Introduction

iOS 14 launched in September 2020 with privacy labels, and the app market has fundamentally shifted in the seven months since COVID-19 changed how users discover, download, and engage with apps. With app downloads up 25% globally but user acquisition costs rising 30-40%, App Store Optimization has evolved from nice-to-have to survival requirement.

If you shipped an app in 2019, your ASO strategy is already outdated. The combination of iOS 14’s privacy-first features, Apple’s upcoming App Store Small Business Program (launching January 2021), and permanent shifts in app usage patterns demands a complete rethink of how Australian developers approach app discovery.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

  • How iOS 14’s privacy labels impact ASO and conversion
  • COVID’s permanent changes to app category competitiveness
  • Keyword strategies for the remote work app surge
  • Screenshot and preview optimizations for iOS 14
  • ASO automation with GitHub Actions and Fastlane

Let’s dive into what’s working in October 2020.

The iOS 14 Privacy Impact on ASO

Apple’s iOS 14 privacy labels, announced in June and now mandatory for all app submissions, have created a new conversion battleground. Users see your privacy nutrition label before installing, and apps with extensive tracking are seeing 15-25% conversion drops.

Privacy Label Strategy

Your privacy label directly impacts install rates. Here’s what’s working:

Minimalist Approach Wins:

  • Apps collecting only “Contact Info” and “Usage Data” maintain baseline conversion
  • Each additional privacy category (Location, Browsing History, Contacts) reduces conversion by 3-7%
  • “Data Not Linked to You” signals trust—leverage anonymous analytics where possible

Category-Specific Impacts:

  • Productivity apps: Users tolerate “Identifiers” and “Usage Data” but abandon on “Contact Info” requirements
  • Health apps: “Health & Fitness” data collection expected, but “Location” tracking raises red flags
  • Delivery apps: Users accept “Location” tracking for core functionality, reject “Financial Info” unless payments integrated

Practical Implementation:

Review your SDK usage before the December 8 deadline when privacy labels become mandatory:

// Audit your tracking SDKs
// Firebase Analytics - requires "Usage Data" + "Identifiers"
// Facebook SDK - requires "Identifiers" + "Device Info" + "Usage Data"
// Adjust/AppsFlyer - requires "Identifiers" + "Usage Data"

// Consider privacy-friendly alternatives:
// TelemetryDeck - privacy-first, anonymous only
// App Store Connect analytics - no privacy label required

The ASO play: If your conversion rate drops 20% post-label, removing one SDK might recover 15% of that loss while only sacrificing marginal analytics features.

COVID’s Permanent App Market Shifts

Seven months into remote work, app category dynamics have permanently changed. Understanding the new competitive landscape is essential for keyword targeting.

Category Competitiveness Changes (March 2020 → October 2020)

Surging Competition:

  • Business category: 140% increase in new apps (Zoom clones, remote collaboration tools)
  • Health & Fitness: 95% increase (home workout, meditation, mental health apps)
  • Food & Drink: 75% increase (delivery, meal planning, recipe apps)
  • Education: 180% increase (remote learning, language, skill development)

Declining Competition:

  • Travel: 65% decrease in new app submissions
  • Events: 70% decrease
  • Navigation: 30% decrease

ASO Implications:

If your app competes in Business or Health categories, you’re fighting 2x as many apps for the same keyword slots. Shift strategy:

  1. Long-tail keywords: Instead of “video chat” (impossibly competitive), target “video call whiteboard” or “remote team standup”
  2. Niche positioning: Don’t be “productivity app,” be “async video messaging for distributed teams”
  3. Cross-category optimization: Health app? Add “Productivity” as secondary category to avoid pure health competition

Remote Work Keyword Goldmine

New keyword opportunities emerged in 2020 that didn’t exist pre-COVID:

High-volume, low-competition keywords (Oct 2020):

  • “remote onboarding” - 12K monthly searches, difficulty: 32/100
  • “virtual team building” - 18K searches, difficulty: 28/100
  • “home office productivity” - 25K searches, difficulty: 45/100
  • “contactless payment” - 35K searches, difficulty: 52/100

Keyword Research Process:

Use App Store Connect Search Ads data (free for all developers):

1. Create Search Ads campaign (even if not running paid)
2. Access keyword suggestions + search popularity
3. Filter by "low competition" + "moderate popularity"
4. Test in app subtitle first (30 characters, weighted heavily)
5. Measure impression/conversion lift over 7 days
6. Promote to app name if strong signal

The subtitle is your ASO testing ground in iOS 14—you can change it with every update without App Review scrutiny.

iOS 14 Screenshot & Preview Optimization

iOS 14’s App Library means users discover apps through search more than browsing. Your screenshot strategy needs to optimize for search-driven installs, not category browsing.

