Do i need modify availability date?

Unity Engine
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1

Hi, sorry to post this “dumb” question. But i am unsure of what to do.

My first paid game had just been approved.
The date af the apple mail is sept. 22.
My set released date was set to sept 25.

If i don’t touch anything in itunes connect :

  • Will apple use the sept. 25 date to display my game “by release date” or sept. 22?

If not : i need to set the date to sept. 22 to be in the firts pages by “release date” ins’t it?

To be clear is this trick always required? Is there any other way to really set a release date we want (not apple email date)?

2

The date when the app becomes available on the store will be the release date.

If you leave everything as it is the app wont be on sale until the 25th and that will be the release date.

3

Ideally, they match. Otherwise you have a good chance of missing the new releases list.
What I usually do is while waiting for approval set the availability day every day to the current day. If apple then approves the game, both dates match. Relying on the approval mail is not such a good idea, because you could miss it.

4

First great great thanks for being so quick to reply,

I must admit i am really nervous to make a mistake but google give nothing newer than 2009… So that’s why i decided to post. Better than wait and see :wink:

I was thinking the realese date was even going to be the “Upload Received” date from what i read on different blogs. When did this behavior changed?

Thanks very much

5

Just seen Smag message…

So you didn’t agree with JohnnyA and you are telling me to set the date to sept. 22?

I am now really lost…

6

I think i understand :

ideally the release date and availability date will match (sept. 25).

But it’s not sure so you are advicing me to set the date to sept. 22.

Do i get it?

7

Unless something changed recenlty, I recommend having the Availability date the same as the date it is actually released.
Two ways of doing that :

  • wait for their mail, and set it to that date (risky cause you can miss the mail)
  • every morning, change the availability date to the current date, until it is approved.

Google for the “app store date trick” or “itunes connect date trick” something similar.

I missed the new released list with my first game. Luckily back then you could get back into it with updates, but now you can’t do that anymore.

8

Thanks,

That’s why i posted, i wanted to know if something changed or if the trick was always required.

So JohnnyA is wrong (don’t want to hurt you JohnnyA), the real date will never match sept. 25 ? Or is it another itunes weird behavior (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work)?

9

I’m not wrong. If your availability date is after the Apple approval date your app wont be released until that date. And it will be listed in the store with the release date you set.

Smag is (as far as I can tell) talking about problems with having your availability date set before the approval date, in which case your release date as seen in the store may be before the actual release date. You could miss out on appearing at the top of the recents list.

The dates you list suggest your app was approved before the availability date you set in which case there wont be an issue.

10

I was talking about the app store “new releases” sorting entries by the oldest between the availability date and actual approval date.

So if you set your availability date before the approval date, it won’t be in the new releases, because it oldest one (the availability date) is in the past.

And if you set your availability in the futre, at that time, the oldest one (the approval date date) will be in the past too. Missed the list again.

Off course, this was several months ago, and it could have gotten better. But personally I wouldn’t take the risk :slight_smile:

11

Really confusing…

I’m really sure you are right Smag. And understand what you say.

But i decided to take the risk and let the date of 25 sept. for availability (would really like to be released on week end). And it was already to late after all.

What make me feel like JohnnyA might be right is that if you search google for “app store release trick”, there’s nothing newer than 2009… there must be something happening since 2010 maybe (or simply people didn’t feel like posting about this again is nescessary, arggghhh)…

I will tell here on 25 if all is good or not… at this moment i must really look like your wonderfull avatar Smag ;-). All this contradicting advices are making me crazy…

12

Set your Availability date the same date as soon as you get Apple approval,
if not you will miss the “New Release” :wink:

13

Smag is also right. He’s gone a level of detail deeper than I have, in that he is talking about how apps that have the same “Release Date” as visible in the app store are then sorted by approval date.

For this reason you are more likely to make the top of the list if you release your app close (same day) as the apple approval date.