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On Android Market i.e. GooglePlay, there used to be a page with the latest new games. So every game had a chance to get noticed and make its way up especially if it was good.

But now I see "top new free" page and no more the latest apps. I don't understand how can be "top new" Anybody knows how this works?

If there are no more pages with the very latest uploaded games then the new apps will be barely seen to exist even if they are excellent, and new programmers have very little chance of getting noticed. Any good advice how to promote a new Android app these days?

Lumis
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  • Things with good rating/high amount of downloads added in the last few days I would guess. – API-Beast Oct 01 '12 at 19:23
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    -1 Not constructive and appears to be a disguised rant about Google's new Play store setup. – House Oct 01 '12 at 21:24
  • I am surprised by a lack of competence and impatience in the responses to this post. It is like people are afraid to question the established order, even though such questioning in a public space could bring change and improvement in GooglePlay or any other area, therefore it is essentially constructive. How else things can get improved? – Lumis Oct 01 '12 at 23:47
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    @Lumis Dude, this isn't the place to try to transform Google Play and have discussions and question the established order. It's a place to ask a practical and answerable question based on a problem you face (as the FAQ puts it) and get an answer, full stop. We're not against you doing that, we're just against you doing that here where it isn't the site's purpose. – doppelgreener Oct 02 '12 at 00:01
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    @Lumis You should probably read the FAQ's section on What kind of questions should I not ask here? One of the things it says is this: If your motivation for asking the question is “I would like to participate in a discussion about ______”, then you should not be asking here. However, if your motivation is “I would like others to explain ______ to me”, then you are probably OK. (Discussions are of course welcome in our real time web chat.) – doppelgreener Oct 02 '12 at 00:40

2 Answers2

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From their help page:

Top New Free: popular free apps less than 30 days old

The second part of your question is off topic. See this question for an answer.

If you wanted to know how a new app can become popular if there's no longer just a "new" list, the answer is simple. The app developer cannot rely solely on the app store for getting recognized. Have friends, family and fans rate your app when it is released. Announce the release of your game on your blog, Twitter and Facebook. Embrace social media to get the word about your game out there. Do that within 30 days of the games release and you have a chance of making it onto the "Top New Free" apps list.

Community
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House
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  • "popular free apps less than 30 days old" is not an explanation, just adding the 30 days bit. It is the same semantic. Also the word "old" is not clear as people update their apps all the time. – Lumis Oct 01 '12 at 19:53
  • This is the official explanation. If you want further details, you'll have to send an email to Google support. I would guess that new does not include newly updated. It means newly released. I'm not sure how much more of an explanation you're looking for. – House Oct 01 '12 at 20:08
  • No, unfortunately it means newly released or updated. One can easily look into some of them and see they are just updates. But that "top" thing means that the first time releases have no chance any more. In a way "top new" is a contradiction in terms. I guess this is to do with maximizing sales, but it is very bad for the new developers. I uploaded a new app yesterday and had only one download. That never happened before, when new was really new. – Lumis Oct 01 '12 at 20:59
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    I'm seeing the point of your question now is to disguise a rant about Google's new store setup. – House Oct 01 '12 at 21:23
  • That is not correct, there is no disguise here, it was a genuine question. Interesting how some people are afraid to discover that something may be wrong out there... – Lumis Oct 01 '12 at 21:42
  • @Lumis And you got the exact answer to the question you asked ("what's a top new free app?" "why, it's a popular free app less than 30 days old"). Then you said it wasn't an explanation and ranted against it about how your new app didn't even get noticed and about how nobody can get noticed these days (something you also complained about in your question). You might also have downvoted this answer. So: it's a rant. – doppelgreener Oct 01 '12 at 21:50
  • Jonathan, surely there is an element of dissatisfaction, but is this relevant? What meters is how "top new free" exactly works and Byte56 does not know. This is a scientific observation not an emotional, as the real question is how entirely new apps can ever become popular. This is relevant for every Android game developer. – Lumis Oct 01 '12 at 22:00
  • Lumis, so do you actually mean to ask, "How does a new app become popular?" – House Oct 01 '12 at 22:25
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Apps become popular when people rate them well. When apps are rated well within the first 30 days, they show up on the Top New Free list. Simple as that.

GameDev-er
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