Apple denies WSJ’s report accusing it of giving its own apps preferential treatment in App Store search results

Piggy-backing on recent complaints accusing Apple’s application bazaar of anticompetitive practices, the Wall Street Journal today alleged that the Cupertino tech giant consistently ranks its ain apps to a higher house those from rivals inward App Store search lawsuit rankings inward an assay to thwart competition. Apple’s denied the report, arguing that all App Store apps are algorithmically ranked based on auto learning, past times consumer preferences together with other signals.

The story alleges:

The company’s apps ranked start out inward to a greater extent than than threescore per centum of basic searches, such every bit for ‘maps,’ the analysis showed. Apple apps that generate revenue through subscriptions or sales, similar Music or Books, showed upward start out inward 95 per centum of searches related to those apps. Apple tells developers that downloads, user reviews together with ratings are factors that influence search results. Yet to a greater extent than than 2 dozen of Apple’s apps come upward pre-installed on iPhones together with are shielded from reviews together with ratings.

Aside from “music” together with “maps”, searches for “audiobooks” together with other categories likewise rank Apple apps first, the study adds.

The WSJ tested nigh xl of Apple’s apps, looking at how they ranked inward App Store based on statistics provided past times App Annie, a third-party analytics firm. Author Tripp Mickle says he used half dozen iPhones (three were personalized together with iii were unattached to a specific owner) to acquit nigh 600 searches amongst pop keywords for each app category to run into if an Apple app surfaced first. Searches excluded Apple apps that weren’t discoverable inward the App Store such every bit Safari, every bit good every bit apps specific to Apple products such every bit Apple Support.

Apple’s apps that generate sales for the fellowship appear to a greater extent than oft at No. 1 than its productivity together with utility apps, the Journal establish inward its tests conducted inward mid-June. For example, searches for keywords inward categories related to the Apple TV app—’videos, ‘TV’ together with ‘movies’—were led past times both Apple TV together with iTunes Store, apps that offering subscriptions together with sales of video content.

The analysis relied on price from AppTweak, which suggests keywords to aid developers optimize their search results. In the map category, WSJ tested “maps”, “directions” together with “navigation”.

Many mutual searches yielded multiple Apple apps to a higher house competitors. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 search for ‘maps’ offered Apple’s Maps first, followed past times 2 other Apple apps: Find My iPhone together with Indoor Survey. The to a greater extent than widely used Google Maps came upward 4th amongst to a greater extent than than 2 1 K 1000 reviews together with a 4.7 rating. It was followed past times Google’s Waze, which had to a greater extent than than 1 1 K 1000 reviews together with a 4.8 rating. Apple’s Maps likewise came upward start out inward searches for ‘navigation’ together with ‘directions.’

Indoor Survey, used past times businesses to map an indoor space, was the alone Apple app of the iii amongst a rating—seven reviews for a 3.9 rating.

A fellowship spokesman said Apple oft surfaces apps associated amongst 1 developer inward bundles. Because this appeared to endure disfavoring others, Apple said it is no longer applying this technique to its ain apps. The fellowship began phasing out this exercise a yr ago, a spokesman said.

Apple’s apps didn’t e'er exhibit upward start out inward searches.

In a search for ‘spreadsheet’, Google Sheets came upward first, patch Apple’s competitor, Numbers, appeared eighth. Its pre-installed Reminders app didn’t exhibit upward inward the plough over off 10 for searches for ‘to do lis’ or ‘to do’.

Non-discoverable Apple apps on App Store, similar Camera together with Safari, were excluded from the report. Some apps tied to Apple’s operations, such every bit Apple Support together with Apple Events, were likewise excluded. You should accept the results amongst a pinch of tabular array salt because App Annie tin alone collect information from third-party iOS apps which role its analytics platfor.

The iPhone maker explained it conducted its ain tests inward reply to the Journal’s questions. Some searches yielded dissimilar results inward which their apps didn’t rank first, a spokesman said. The Cupertino tech giant says most App Store searches are for exact app titles together with that it is built to create those results. Here’s the total tilt from Apple, inward which it basically argues that the App Store ranking algorithm doesn’t give ain products an advantage.

Apple customers receive got a really rigid connector to our products together with many of them role search every bit a agency to uncovering together with opened upward their apps. This client usage is the ground Apple has rigid rankings inward search, together with it’s the same ground Uber, Microsoft together with and thence many others oft receive got high rankings every bit well.

App Store search lawsuit rankings tin brand or interruption an app:

Audiobooks.com, an RBmedia company, largely held the No. 1 ranking inward ‘audiobooks’ searches inward the App Store for nearly 2 years. Then final September it was unseated past times Apple Books. The Apple app had alone lately begun marketing audiobooks straight for the start out time.

‘It was literally overnight,’ said Ian Small, Audiobooks.com’s full general manager. He said the modify triggered a 25 per centum spend upward inward Audiobooks.com’s daily app downloads. The app at the fourth dimension had 35,000 client reviews together with a 4.8 on the App Store’s 5-star ranking. The preinstalled Apple Books app, amongst no reviews or ratings, has since ranked No. 1 inward searches for ‘audiobooks’” It likewise ranks start out inward searches for ‘books’ together with ‘reader.’

Apple’s response:

Apple says the No. 1 topographic point for Books inward a ‘books’ search is reasonable, since it is an exact cite match. The app was likewise start out for ‘audiobooks’ because of ‘user conduct data’ together with the inclusion of ‘audiobooks’ every bit a keyword associated amongst the app, a spokesman said.

But how does the ranking algorithm work?

WSJ explains:

Apple says it uses 42 factors to create upward one's quest heed where apps rank inward search only keeps the formula hugger-mugger to maintain a grade playing land for developers together with forestall the manipulation of results. The iv factors that most influence the rankings are downloads, ratings, relevance together with user conduct according to the company.

The algorithm industrial plant the same for all apps, including Apple’s own.

And every bit an Apple spokesman clarified inward a tilt to the paper, user conduct includes the amount of times users pick out an app later a query together with likewise download it. Curiously, the Cupertino fellowship says App Store searches atomic number 82 to 65 per centum of all app downloads.

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