Guide · 9 min read
Get Featured on the App Store: What Apple's Editorial Team Actually Looks For (2026)
An App Store editorial feature is the highest-leverage, zero-cost distribution event available to indie developers — and fewer than one in twenty apps has ever been nominated. Apple's editorial team hand-selects apps for the Today tab, App of the Day, Editors' Choice, and Category pages based on a publicly listed set of criteria most developers never read. The nomination tool lives inside App Store Connect. Here's what it asks for, when to submit, and what the featured apps consistently have that the skipped ones don't.
Featuring Nominations in App Store Connect: where to submit and how far in advance
The nomination form lives in App Store Connect under the "Featuring Nominations" section on the main dashboard — Apple provides it to any registered developer, and there's no minimum download threshold or fee to use it. The form asks for details about the feature opportunity you're targeting, a description of what makes your app compelling at this specific moment, and any planned updates or launches tied to your submission. Most indie developers either don't know the form exists or assume it's only for major studios. It isn't.
Apple recommends submitting nominations up to three months in advance for major windows and sets a minimum of two weeks' notice. Earlier is always better: editors plan their editorial calendars the same way a magazine does, filling feature placements weeks or months out. A nomination submitted two weeks before a major holiday lands in a queue that's likely already closed. Submit in October for January, April for back-to-school, June for the September iOS release window, and August through September for the Holiday season.
Most nominations receive no reply — that is the default, not a rejection signal. If your app is under consideration, Apple contacts the Admin, App Manager, or Marketing-role user on your App Store Connect account by email and requests promotional assets. That email window is typically short. Having your assets prepared before you submit means you can respond in hours rather than scrambling when the opportunity has a deadline.
Apple's 7 editorial criteria — stated publicly, rarely optimized for
Apple publishes its featuring criteria at developer.apple.com/app-store/getting-featured/ — a page that exists in plain sight but is largely unread. The criteria are: user experience quality, UI design, innovation, uniqueness within the app's category, accessibility, localization, and App Store product page quality (screenshots, preview videos, descriptions, ratings, and reviews). For games, the list adds gameplay, art direction, story, controls, audio design, technical performance, and value for money.
Every item on that list is auditable before you submit a nomination. Each one is also the reason a nomination gets passed over silently: an app with excellent UI design but no localization and broken VoiceOver navigation fails criteria 5 and 6 while nailing criteria 1 and 2. Editors' Choice selections are curated per storefront, so the same app might feature in Germany's App Store without featuring in the US — localization into the markets you're targeting is both a criterion and a prerequisite. The two criteria most indie apps under-invest in are accessibility and localization, and both are fixable in a single focused sprint before submitting.
The story hook — editorial features require a compelling "why now"
Apple's editorial team is producing content for a publishing channel, not operating an automated ranking system. The Today tab is designed to feel like editorial curation — a human recommendation — which means editors need something to write: a story, a hook, a reason this specific app deserves the spotlight at this specific moment rather than any other. An app with no "why now" angle is harder to feature even if the design is excellent.
The hook can take several forms: a major version release adding a significant new capability, a seasonal tie-in (a focus app in January, a filing app at tax season), a human interest angle about the founder or user community, or a direct connection to a recent Apple platform release your app demonstrates well. Write your nomination as if pitching a magazine story. One clear hook in the first sentence. A one-paragraph app description that could appear verbatim on a Today tab card. A precise statement of the user problem and how your app solves it in a way that's specific and resonant — not "productivity app for busy professionals" but something an editor can picture publishing.
Generic nominations produce no editorial interest. Specific ones give editors something to publish. The difference between a nomination that gets read and one that gets archived is almost always whether the developer gave the editor a story or gave them a feature list.
Product page quality: the baseline bar your listing must clear before story matters
Even the most compelling story pitch gets passed over if the product page doesn't match editorial standards. Screenshots are the primary checkpoint: App Store editors will not feature an app with low-effort, unframed, or illegible screenshots — the product page is where Today tab readers land after seeing the story, and a weak listing wastes the editorial investment Apple just made promoting your app. Strong screenshots for a featuring nominee show outcome-first composition, overlay headlines legible at thumbnail size, and consistent visual design across all five to seven frames. The app store screenshot sizes guide covers required dimensions for every iOS device, and the screenshot formula walks through the frame order and caption structure that converts editorial traffic — which is colder than search traffic and needs screenshots to carry more persuasion weight.
Review count also matters in practice. Apple doesn't publish a minimum review threshold, but apps that reach Editors' Choice or App of the Day consistently have enough reviews to read as validated by real users. An app with very few reviews — regardless of their quality — presents a product page that doesn't match the scale of an editorial placement. Building your review count before submitting a nomination is part of the preparation. The review response strategy guide covers the approaches that generate reviews at higher rates without violating App Store guidelines.
Accessibility compliance: the criterion that quietly disqualifies most apps
Accessibility is the single criterion on Apple's list that most indie apps fail without knowing it — and it's the one Apple's editorial team cares about for reputational reasons. A featured app with broken VoiceOver navigation generates immediate support complaints and damages Apple's editorial brand. The baseline is testable in under an hour: enable VoiceOver in iOS Settings and navigate your app's core user flow using only screen reader gestures. Every interactive element should have a meaningful accessibility label. Dynamic Type should scale text at all sizes without truncation or layout breakage. Tap targets should be at least 44×44 points.
