Key points:
- Sensor Tower data, reported by TechCrunch in 2017, found download boosts up to 1,747% for App of the Day and 792% for Game of the Day. Big numbers, from vendor data relayed through journalism.
- A separate 2018 report found similarly large numbers again. Around 800% for both categories. A repeated pattern, not a one-off spike.
- Neither report measures what happens after the feature ends. A short-term spike and a lasting rank lift are two different questions.
- Apple doesn’t publish how it picks featured apps. Treat any specific formula you read elsewhere as a guess, not a confirmed method.
Getting featured by Apple sounds like the biggest possible ASO win available. The real, reported numbers back that up for the short term. Whether that turns into something lasting is a separate, much less certain question worth asking honestly.
The real, reported short-term numbers
TechCrunch reported Sensor Tower data back in 2017 showing a real, sizable effect. Download boosts up to 1,747% for App of the Day. Up to 792% for Game of the Day. Huge numbers. Worth treating as vendor data passed through journalism, not something Apple itself has published or confirmed directly.
A second report, from 2018, found the pattern held up again. Around 800% boosts for both categories, in a separate measurement. Two independent reports pointing the same direction is a stronger signal than just one. It’s still vendor data. Not Apple’s own confirmed figures.
What the spike doesn’t tell you
Here’s the real gap. Both reports measure downloads during the feature window itself. Neither one tracks what happens after the feature ends. Does your rank settle back down right away? Does some of the lift stick around, if the new users actually stay and keep using the app? The spike numbers alone can’t answer that. A short burst of downloads and a lasting rank improvement are genuinely different things, even though they get talked about as if they’re the same win.
| Question | What’s actually known |
|---|---|
| Is there a real, reported download spike from featuring? | Yes, per Sensor Tower data via TechCrunch |
| Is the spike size consistent across reports? | Roughly, two reports show similarly huge numbers |
| Does a spike guarantee a lasting rank lift? | Not shown by either report |
| Does Apple publish its featuring selection process? | No, not in any detail found |
Why the distinction actually matters for your strategy
If your app gets featured, celebrate the real spike. It’s genuinely reported and genuinely large. Don’t assume the win is permanent without checking. The users who show up during a feature are often curious first-time visitors, not necessarily your best long-term fit. Whether your rank holds after the spike fades depends on whether those new users stick, which is a retention question, not a featuring question.
Real-world scenario: A drawing app got featured as App of the Day for a week. Downloads jumped dramatically during that window, roughly matching the scale of numbers reported for other featured apps. The team watched their category rank closely for the month after the feature ended. Rank rose sharply during the feature, then drifted back down over the following three weeks, though it settled somewhat higher than before the feature started. Their own read was that some of the new users stuck around and kept the app active enough to hold a modest, lasting gain. Not the full spike. A real, smaller, durable win underneath it.
What to actually do if you get featured
- Treat the spike itself as real and worth celebrating. The reported numbers are large and repeated across independent reports.
- Don’t assume the lift is permanent. Track your rank for weeks after the feature ends, not just during it.
- Focus on retention for the users who arrive during the feature. That’s what decides whether any of the gain sticks.
- Don’t chase a specific “how to get featured” formula. Apple hasn’t published one, so treat any claimed method with real doubt.
AppRankr’s Rank Tracker tracks your daily rank before, during, and after a feature, so you can see your own real, lasting effect instead of guessing from someone else’s reported numbers.