Apple Tries to Fix The App Store's Biggest Problem With 'Best New Games Update'

With over one million apps available, Apple’s App Store has a problem, one that Apple is constantly trying to fix: discoverability.

In its most recent attempt to make it easy for customers to find apps they need and want, Apple released a new App Store homepage section, Friday, called “Best New Game Updates.”

This is just the latest App Store section to be added, showing Apple’s intent on finding the best way to solve the problem of categorization. In May, Apple added a section titled “Best of April,” highlighting, you guessed it, the best apps for the month of April. However, the section only existed in May, as there is no “Best of May” section for the month of June. Whether the games update best of list will stay or not is still to be determined.

Prior to this update, Apple lumped all of the updates into one section called “Best New Games.” However, separating out the updates allows for more new content to be discovered. What is still unclear however, is how the apps are chosen to be featured. In the new updates section, 19 apps are featured, most with close to 5 star ratings, which suggests that the apps are chosen by an algorithm. However, at least two apps have no ratings at all, which suggests an editor’s choice.

Apple already has an Editors’ Choice section, which features 80 hand-picked apps including games, productivity, and utilities, both paid and for free. The Editor’s Choice section has long been the best place to go to for interesting apps, new and old.

“Our editors continually sift through the latest releases and updates, recognizing the most invaluable apps and the most entertaining games as Editors’ Choice Selections,” states Apple.

While Apple is trying to make discoverability issues a thing of the past, some people still have difficulties sorting through the sections and apps available on the App Store. Last October, Apple announced a milestone for the smartphone market when it stated that it surpassed one million available apps. However, a casual glance at the App Store can leave a person feeling overwhelmed, not knowing which app is best suited for their needs. Hence Apple’s dedication to this issue.

In the end, the Best New Game Updates section may or may not last, but it shows that Apple recognizes a fundamental flaw with having the most available apps. Good content is hard to find.