App Store Ethics, Dark Patterns, and Rule-Breakers — Steve P. Young, App Masters

Pick a keyword with low ASO competition that nobody is paying attention to and a search popularity score of at least 30. During the initial launch phase, run a keyword install/boost campaign through a boost source: many people search that exact keyword and download the app, raising the app's relevancy for it (similar to a very aggressive exact-match Apple Search Ads campaign). Target both the one-word and two-word spellings. Stop once the app hits #1. Steve also runs small boosts on arbitrary apps as keyword research, to see whether a keyword can move with a little push. Violates store rules; Steve explicitly does not promote it.

In 2015, App Masters bought App Store reviews that included the keywords the app wanted to rank for. Stopped because Google suspends apps for it and Apple has gotten better at detecting it; Steve now tells people not to do it. Big companies still buy reviews in volume.

The App Store shows the three most 'helpful' reviews first. Pick a five-star review (ideally one containing the right keywords), then get many friends to long press (formerly 3D Touch) it and tap 'helpful', pushing it into the top three shown on the listing.

On the paywall, hide the X/close button and make it appear about five seconds later, so some users think it is a hard paywall and start a trial. Described as an 'edgy' tactic apps use.

After buying a very basic one-feature app, Steve's developer co-founder launched it with a paywall that had no X (hard paywall with a free trial). Steve opposed it but let the data decide. Organic downloads only. Apple's review later required a close button, which was added. Steve credits it to the app having one feature, so free users get the whole value. Refunds stayed low and people stayed on, though LTV and retention were not fully analysed.

A friend's highly engaged crossword app gave away one free puzzle. He A/B tested that against a hard paywall, then tested the hard paywall against a version with most content locked (users see the full catalogue but must pay to open it, as Calm does with meditations).

Instead of asking for a review after a milestone few users reach (e.g. after 10 to-dos), show the review prompt right after the first action, during the onboarding process, or right after the paywall even if the user closes it. Presented as a clean alternative to buying reviews.

Anya's panic attack app Rootd added the paywall to the onboarding flow. She kept a close button (no hard paywall) because people in a panic attack need relief before being asked to pay.

Weather Up ran Google AdSense ads, which showed slot-machine-style, gun and other offensive ads despite filtering, leading to bad reviews and support requests. The ads were pulled ahead of the 3.0 revamp. Because every app open costs money and the main value (widgets and Apple Watch complications) cannot carry ads, 3.0 moves to a hard paywall with a 7-day free trial.

Launch Center Pro shipped a big release to capitalize on the iOS home screen customization trend, but the team did not learn from what worked or keep building features to retain users.

A web ad leads to long onboarding in Safari. The paywall says the 7-day trial costs the company about $8.75-$10 and asks the user to pay the full cost, $2 or $1 via Apple Pay (card stored in Stripe). Later in onboarding, a 'start your actual subscription now' button charges the stored card immediately without another payment sheet.

For indie apps making under about $1,000/month, switch to a hard paywall. If trial starts are solid but trial-to-paid is weak, fix the in-app experience or accept it is a nice-to-have. David adds: single-digit trial-to-paid means users are forgetting to cancel and there is no product-market fit; 10-20% means people find value.

In a freemium app, optimize the main page; a simple icon change on it (details in an App Masters YouTube video) led more users to open the paywall.

To avoid paying for traffic, Steve builds new apps around organic keyword downloads: look at categories where App Masters has seen the highest conversion rates (mental health, health & fitness), build painkillers rather than vitamins, and find keywords few competitors are paying attention to.

MyFitnessPal shows a paywall when the app is launched, with an immediate close button (no delay seen). It reminds free users that a paid version exists.