Admiral Media finds top App Store apps underuse video, events and localization

Admiral Media analyzed 1,000 top U.S. App Store listings and found that while most are updated and highly rated, many still leave discovery features unused. The study points to missed opportunities in preview video, In-App Events, title length and localization as Apple pushes more ways for apps to stand out.

Why it matters: - Top App Store apps are getting the basics right, but many are still not using Apple’s discovery tools. - That leaves visibility and conversion opportunities on the table at a time when App Store optimization is increasingly competitive. - The findings suggest the average app outside the top chart may have even more room to improve.

What happened: - Admiral Media published State of App Store Listings 2026, an analysis of the top 50 free apps in 20 U.S. App Store categories. - The study covered 1,000 listings total and was collected on 29 September 2026. - The review used Admiral Media’s free ASO Checker to score App Store and Google Play listings. - The ASO Checker evaluates title and subtitle use, screenshots, preview video, ratings, update recency, localization and In-App Events.

The details: - 88% of the listings had been updated in the last 30 days. - 85% had a rating of 4.5 or higher. - Only 12.2% of listings had an app preview video. - Games led preview video usage at 28%, while Finance and Books were at 4%. - Only 24% of the apps ran an In-App Event. - In-App Event usage reached 52% among games. - 41.8% of listings used fewer than 22 of the 30 characters Apple allows in the app title. - 10.5% had no subtitle. - 36.1% listed only one language. - 34% of iPad-compatible apps showed no iPad screenshots. - Photo & Video had the highest median ASO Checker score at 88 out of 100. - Medical had the lowest median score at 74. - Games had the shortest titles, with a median length of 16 characters. - 42% of games repeated words between the title and subtitle.

Between the lines: - The study describes what top listings do; it does not claim any feature directly causes higher rankings. - Top-chart apps are usually larger than the typical app, so the broader market likely performs worse on these metrics. - The pattern suggests Apple’s newer listing features are still underused even by apps that already perform well.

What’s next: - Admiral Media said the full study includes category-by-category results and methodology. - The company also made the ASO Checker available for reviewing App Store and Google Play listings. - More information is available in the full study and the ASO Checker.

The bottom line: - The top App Store apps are polished, but many still ignore tools that could help them get found and chosen more often.