Apple is likely testing a new tag feature that will help refine results in popular app categories on the App Store. As per reports, some iPhone users in recent weeks have noticed tags in the App Store while searching for popular terms like “photos” or “adventure games.” Following the search, it popped up additional tags.
Tapping on these tags curates and focuses the search results accordingly. As per the AppleInsider report, users can add a second tag can that further narrows down the results. For instance, if a user looks for “photos” and then taps “collage, the search results will be narrowed down to apps that enable making photo collages.
It isn’t clear when the tag feature first landed, but the report notes that it’s seemingly a recent addition. At present, the tags are said to be appearing only for users in the US. Most users witnessed the feature on iOS 14.5 beta, however, few claimed to have seen it in iOS 14.4.2 as well. Reports speculate that it could be a ‘server-side’ change and might be eventually be released on several iOS versions
While running the test individually, AppleInsider cited to have noticed the feature only on devices running iOS 14.5 beta version that too occasionally.
Apple’s website notes that at least 70 percent of App Store users use the search capabilities to find apps and 65 percent of downloads occur directly after a search. The new tag feature should make it easier for users to find specific types of apps. To recall, Apple brought Search Ads in 2016 that allowed developers to pay the Cupertino tech giant to have their app listing shown at the top of the search results depending on the app’s relevance. As for the iOS 14.5 stable version, the company earlier said that the software update will be rolled out in early spring. While early spring has passed, CEO Tim Cook in a recent interview mentioned the update release is just a few weeks away.
