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App Analytics in App Store Connect helps you see how people discover and engage with your apps. You can now view information about your in-app events, including event page views, reminder and notification data, and the number of downloads and redownloads that were driven by your in-app events. Each metric can be viewed by territory, source type, device, and more, so you can understand how your in-app events are influencing your apps’ growth and success.
Maps Web Snapshots let you visually share important points of interest and details including business locations, geographic boundaries, and routes — simply by loading a URL. Snapshots work well when you’d like to replace a static image on your website, within an email, or in another location where JavaScript isn’t available and you don’t have need for a fully interactive map.
You’ve probably seen Maps Web Snapshots in action if you’ve used DuckDuckGo as your search engine.
To function, a Snapshot URL requires basic account information — including your Team ID and a Key ID you’ll create specifically for accessing Apple Maps — along with a physical location to center the map. You’ll also append a signature to ensure that the map request isn’t altered anywhere between your server and Apple Maps.
https://snapshot.apple-mapkit.com/api/v1/snapshot?center=[location name or coordinates]&teamId=[Team ID]&keyId=[Maps Key ID]&signature=[base64_url_encoded_signature]The center point of a map is the only required parameter for the URL, and can be either a comma-separated latitude and longitude pair or a physical address. For example, use center="Apple Park" to request a snapshot centered on Apple Park in California.
Maps Web Snapshots can be further customized by adding query parameters to display different annotations and overlay styles, alternate map types, and a choice of light or dark color schemes to better match your embedded content.
Add map annotations To add one or more annotations, use the annotations parameter and include an array of JSON Annotation objects representing the bottom center-point of each. To place the default style, append annotations=["point":"37.33489990234375,-122.00901794433594"] to your snapshot URL.
You can additionally customize an annotation object to alter its color, style, size, or add a custom image.
Set the color scheme Using the colorScheme parameter, you can generate Maps Web Snapshots to match the content and the Appearance setting of a person’s device. For example, to fetch and display a snapshot of Apple Park when the device is set to Dark Appearance, you can append colorScheme=dark to your snapshot URL.
Choose your terrain To display a particular type of map, append the parameter with correct map value: standard, satellite, or hybrid. For example, to fetch the satellite rendition of the Apple Park map, append t=satellite to your snapshot URL.
Now that you understand the fundamentals of Maps Web Snapshots, the best way to become familiar with the full extent of capabilities is by experimenting with Snapshots Studio.
Start a snapshot To preview a snapshot, begin by selecting an address or point of interest and choose your desired image dimensions and language.
Then, click the Show Snapshot button to see the default representation of your chosen location.
To modify results, you can use the snapshot map preview to customize the default annotation, choose a map type, and set the zoom factor.
Create your own snapshots Want to build embeddable Maps Web Snapshots? You’ll want to make sure you have the appropriate credentials. If you haven’t already created a Maps ID and MapKitJS private key, here’s how to do so:
*maps.* will be prepended to the string you enter. With your Map ID created, you’ll next create your MapKitJS private key.Learn how to create an identifier for your developer account
Learn how to create and register a private key
With the above credentials ready, head back to Snapshots Studio. Enter your developer team ID, MapKitJS key information, the domain you’ll refer the Snapshot from, then press the OK button to validate your credentials.
After validation, click the Show Snapshot button one more time.
Now, your map preview image will include a URL that can be placed on your website and linked to from wherever you wish.
Explore Dynamic Snapshots While the generated Maps URL contains all the maps details you configured in Snapshots Studio, it’s actually a flexible template with customizable parameters you can adjust each time the snapshot is requested. To explore all the options you can customize, check out the Maps Web Snapshots documentation for more information.
By default, you can display up to 25,000 unique Maps Web Snapshots requests free with your Apple Developer Program membership.
To avoid accesses that count toward your service limit, we recommend retrieving, storing, then embedding the rendered image rather than serve a link that retrieves the image at display time. If you need additional capacity for your implementation, please contact Developer Relations.
Starting January 27, 2022, intermediate certificate updates will be available for the Apple Push Notification service (APNs) and Developer ID.
