See the App: Visual Discovery For The App Store

There are more than 500,000 apps in Apple’s app store, and that number is growing each day. With that many apps to choose from, how do you dig through the mess to find your new favorite? Discovering new apps in Apple’s app store is difficult if offbeat and indie apps are your style. Hidden gems like BitPianoHD   (a mini animal themed keyboard recorder that is fun for kids or immature adults like me) and TDCoordinate (a game that tests your central nervous system) are sitting at the bottom of the charts just waiting for people to download and review them. If it wasn’t for a new discovery app called See The App, I might not have discovered them either. See The App is a new visual discovery app that allows to you browse screenshots of apps by category. Compared to the the search results view in the app store that only reveals the icon and description before you clickthrough to the details and screenshots, See the App makes finding the perfect app more efficient. If you’ve ever been surprised the first time you opened a new app, you’ll love the screenshot search results.

See the App solves a big problem with the app store: app discoverability is controlled by Apple. Most people find apps by going right to the source. Apple provides four ways for you to discover apps:

1. New – new apps of note curated by Apple.
2. What’s Hot – popular apps.
3. Genius – app recommendations based on the apps you already have.
4. Featured Lists – themed featured lists including the app starter kit, retro games, and app store essentials.

You can also browse categories or search for specific apps. The problem with going straight to the app store to find apps is that it’s easy for app developers to game. Developers drive their apps to the top of the charts by paying per install through companies like Tapjoy. Once the app hits the top 25 of their category, organic installs increase. Companies that do not participate in pay per install programs are at a significant disadvantage – until now. There’s a lot of junk apps out there, so even if you don’t download the apps that you find through See the App, you’re sure to get a few good laughs. See the App is a product of GoVertex LLC.