fixing what isn't broke" anyway?


     


    It IS broken, they're just not fixing the right things.


     


    Subcategories of subcategories of subcategories… 

  • Reply 3 of 15
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    It IS broken, they're just not fixing the right things.


     


    Subcategories of subcategories of subcategories… 



     


    Looks like they're still following Steve's mantra of getting to things in three clicks.


     


    /S

  • Reply 4 of 15


    would try this, if my iPod touch wasn't retarded. I CAN'T USE IT FOR THE APP STORE. I CAN'T USE IT FOR A STOCK APP.

  • Reply 5 of 15


    Certainly, I'm looking forward to this feature, hopes it allows me to find great apps. However, I'm mystified how this would work... if I buy music, it's likely I would buy similar music, but, say, if I buy a to-do app, why would I want another to-do app? I understand this would work just fine for games, but other categories?

  • Reply 6 of 15
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    Hmm... hungry, must make dinner.image

  • Reply 7 of 15

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by logandigges View Post


    would try this, if my iPod touch wasn't retarded. I CAN'T USE IT FOR THE APP STORE. I CAN'T USE IT FOR A STOCK APP.



     


    Are you saying your retarded iPod Touch is a bit...um...touched?

  • Reply 8 of 15


    FINALLY!!! An egg timer app!

  • Reply 9 of 15
    It IS broken, they're just not fixing the right things.

    Subcategories of subcategories of subcategories… 

    The app store is nothing compared to the iTunes and iBook stores, no subject control, o name authority. No searching for directors etc across tv shows. They need something that is a mix of imdb and library of congress
  • Reply 10 of 15


    Also the purchased app tab works now:-) I have been missing that:-)

  • Reply 11 of 15

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    It IS broken, they're just not fixing the right things.


     


    Subcategories of subcategories of subcategories… 



     


    And yet I never had a problem searching and browsing the old setup, whereas this revision is literally a mess and not intuitive at all.

  • Reply 12 of 15

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    iPhone App Store



    Apple is widely expected to debut the next-generation iPhone running iOS 6 at a Sept 12 special event with U.S. shipments to follow on Sept. 21.


     


    Looks a bit chompy to me.


     


    I hope they fix the Fix before the release.

  • Reply 13 of 15

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Macky the Macky View Post


     


    Are you saying your retarded iPod Touch is a bit...um...touched?



    Very touched.

  • Reply 14 of 15
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,301moderator
    With Genius for apps, users can browse through apps based on previous purchasing history just as in iOS 5, however the new implementation adds a "Not Interested" button to refine results. It is not yet clear how the new feature will work because it is inactive, however the method could be similar to the current "Swipe to Delete" option.

    They've had "Not Interested" in Genius for a while but it doesn't work. You tap it and it doesn't do anything except highlight the button. I expected it to work like swipe to delete in that you tap it, the icon disappears and Genius goes off to find something else.

    I don't understand why Genius is so broken. The algorithm should be pretty straight forward:

    - if past purchases exist, pick a selection of 10 or so similar apps to recommend; if past purchases don't exist, pick 10 apps at random
    - the new layout is great because you see a screenshot and rating without opening the app description
    - there should be two buttons, "not interested" and "wishlist"
    - if you hit 'not interested', not only would it disappear immediately, it would never show up in Genius again and that flag would be used for further Genius recommendations. Genius would have a recent action list to allow you to backtrack a flag.
    - if you hit 'wishlist', the app goes into your wishlist but gets removed from Genius - you may not want to buy immediately. Again, Genius would update itself based on your wishlist.
    - as an app is removed from Genius, it pushes another app onto the end of the 10 app recommendations
    - if you open a description and hit 'back' it should maintain the list you were on. Right now it re-randomizes the list when you go back, which is a pain.

    This way, you can blast through hundreds of new apps simply by tapping two buttons and never seeing the same app twice. As an added bonus, they can have a catgeory preference in your account so that it heavily favours app recommendations from certain categories.
  • Reply 15 of 15


    This new layout is horrible for search.  You can only see one result at a time which makes it near impossible to browse a large list in any reasonable amount of time. Seeing a screenshot of the app provides very little utility for me.  Also, when you tap the tile nothing happens; it only works if you tap the icon -- very poorly thought through design; atypical for Apple.  I certainly hope they fix this before release and fire any one who thought that this was a good idea.

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