I just wanted to take a moment today to create a list of categories for your App in the Apple App Store and briefly explain the types of Apps each contains. When you submit your App, you are allowed to choose a primary and secondary category that you App will be listed under.
- Games – This is fairly obvious but any 2D or 3D game (The most popular category in the store).
- Entertainment – These are novelty Apps for pure enjoyment. Do you want to see what you would look like bald?
- Utilities – This is everything from alarm clocks to barcode scanners to levels for hanging pictures.
- Social Networking – If your App is an extension of a social networking platform or intended to help users communicate or network with each other, Social Networking might be your best bet.
- Music – If your App is for playing music, modifying music, or identifying music, it belongs here.
- Productivity – For any App which helps users be more productive such as to-do lists, calendars, or note taking (Evernote)!
- Lifestyle – This is a more general App category including things like cooking Apps or journals.
- Reference – If your App is a reference guide to anything from anatomy to bar tending, this is a good choice.
- Travel – For all Apps that are travel related! If your user will use your App while traveling or planning for travel, put it here.
- Sports – This is a fairly obvious category. If it is sports related in anyway, this is your category.
- Navigation – If you are helping people find things, Navigation is the correct category.
- Healthcare & Fitness – If your App is meant to improve a users health or fitness level, use this category!
- News – If the focus of your App is to let users keep up with some type of news, News is the obvious choice.
- Photography – If you help users view, share or modify photographs, pick Photography.
- Finance – Are you helping users manage money, make financial decisions, or keep up with market conditions? This is your category if the answer is yes.
- Business – This is a misleading category. A lot of general business utilities will fall here.
- Education – If you feel like you’re helping users to learn facts or skills, education might be a wise choice.
- Weather – This is another obvious category!
- Books – This is for all things book related, interactive or not!
- Medical – If the focus of your App is for medical professionals (doctors, nurses, paramedics) or to provide medical information, pick medical.
This is a big list, but keep it simple and pick the most obvious categories. Also remember, put the App in the category that people are most likely to search. You may think of your App as a utility but if people will search for it in Travel, then it is a Travel App!