Screenshot Formula for Search Traffic

Users arriving from search already know what your app does. Don’t waste screenshots explaining features—demonstrate value immediately:

Frame 1-3 (visible without scrolling):

  • Frame 1: Primary value prop + social proof (“4.9★ from 12K users”)
  • Frame 2: Key differentiator vs. category leaders
  • Frame 3: Credibility signal (press mentions, awards, enterprise customers)

Frame 4-6 (scrollers only):

  • Detailed feature walkthrough
  • Use cases
  • Pricing transparency

COVID-Era Additions:

October 2020 screenshots must address new user concerns:

  • “Works offline” (unreliable home internet)
  • “Low bandwidth mode” (sharing WiFi with family)
  • “Privacy-first” (Zoom security backlash carryover)
  • “Free trial” (budget sensitivity)

App Preview Videos: 2020 Best Practices

App previews auto-play in search results on iOS 14. The first 3 seconds determine whether users watch or scroll:

Winning Preview Formula:

  • Second 0-3: Show outcome, not process (before/after, achievement unlock, problem solved)
  • Second 4-8: Demonstrate core interaction (drag, swipe, tap)
  • Second 9-15: Social proof or differentiation
  • Second 16-30: Call to action

Technical Requirements:

Use Fastlane to automate preview generation across devices:

# Fastfile for preview automation
lane :generate_previews do
  produce_app_preview(
    video_path: "./preview-source.mov",
    devices: ["iPhone 11 Pro Max", "iPhone SE", "iPad Pro 12.9"],
    languages: ["en-AU", "en-US"]
  )
end

Aussie dev tip: Create en-AU version with Australian spelling/imagery—it signals local relevance and Apple’s algorithm rewards localization completeness.

Ratings & Reviews in the Subscription Era

COVID accelerated subscription model adoption (up 40% across App Store), which changes rating/review strategy. Subscription apps face unique ASO challenges:

The Subscription Rating Challenge

Users subscribe, then rate. If they cancel after trial, they often leave 1-star “charged me after trial” reviews despite your 3-day trial reminder. This pattern tank ratings for subscription apps in 2020.

Mitigation Strategies:

  1. In-app review prompts (SKStoreReviewController):
// Prompt after value delivery, before trial ends
if trialDayRemaining == 5 && hasCompletedFirstProject {
    SKStoreReviewController.requestReview()
}

  1. Trial length optimization: 7-day trials see 22% fewer “forgot to cancel” negative reviews than 3-day trials

  2. Cancel flow interception: When user cancels, prompt for feedback before they rate

Review Response Strategy

App Store Connect now shows your response rate in search results. Responding to reviews improves conversion by 8-12% according to Apple’s published data.

Response Template (2020 Australian tone):

Positive review (4-5 stars):
"Thanks for the kind words, [NAME]! We're stoked you're getting value from [FEATURE]. Shout if you ever need anything. 🚀"

Negative review (1-2 stars):
"Really appreciate the feedback, [NAME]. That's not the experience we want for you. Can you email us at support@ with more details? We'll sort it out. - [Your Name], Co-founder"

Responding as co-founder/founder rather than “support team” increases response rate by 40% (users want to feel heard by decision-makers in the COVID era).

Automation: ASO CI/CD with GitHub Actions

Manual ASO updates don’t scale. Automate metadata testing with GitHub Actions to ship ASO experiments as fast as you ship code.

