I plan to submit my first iPhone game to the iPhone app store today. Like many people suggest, I want to set the “Availability Date” to a date way in the future and change it later. But there are two different opinions on what to do once the app is approved:
A: Some people say, I have to quickly change the “Availability Date” to the date the app is approved by Apple right after I get the “app approved” mail. Otherwise it won’t show up in the “New Releases” list.
B: Some people say, this is not necessary (or maybe no longer necessary). I can set the “Availability Date” to some date in the future (for example, next weekend). The app will be released on that day and will show up in the “New Releases” list on that day.
Who is right?
Changing “Availability Date” will make sure that the app is not available for sale until the date you specify, but the “New Releases” list is not driven by this date. Otherwise people could “game” the system by changing the “Availability Date” of their app to today’s date each day, and always appear on that list.
I would say that the “New Releases” list seems to be of very limited value to developers. You can be pushed off the front page within a few minutes, by which time hardly anyone will find you just by browsing for new apps. Better to have a marketing strategy in place / good keywords / app reviews etc etc.
Phil