APNs SSL certificates will be issued from a new intermediate certificate (Worldwide Developer Relations G4 sub CA) exclusively focused on APNs. Once the new certificate is active and available for download, you’ll be able to use it to send push notifications to apps (including VoIP), complications, websites on Safari, and Apple Wallet passes.
The digital certificates you use to sign your software and installer packages on macOS will be issued from a new Developer ID Intermediate Certificate that expires on September 16, 2031. Newly issued Developer ID certificates associated with the new intermediate certificate can be used to sign software on Xcode 11.4.1 and later. If you’re running Xcode 13.2 or later, the updated certificate will download automatically when you sign software after January 28, 2022. If you’re using an earlier version of Xcode, you can download the certificate manually or create certificates compatible with previous versions of Xcode.
Your existing certificates will continue to function until expiration or revocation, whichever comes first.
Learn about Developer ID Intermediate Certificate updates
Learn about Developer Relations Intermediate Certificate updates
December 15, 2021
Swift Playgrounds is the best and easiest way to learn how to code. And with Swift Playgrounds 4, you have the tools to build iPhone and iPad apps right on iPad and submit them directly to App Store Connect, providing a new way for you to easily create apps and share them with the world. Code is immediately reflected in the live preview as you build apps, and you can run your apps full screen to test them out. A new open project format based on Swift packages can be opened and edited in Swift Playgrounds for iPad, as well as within Xcode on Mac, offering you even more versatility to develop apps across iPad and Mac.
December 13, 2021
The Apple Developer Agreement, Program License Agreement, and Schedules 1, 2, and 3 have been updated to provide clarification, and to support updated policies and upcoming features. Please review the changes below and accept the updated terms as needed.
When taxes or foreign exchange rates change, we sometimes need to update prices on the App Store in certain regions and/or adjust your proceeds.
In the next few days, prices of apps and in-app purchases (excluding auto-renewable subscriptions) on the App Store will increase in Turkey. Your proceeds will be adjusted accordingly and will be calculated based on the tax-exclusive price.
Once these changes go into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps will be updated. You can change the price of your apps and in-app purchases (including auto-renewable subscriptions) at any time in App Store Connect. If you offer subscriptions, you can choose to preserve prices for existing subscribers.
You can now take advantage of two exciting new features that help you build more effective App Store product pages.
Product page optimization. Try out alternate versions of your app’s product page with different icons, screenshots, and app previews to find out which one gets the best results. Each version is shown to a percentage of randomly selected, eligible App Store users and results appear in App Analytics, so you can set the best performing one to display to everyone on the App Store.
Custom product pages. Create additional versions of your app’s product page to highlight specific features or content, discoverable through unique URLs that you share. Custom product pages can have different screenshots, app previews, and promotional text — and are fully localizable — so you can showcase a particular sport, character, show, gameplay feature, and more.
Program members can get details and ask questions at the Tech Talks product page optimization session and custom product pages session.
Originally published December 2 on the App Store Today tab.
For over a decade, we’ve taken a moment at the end of the year to celebrate the very best apps and games on the App Store. We’ve heralded the work of individual self-taught developers as well as huge international teams.
With so many wonderful apps on the App Store, selecting just 15 award winners has been no easy task. As always, we put a focus on technical innovation, user experience, and design. Then we considered the impact these apps had on our lives.
Some helped us learn, others enhanced our work, and one even let us save the world as our favorite superheroes. It’s our honor to celebrate this year’s winners.
An interactive playground that continues to invent fun new ways for kids to explore, all while teaching self-expression and emotional growth with a refreshingly inclusive world of characters anyone can relate to.
Download Toca Life World from the App Store
A landmark MOBA that transforms one of the world’s most popular and competitive PC games into a mobile experience everyone can enjoy.
Download League of Legends: Wild Rift from the App Store
This easy-to-use video editor for both professional and aspiring creators gives you precision storytelling tools to make your feature-length films and social media videos truly cinematic.
Download LumaFusion from the App Store
A superhero brawler that makes everyone the star of their own cutting-edge superhero story, set against a backdrop of stunning graphics and exciting battles.
