App Store in iOS proves to be the most important part of any iOS device. Debuting back in 2008, it has seen quite a lot of changes and there have been millions of new apps introduced for the iPhone/iPad users since then. And these apps have really covered everything from health apps to email clients. Here is our detailed guide on App Store and how things can be done inside.
Jump To Section:
- What’s The Latest In App Store?
- Why Apps Can Only Be Downloaded From App Store?
- What Kind Of Pricing Can Be Expected For Buying Apps From App Store?
- What Do You Mean By In-App Purchases?
- How To Get Updates For The Apps Downloaded From The App Store?
- Where To Find Apps Purchased And Downloaded Previously?
- Is It Possible To Share Games And Apps With Friends?
What’s The Latest In App Store?
There are quite a lot of new changes expected to hit the App Store with iOS 11 release in September. First of all, the App Store is going to get a full design overhaul. There will be more focused new tabs that will make access to different apps easier. And then there will be a Today tab in the app store that will feature the latest apps and their relevant information. Besides, it will offer you some tricks and tips to make your experience better.
So, What’s New In Terms Of Design?
Well, literally, everything is going to change in terms of design. Be it overall layout or search tab, everything has changed in the new iOS 11 app store. The new app store looks more aligned with Music and News apps that we had in iOS 10, and there are bigger bold headlines alongside heavier icons. Tabs present at screen’s bottom have also been changed. You don’t have those Categories, Top Charts and Featured tabs anymore.
The old tabs have now been replaced by Today, Apps, and Games. And, then there are Search and Updates tabs. In Today tab, you are not only able to get some new and interesting games and apps, it also gives you some interesting tips on using those apps. You can find information on how you can get through different levels of the games. This tab gets daily updates and by scroll down you can be able to check the content from previous day. There is a dedicated tab for Apps and Games now. Each tab gives you access to the latest and featured content belonging to each of these categories. There is also a top free and top paid item available in each of these tabs.
Want To Know More About Today Tab?
There are quite a few different cards in Today tab and each of these cards highlights a certain app. The landing page, however, offers more than just some fancy app as there is additional interesting content like behind-the-scenes. There are some cards in Today tab that share tips & tricks for different apps & games, lists of interesting apps and Game of the Day or App of the day.
Is There Anything Else Worth Talking About?
A thorough makeover is being given to the app pages as well. All the games and apps will come with their ranking in the Top Charts category. The age rating of the app or game will be displayed prominently on top of its page. There will be more videos on the app pages as well, giving users a better idea of exactly how a particular game or app works.
There are some improvements made to Search feature as well. Besides apps, you will also get results showing editorial stories of the store alongside tips & tricks cards.
Why Apps Can Only Be Downloaded From App Store?
There are quite a few reasons that Apple gives for confining app downloads to App Store only and security is on top of them all. When apps go through the screen process of App Store, they are checked for any kind of issues which might compromise users’ security. Besides, Apple is entitled to a major 30% cut against each sale that is made through App Store so it makes it necessary for the app developers to list their apps in App Store first before being able to let masses use them on their iOS devices.
What Kind Of Pricing Can Be Expected For Buying Apps From App Store?
There are so many apps on App Store that are available completely for free. Sometimes the apps can be downloaded for free up front and then there is a fee that you have to pay to continue using the features of the app. And, when you have to buy apps, the prices can range from a couple of dollars to around fifty dollars. The higher prices tend to be rare, however, and it’s exceedingly rare for an app to be priced above that.
Also remember that only because some app is available for free on app store does not really mean that it is not going to cost you anything. Lately, in-app purchases are getting increasingly popular and that’s especially the case with games.
What Do You Mean By In-App Purchases?
In-app purchases, as suggested by the name, are purchases made from inside the apps. For example, you may be able to download a magazine app for free initially. However, later on you will have to pay for subscribing to the magazine from inside the app with the help of iTunes payment info.
How To Get Updates For The Apps Downloaded From The App Store?
You can easily update the apps that you have downloaded from App Store. Open App Store on iPhone/iPad and tap on Updates tab. Now tap on Updates button that you can find in front of the app that you want to update. Alternately, you can also tap on Update All on top of Updates page.
Where To Find Apps Purchased And Downloaded Previously?
You can easily see the apps or games that you have purchased previously in app store. Open App Store on your iPhone and go to Update tab. Tap on Purchased on top of this page. If you are using an iPad, you can tap Purchased tab that you can find at bottom of the screen in tab row.
Is It Possible To Share Games And Apps With Friends?
Yes, you can do that anytime. Open any app or game that you like to share with your friends and tap on share button that you can find towards top right side of the screen. This will send the link to shared app to those you want.
That’s all about the app store that you need to know. Be it the older version of app store or the one that is coming with latest iOS 11, there is a whole list of features to explore and all of them are described above. If you have any further queries then you can share them in the comments section to clear any doubts.