Mobile app discovery service Appsfire is hoping its update to 4.0 will create the ultimate app discovery engine for users. It combines Appsfire’s previous discovery app with its Appsfire Deals app, which displayed apps that were free or on sale.
Apple’s iOS App Store has introduced a significant rule change: no more apps that promote third-party apps that look too much like Apple’s own App Store. But Apple may not be targeting quality app recommendation services as much as cheap knock-offs and pay-per-install marketing campaigns.
App discovery is one of the biggest challenges that faces iOS developers today. The acquisition is part of Appsfire’s mission to help developers and those in the mobile business understand the trends surrounding Apple’s gargantuan mobile app store, which now counts over 650,000 apps.
Appsfire is introducing App Scores, a new way of pinning an iPhone app’s worth to a simple number. The automated system works takes into account dozens of signals and comes up with a number from 1-100 that should help inform people’s download decisions
Apple acquired app discovery service Chomp earlier this year, betting that it would help make app discovery easier and better on its iTunes Appstore. The casualty of that acquisition is the Chomp for Android (search and) app which seems to have been discontinued.
Mobile advertising is a different beast than any advertising that came before, and the opportunities to measure engagement and even conversion may also influence advertising elsewhere.
With Apple App Store hitting the half billion mark and Android Market poised to overtake it later this year, it’s a busy time to be in the app discovery business. Appsfire, a France-based startup is reaping the benefits, scoring $3.6 million in Series A funding.
The Android Market will soon let developers offer video demonstrations of their software, helping consumers better understand what they’re buying before they actually purchase an app. AppsFire, a third-party Android software discovery app, has already integrated the video functions, which could help sell more apps.
Appsfire, a popular app discovery tool, just got updated to version 2.0 on Android, delivering its handy Appstream tool to Android devices. The move follows announced improvements late Friday to Android Market, which should also help some of the discovery issues for Android users.