Download MARVEL Future Revolution from the App Store
A versatile note-taking app, word processor, and personal documents organizer all in one that makes productivity as intuitive, fun, and stylish as you are.
Download Craft from the App Store
A remake that’s the most stunning version yet of one the most fascinating worlds in gaming history.
Download Myst from the App Store
A best-in-class weather app with helpful customizations, built-in watch faces, and, of course, that satirical robot named Carrot, who laughs at us all.
Download CARROT Weather from the App Store
A streaming app that simplifies the often challenging process of watching sports live and on demand, while serving up the best local games and matches to fans around the world.
Download DAZN from the App Store
A space western with tense, tactical combat that’s even more gripping when played on the big screen.
Download Space Marshals 3 from the App Store
An epic that brings us back to the golden age of role-playing with an incredible art style and a fantastic soundtrack.
Download Fantasian from the App Store
Among Us! Connecting friends (and impostors!) all over the world through a wildly popular social game of whodunit.
Download Among Us! from the App Store
Canva Connecting us to our own entrepreneurial spirit with collaborative design tools and thousands of templates to make everything from your résumé to social media posts sparkle.
Download Canva from the App Store
Peanut Connecting women experiencing life milestones—from pregnancy to menopause and every moment in between.
Download Peanut from the App Store
Bumble Connecting users to social hubs for making friends, professional networking, and, of course, finding someone special, and it all grew from a women-powered shift in the dating dynamic.
Download Bumble from the App Store
EatOkra Connecting communities to Black-owned restaurants and food services with an innovative online marketplace, creating an invaluable guide to cities across the U.S.
December 2, 2021
Every year, the App Store celebrates exceptional apps that improve people’s lives while showcasing the highest levels of technical innovation, user experience, design, and positive cultural impact. Join us in celebrating the work of outstanding developers from around the world.
Ariel Vardi’s road to launching Facer started a long way away. Mars, specifically.
In 2015 he released the official Apple Watch game The Martian, based on the film starring Matt Damon. “You played directly from your wrist, interacting in real time with Damon’s character,” says Vardi.
His game studio, Little Labs, started by developing watch games before moving over to Vardi’s other Apple Watch interest: design. Facer is now among the world’s largest open marketplaces for watch-face creators, with more than 30,000 of them sharing their wares — joined by traditional watch brands like Mr. Jones, AVI-8, and Maurice Lacroix.
We spoke to Vardi from his L.A. home base to talk about bringing watch design to everyone and how to tell if an idea is truly original.
With *Facer*, your watch face is a blank slate — one that can be designed any way you like.
Who is Facer for?
Facer was always intended to be an open marketplace; we would make tools to allow non-devs to create watch faces without writing a single line of code. Anyone with a bit of design sense can create a watch face in literally 30 seconds. The bulk of faces today are coming from indie designers. But fairly early on we partnered with brands like Star Trek, Tetris, and Garfield.
What has this meant for the watch-design community?
The traditional watch world has always been very closed. There’s a group, mostly coming out of Switzerland and a few other parts of the world, that have historically had the privilege to design watches. A lot of people have dreamed of designing watches themselves but couldn’t. The smartwatch and watch-face worlds have opened up that opportunity.
How do you handle customer feedback for a community of Facer’s size?
We don’t have a separate customer support team. I’m part of the customer support team! But we do have around a hundred designers in the watch-face community we chat with every day. If something’s broken, someone will hear about it.
What’s your approach to creating new features?
We try to resist the inclination to start building because something feels cool. What feels cool to an engineer is not necessarily what feels cool to regular users, and those are the people you’re building apps for. For any new product or feature, we sit down, write out what it is, and come up with proof for why it’s going to succeed.
What advice do you have for developers who are just starting out?
If a product makes sense to you, you’ve probably already got competitors. Smart people tend to have the same ideas; if you’re really the first, there’s a good chance you don’t have the right one. So think hard about what makes you truly different. It’s easy to say, “Oh, my product is going to be better,” but you need to find that specific differentiating point. If you’re not confident about it, think some more or find another idea.