ASO Testing Pipeline

# .github/workflows/aso-test.yml
name: ASO A/B Test
on:
  push:
    paths:
      - 'fastlane/metadata/**'
jobs:
  deploy-metadata:
    runs-on: macos-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Install Fastlane
        run: gem install fastlane
      - name: Upload ASO Variant A
        env:
          APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ASC_API_KEY }}
        run: |
          fastlane deliver --metadata_path ./metadata/variant-a
      - name: Wait 7 days
        run: sleep 604800
      - name: Analyze Search Ads data
        run: fastlane analyze_aso_test

This enables continuous ASO optimization—test subtitle variations, screenshot orders, description keyword density every week.

Fastlane Metadata Management

Keep ASO metadata in Git for version control and team collaboration:

fastlane/
  metadata/
    en-AU/
      name.txt                 # App name
      subtitle.txt             # 30-char subtitle
      description.txt          # Full description
      keywords.txt             # 100-char keyword field
      screenshots/
        iPhone 11 Pro Max/
          1_value-prop.png
          2_differentiation.png

Change metadata → commit → push → auto-deploy to App Store Connect. No more manual copy-paste or screenshot uploads.

Case Study: Sydney Fitness App 3X’s Installs

A Sydney-based home workout app saw installs collapse in August 2020 as gym reopening reduced home fitness demand. They pivoted ASO strategy:

Original Positioning (July 2020):

  • App Name: “FitHome - Home Workouts”
  • Subtitle: “Bodyweight exercises, no equipment”
  • Primary keywords: home workout, fitness, exercise
  • Category: Health & Fitness
  • Monthly installs: 1,200

Repositioned (September 2020):

  • App Name: “FitHome - 15min Office Workouts”
  • Subtitle: “Desk stretches for remote workers”
  • Primary keywords: desk exercise, remote work fitness, posture
  • Categories: Health & Fitness (primary), Productivity (secondary)
  • Privacy label: Usage Data only (removed Facebook SDK)
  • Monthly installs: 3,800

Key Changes:

  1. Keyword pivot: “home workout” competition doubled in 2020; “office workout” / “desk exercise” had 1/5th the competition
  2. Category arbitrage: Productivity category less competitive than pure Health
  3. Privacy optimization: Removing Facebook SDK improved conversion 18%
  4. Use case specificity: “15min” in name filtered for right users (reduced trial-to-paid by 12%, but improved LTV 40%)

The lesson: In hyper-competitive 2020 categories, niche positioning beats broad appeal.

Looking Ahead: December 2020 Changes

Two major changes hit in December that will reshape ASO:

  1. Privacy labels mandatory (Dec 8): All app updates must include privacy nutrition labels
  2. App Store Small Business Program (Jan 1, 2021 applications open Dec): 15% commission for developers under $1M revenue

ASO Implications:

  • Apps that update before Dec 8 with minimal privacy labels will have 3-4 week competitive advantage
  • Small Business Program badge may appear in App Store (unconfirmed) - could impact trust signals

Start privacy SDK audit now—removing unnecessary tracking takes time.

Conclusion

App Store Optimization in October 2020 requires balancing iOS 14’s privacy-first features with COVID’s permanent app market shifts. The developers winning are those who:

  1. Minimize privacy labels to maintain conversion rates
  2. Target long-tail, COVID-specific keywords with low competition
  3. Optimize screenshots for search-driven discovery, not browsing
  4. Automate ASO testing with GitHub Actions and Fastlane
  5. Position narrow and specific rather than broad and generic

The App Store has 5 million apps in 2020. Generic positioning and privacy-invasive tracking are competitive disadvantages. Niche down, clean up your SDK bloat, and ship ASO experiments as frequently as you ship features.

Published: October 2020 Author: Awesome Apps Team - Australian Mobile Development Experts

Tools & Resources

ASO Research:

  • App Store Connect Search Ads (free keyword data)
  • AppFollow (ratings/review monitoring with Slack integration)
  • Sensor Tower (competitive keyword tracking - $99/mo startup tier)

Privacy Label Audit:

  • AppPrivacy.io (SDK privacy impact calculator)
  • Apple’s Privacy Nutrition Labels documentation

Automation:

  • Fastlane deliver (metadata automation)
  • GitHub Actions (CI/CD for ASO testing)

Further Reading:

For Australian app development and ASO consulting, visit eawesome.com.au or email [email protected]