iOS AppStore Tip : Release Date

[codepunk]

Ok, my first app finally went up on the AppStore. That's the good news. The bad news is that I wasn't quite sure how the "Release Date" field worked when submitting. I just went ahead and used the current date which was January 26th. So last night I get the email that my app is live. It took awhile for me to find it since it wasn't showing up in search right away (to be expected).

Here's the kicker...Since the release date is January 26th, it doesn't show as a new release (e.g. sort by release date and its buried). The docs say that the release date is either a) the date you enter or b) the date apple accepts it...whichever is earliest!

Therefore, I suggest you put an availability date that is 1-2 weeks past the date of your submission. If apple accepts your app before that, they will use their acceptance date.

Just thought I'd share some info (though it may have already been shared before).

P.S. Have to plug the app. It's called AnnoyEm and unlike the other "annoying sounds" app, this one has a different purpose. The sounds play at random intervals. I set the app up to play the cat sound, buried it under my bed and told the kids that I think a cat is under our bed (we don't have a cat). My oldest freaked out (scared of cats) and told me to get it out. Should have filmed it.

Here's the link: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303541996&mt=8

 

[Jeremy1026]

Ok, my first app finally went up on the AppStore. That's the good news. The bad news is that I wasn't quite sure how the "Release Date" field worked when submitting. I just went ahead and used the current date which was January 26th. So last night I get the email that my app is live. It took awhile for me to find it since it wasn't showing up in search right away (to be expected).

Here's the kicker...Since the release date is January 26th, it doesn't show as a new release (e.g. sort by release date and its buried). The docs say that the release date is either a) the date you enter or b) the date apple accepts it...whichever is earliest!

Therefore, I suggest you put an availability date that is 1-2 weeks past the date of your submission. If apple accepts your app before that, they will use their acceptance date.

Just thought I'd share some info (though it may have already been shared before).

P.S. Have to plug the app. It's called AnnoyEm and unlike the other "annoying sounds" app, this one has a different purpose. The sounds play at random intervals. I set the app up to play the cat sound, buried it under my bed and told the kids that I think a cat is under our bed (we don't have a cat). My oldest freaked out (scared of cats) and told me to get it out. Should have filmed it.

Here's the link: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303541996&mt=8

Or you can go into ITC and change the release date of the app to the current date immediately after you get the email that it is ready for sale.

 

[dejo]

Or you can go into ITC and change the release date of the app to the current date immediately after you get the email that it is ready for sale.

This approach is better, particularly if this is an upgrade to an existing app, since, for some silly reason, the availability date that you specify applies to all versions (ready for sale or in review) of that app. So, if you set the availability to some time in the future, your current version will be removed from the App Store. I learned this first hand!

Actually, there are a number of fields in the application information that are shared across versions: availability date and screenshots to name a few. So, be careful when prepping for an update!