Apple’s recipe for making successful apps

I’ve spent the better part of a decade building award-winning mobile apps for the App Store. Yet I wanted to back up my own observations with advice directly from Apple (which has documents outlining the process of creating successful apps here, here, and here). If you haven’t read the App Store guidelines, stop reading this article and read it here.

Apple does a great job communicating their guidelines in a no-nonsense, cheeky, way. Within those guidelines, and embedded within some of their other communications, are golden nuggets and sage words straight from the horse’s mouth on how to make successful apps.

If you’re looking to make a living off apps, then you should listen up. This is 2016, and there’s no room for amateurs and wantrepreneurs on the App Store. Let’s dissect some of Apple’s advice so you can make apps like a pro.

Image credit: Tumblr

Tip #1 from Apple

“We have over a million Apps in the App Store. If your App doesn’t do something useful, unique or provide some form of lasting entertainment, or if your app is plain creepy, it may not be accepted.”

Be useful. Solve a problem the user faces with a usable interface. You can be effective at this by taking a solution that exists and making it better, faster, easier, cheaper, safer or funnier. These words all describe value. Often times, a new product may be more than one of these. Consider how you’re making the someone’s life better. Rethink, refresh, redesign, and recreate things. Remix the old, and make the new.

For example, consider the podcast app Overcast. As a product, it’s certainly not the one with the most comprehensive list of features. Instead of trying to fight many battles, it enhances its odds of winning by focusing on a few. One of its unique abilities is one that helps users save time by automatically speeding up and skipping through silence in a podcast.

Considering how podcasts have been around for a decade, and how Overcast for a relatively short time, this slight additional utility still made it an extremely popular app. It does podcasting very well and improves on the experience in a specific way.

Image credit: Pinterest

Tip #2 from Apple

“Before creating your app, take a look at the apps in your category on the App Store and consider how you can provide an even better user experience.”

Make something unique. This is meant in the context of the App Store. Does what you plan to build exist already? What can you do to differentiate yourself? Do your research.

Tip #3 from Apple

Tip #4 from Apple:

Tip #5 from Apple

Closing thoughts