App development work in April continued my current trend of working on updates. The first part of the month consisted of making new screenshots to go along with the major Ultra Soccer Match Soundboard 2.0 update. Only one of the previous screenshots would look outdated due to the update but I went ahead and made all new screenshots. Previously some of the screenshots were just plain screenshots and some consisted of a screenshot inside of a phone frame with written details. So this time I decided to use a screenshot mock-up frame app by using real in app screenshots and placing them in iPhone, iPad, & Android tablet frames. Then I used Pixelmator to arrange them and add written details pertaining to each screenshot. Doing this maximized the promo screenshot section since I made most of the screenshot images have two devices embedded with different screenshots and then each image also had additional typed info on it.

I’ve read in different articles that a lot of app consumers mostly pay attention to the app icon and promo screenshots when deciding to download an app which also helped me understand the importance of app presentation. My app icons have always been top-notch in my opinion. I usually try to make them somewhat minimalistic but also present a great first impression of the app itself. I used to mainly just take a few different screenshots of the app and then use them as is in the promo screenshot sections. Lately I’ve been putting more work into my screenshots to make sure they do a good job of explaining what the app is about and its features. Previously, I didn’t work on screenshots until I was finished with the app and at that point I’ve just been ready to quickly publish and submit for review. However, in the past year or so I’ve been pushing back new release & update dates or initially setting them up for later to give myself more time if needed to work on screenshots & etc.

In April I also started working on an update for Chinatown Fortune Cookie. This update will feature higher resolution graphics, 64 bit support, and more fortunes! I’ll also be changing the main ad provider for the free versions. As usual though, the ads won’t be really annoying nor take away from the usability  of the app itself. Previously the real fortune cookie photos were changed to retina size for older iPhones at 960×640, and then I used a Corel painting program to give the oil painting effect. For the update though I’ve gone back to the orignal 3456×2304 photo size, changed them to the iPhone 6 plus retina size of 2208×1242 and then used the painting program to add an oil painting effect similar to the one I used initially. The difference will be very noticeable especially on the newer bigger phones & tablets. This update will probably be finished in May or June and then set for release soon after.

App dev progress in May will consist of more app update work containing minor & major improvements. That’s all for now. Until next time ∞