In-App Events for App Store Discovery: Setup and Planning

Apple says events appear:

• On your product page, which shows all currently published events.
• In search results. When a user searches for an app, the event card shows along with the app for users who have the app, and screenshots show for those who do not. Users can also search for events directly.
• In editorially curated selections and personalized recommendations on the Today, Games and Apps tabs.

Event cards also let people get a notification when the event starts, and people without your app can download it from the card.

1. Pick something that is actually an event. Apple's badges are Challenge, Competition, Live Event, Major Update, New Season and Premiere. A Major Update must go beyond minor enhancements like UI changes or bug fixes.
2. Choose the badge that fits. Match what the user does: a goal to reach is a Challenge, a ranking is a Competition.
3. Write the name and descriptions to the limits. The card shows the name and short description, and the details page adds the long description.
4. Schedule early. You can publish an event up to 14 days before its start date.
5. Promote it. Apple suggests email, advertising and social media with a link to the event details page, and says you can share events with its editors for promotional consideration.
6. Review results. Look at App Analytics after the event ends and note downloads from event cards.

A hypothetical habit tracker, Streakly, runs a seven-day challenge in January.

• Badge: Challenge.
• Name: "7-Day Streak Challenge" (22 characters of 30).
• Short description: "Keep one habit going for seven days." (36 of 50).
• Long description: "Pick one habit, check in every day for seven days, and share your finished streak with friends who join the challenge." (118 of 120).
• Duration: seven days, published 14 days early.

For a person who already has Streakly, the card appears beside the app in search. For a person who does not, the search result shows screenshots, so the first screenshots still matter; see screenshots that convert.

Seasonal events pair with a plan; see seasonal App Store keywords.

• They do not replace keyword work. The name, subtitle and keyword field remain the searchable fields Apple names.
• They are not a place for permanent features. They end, at most after 31 days.
• They are not a promotional-text substitute. Promotional text is a separate field that you can change at any time, as described in the promotional text playbook.

Add events to your release calendar next to updates, using the launch checklist. LocalASO helps with the text you write per language; see the Optimize docs.