In June this year, Apple announced iOS 15, the latest version of their software. Due to launch this fall, iOS 15 continues Apple’s journey to providing users with more transparency and control over their data. In recent years marketers have seen this steady shift towards user-centric updates, however, this announcement may be one of the most significant yet. These changes, due to launch sometime this month, couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for marketers as they shift their focus to personalized experiences. However, Apple’s latest announcement will force marketers to find new ways of engaging with existing customers or finding new ones.
While there’s been a big focus on the impact of these updates on email marketing, iOS 15 will also have a huge impact on mobile app marketers and how they engage with their users.
What’s changing?
App-store
The changes brought about by iOS 15 will seriously up the game for app store listings and will unlock new ways for you to engage with and acquire potential users.
Product page optimization
The introduction of this latest feature will enable you to better understand what works when it comes to your product pages, and more importantly, what doesn’t. Product page optimization will unlock new capabilities, giving you the chance to A/B test your pages by changing screenshots, icons, or features to see which performs better (up to three variations). The benefits of this could be huge for you, especially as this gives you greater ability to target specific geographic locations, improving your ability to better understand the differences in your users’ behaviors.
Product page customization
Perhaps one of the most exciting features of the announcement, Custom Product Pages will allow you to create up to 35 versions of their product page on the app store. You will now have complete control over each page and can change the text, images, and videos as well as being able to drive audiences to unique URLs.
Considering the growing importance of personalization to users, this feature is a game-changer for you as it unlocks new possibilities to personalize pages for specific audience segments, thus has the potential to significantly increase downloads and drive conversions.
With both features comes the ability to track an apps performance in App Analytics, giving you granular insight into how the page variations are performing and how you can better optimize them to suit your target audience.
App notifications
Every smartphone user receives notifications on a daily basis, whether that be a message from a family member, a new follower on their social platform, or a promotional offer from their favorite store. While notifications are useful, they can also be distracting, as users fail to ignore the temptation of opening the notification instantly.
In addition to user privacy, user’s digital health is also a key part of iOS 15, meaning there have been some changes to the way notifications are delivered and displayed.
Focus mode
Focus Mode is a new feature in iOS 15 that allows users to choose how, when, and how many notifications they want to receive. Focus mode aims to reduce distraction and will use on-device machine learning to determine users’ activities, including working, sleeping, exercising, or driving. Users will also be able to create custom focus modes, selecting which apps or people can break through this invisible barrier.
While iOS 15 will not default to Focus mode, this is a huge change. If a user switches to Focus mode, all non-urgent notifications and messages will be collected and sent in what Apple are calling a ‘notification summary’.
Notification summary
With notification summary, notifications delivered from certain people or apps will appear in a list style format, which will be determined by Apple’s machine learning algorithm, as opposed to chronologically. These notifications will only be delivered at certain times of the day rather than instantly.
As an app marketer, this algorithm will be key as it prioritizes media and relevancy to the user, including app usage and behavior patterns. In an ideal world, a user won’t add your app to the ‘do not disturb’ list, however, if they do, you need to make sure the message you’re delivering via push notification is relevant to them to increase your chances of appearing at the top of the summary.
App privacy report
Placing greater emphasis on data privacy, the app privacy report allows Apple users to see exactly how, when, and how often apps are leveraging their permissions. This opt-in feature gives users a much fuller and clearer picture into how their data is being used, including camera, microphone, photo, contacts, etc.
For transparent marketers, this feature isn’t something to fear, in fact, it might even help you build trust with your users. However, if you’re not clearly communicating how and why you’re using a user’s permissions, this feature will unveil your bad practices and potentially damage your relationship with your users.
How do I prepare for these changes?
For all mobile app marketers, retaining visibility and increasing relevancy is key. As the landscape becomes increasingly user-focused, you will need to be more sophisticated than ever.
A mobile app marketing and analytics software, such as Upland Localytics, can help you overcome the obstacles caused by iOS 15. Our software enables app marketers to create personalized app experiences that drive engagement, loyalty, and conversion.
Our mobile app analytics gives you a deeper understanding of your users so you can deliver the experiences they value. This understanding drives personalized experiences by utilizing the profile, behavioral, and historical data to deliver the next best action.
As the way delivery and display of notifications changes, you can expect in-app messaging to play a vital role in app-user communication. With Upland Localytics you can engage with your users across a variety of channels, including app and web-push, in-app messages, and app inbox, increasing your ability to engage with users while they are using your app.
If you’re worried about how iOS 15 will impact your mobile app marketing or need help adapting your strategy to react to the updates, request a personalized demo today to speak to a member of our team.