Color contrast is auditable in Xcode's Accessibility Inspector — the minimum is a 4.5:1 ratio for standard text under WCAG AA. Localization, the adjacent criterion, connects to your subtitle and keyword metadata strategy; the subtitle vs. promotional text guide covers how to use each localized field to maximum effect. Your icon also factors in: iOS 26's Liquid Glass rendering means icons are reviewed in dark and tinted modes alongside standard mode during editorial evaluation. Audit your icon across all three render modes before submitting — the animated app icons guide covers how iOS 26 handles icon asset rendering, and app icon sizes lists the export dimensions for every storefront variant.
Seasonal windows and Apple event timing: when editorial slots are actively being filled
Apple's editorial calendar maps to consumer moments. Five recurring windows see the highest Today tab and Category page activity: New Year (January — submit in October), Valentine's Day (February — submit in December), Back to School (August — submit in April), iPhone and iOS launch season (September — submit in June), and the Holiday season (November through December — submit in August or September). Submit your nomination for a specific window 8–12 weeks before it opens. A general "please feature my app" nomination with no timing rationale is harder to act on than one with a clear seasonal hook.
Beyond seasonal windows, Apple features apps around product launches and platform events. When Apple ships a significant hardware release or iOS update, the editorial team actively looks for apps that demonstrate the new capability with quality. An app that ships a substantive update around a platform launch — Live Activities on a new device, a Liquid Glass redesign, a new HealthKit integration on watchOS — enters consideration for a feature that's otherwise unavailable to it. This is a product strategy decision as much as a marketing one: a major release in October competes with a smaller nomination pool than one in March, and aligns with the peak editorial activity that precedes the holiday season.
Preparing your promotional asset pack before the editor's interest email arrives
When Apple editors shortlist a nomination, the interest email requests promotional assets on a short timeline. The faster you respond with publish-ready materials, the more likely the feature slot holds. Waiting until the email arrives to assemble assets regularly costs developers the opportunity. Prepare the pack before you submit: device-framed screenshots at every required size (the full dimension list is at the screenshot sizes reference), a 30-second app preview video if you have one, a Today tab story paragraph written in second person from the user's perspective (200–300 words, "This app does X when you need Y"), a one-paragraph developer bio that's human and specific rather than corporate, and three to five high-resolution UI screenshots an editor can use for banner artwork. Store these in a shared folder you can link immediately. Use the AppsTemple editor to generate device-framed screenshots at exact Apple-required sizes — the same assets serve both your product page and your asset pack.
One detail that surfaces in editorial communications: editors often request an updated preview video that reflects the most recent UI, not a video recorded at launch. If your preview video shows a version of the app that's more than one major release old, record a fresh one before submitting your nomination. A 30-second screen recording with minimal voiceover is sufficient — accuracy matters more than production value. An asset pack that's current the moment you submit is a competitive signal in itself: it tells the editor your app is actively maintained and launch-ready.
Ship the product page before you pitch the feature
Every item on Apple's editorial criteria list is auditable, fixable, and checkable before your nomination lands. The common failure mode isn't a bad pitch — it's a product page that doesn't support the pitch. Editorial traffic lands on your screenshots, description, and ratings, and a weak listing wastes the install surge a feature would have delivered.
Before you nominate, view your listing with fresh eyes and ask: would an Apple editor be proud to send App Store users here? If the screenshots need work, fix them first. AppsTemple's editor generates device-framed screenshots at every required size with one export step — the same output that strengthens your product page doubles as the asset pack an editor will request.
Build your App Store screenshots →
Frequently asked questions
how do i submit my app to be featured on the app store
Log into App Store Connect and look for the Featuring Nominations section on the main dashboard. Fill out the nomination form with your app's story, the feature opportunity you're targeting (Today tab, App of the Day, a seasonal category feature), and any planned updates or launches tied to your submission. Apple recommends submitting up to three months in advance for major windows. There's no fee and no minimum download requirement.
what does apple look for when featuring apps on the app store
Apple's developer page lists these criteria: user experience quality, UI design, innovation, uniqueness within the app's category, accessibility compliance, localization, and App Store product page quality including screenshots, preview videos, descriptions, ratings, and reviews. For games, criteria also include gameplay, art, story, controls, audio, and value for money. In practice, Apple also looks for a timely story hook — a major update, seasonal tie-in, or connection to a recent platform release that gives editors something to publish.
how long does app store editorial featuring review take
Apple doesn't publish a review timeline. For nominations submitted 8–12 weeks before the target window, the review happens silently — no reply means no selection. An email requesting promotional assets means you're under active consideration. Silence is the normal outcome, not a signal you've been rejected permanently. You can and should nominate your app multiple times across different seasonal windows.
what is app of the day on the app store
App of the Day is a Today tab editorial feature Apple runs daily, spotlighting a single non-game app. The feature includes a written story about the app, large promotional imagery, and prominent placement at the top of the Today tab. All apps — including solo indie developers' apps — are eligible. Apple's editorial team selects it manually, not algorithmically, and Featuring Nominations in App Store Connect is how developers enter consideration.
does my app need a certain number of reviews to get featured on the app store
Apple publishes no minimum review count. In practice, apps that reach Editors' Choice or App of the Day consistently have a meaningful review base — not necessarily thousands, but enough that the product page reads as validated by real users. Apps with very few reviews present a product page that doesn't match the scale of an editorial placement. Build your review count before submitting; a strong review base strengthens the product page quality criterion Apple explicitly evaluates.