AppleInsider Staff
The iOS App Store is getting its first major redesign since launching in 2008, with a fresh new look complete with user interface elements reminiscent of the Apple Music app.
The redesign is largely based around tabs like Today, Games and Apps, which offer high-level looks at popular titles and those curated by App Store editors. Similar to Apple Music, category content is presented as large cards, panes and lists.
The Today tab, for example, shows off cards for app of the day and game of the day, both hand picked by App Store editors. Separated sections provide users with curated lists for genres, as well as bonus content like videos.
A new Games tab offers users quick access to the biggest releases, curated content, videos, tips and more. Scrolling down takes users to Editors' Choice selections, charts, gameplay videos and videos featuring tips and tricks.
Similar to the Games tab, the Apps tab provides a scrollable list of the App Store's hottest apps broken down by category and genre.
Users can drill down deeper into refreshed product pages, which come with options to make in-app purchases directly from the App Store, new badges like Editors' Choice graphics, comprehensive release notes, subtitles and other enhancements.
Finally, an enhanced search tab features an all new interface and expanded results that include developers, in-app purchases, categories, editorial stories, tips and tricks, and collections.
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
4 Comments
Why are they doing this? This is HORRIBLE!
The Apple Music app is pretty ugly and fairly badly designed, why make the app store as amateurish as that?
Why does everyone forget that we had a major redesign of the App Store with the release of iOS 7? It was undeniable a major redesign and in each and every aspect so stop pretending it's the only redesign in 9 years! Apple!
I've been wanting Games seperately for almost as long as the App Store. From a developer's POV, they're all apps built with essentially the same tools, but from a consumer's POV, games are not apps, they're games. When searching for apps or looking at lists like Top Charts, Paid, Free, Top Grossing etc. or doing a search, all kinds of games would overwhelm and skew results with clutter.
I've got nothing against games, I have a few and tried many more, but they're not just another category of apps and it will be nice to get them out of the way and have dedicated lists by purpose, either business or pleasure. And for those looking specifically for top games or the latest craze, I'm sure they'll be happy too as will the developers I would imagine.
It's about time Apple took notice of their App Store. The Featured page is cluttered filled with up, down, and side swiping apps. The Top Charts and Categories pages shows basically the same top apps. A page dedicated to recently released apps would be nice to see.