ASO Fundamentals

In-App Events on App Store Connect: How to Use Them (2026)

Apple's In-App Events feature lets you surface live events in App Store search and Today tab. The practical guide for indie developers on creating events that drive installs and engagement.

ASOhack TeamMay 19, 20265 min read

In-App Events are one of Apple's most under-used ASO surfaces. They let you surface time-limited events (challenges, launches, releases, sales) directly in App Store search results and the Today tab.

For indie devs who ship updates, run challenges, or have time-bound content, In-App Events are essentially free promotional real estate.

This is the practical guide.

What In-App Events are

Available since iOS 15.4 (early 2022). Lets you submit:

Event title (up to 30 chars).
Short description (up to 50 chars).
Long description (up to 120 chars).
Image (1:1, 1080×1080+).
Optional video.
Start and end dates.
Categories (Challenge, Competition, Live Event, Major Update, New Season, Premiere, Special Event).
Deep link into the app to the event.

The event appears in:

App Store search results when relevant.
App Store Today tab.
Your app's product page (Events section).
Sometimes editorial features.

Event categories and use cases

Challenge

Time-bound user challenges (30-day fitness challenge, summer reading challenge, etc.).

Competition

In-app competitions, tournaments, leaderboards.

Live Event

Streaming events, live workshops, concerts.

Major Update

Significant feature releases that warrant attention.

New Season

Especially for games — new season of content.

Premiere

Initial release of new content (new album, season, course).

Special Event

Anything else time-bound (Black Friday sale, anniversary, etc.).

How to plan effective events

Event title: hook-led

✅ "30-Day Pull-Up Challenge"
✅ "Black Friday: 50% Off Pro"
✅ "Summer Reading Challenge"
✅ "New Season: Tropical Beats"
❌ "Update v2.4"
❌ "Special Event"
❌ "Click here for more"

Specific + benefit-led titles convert better than generic ones.

Short description: value or action

✅ "Complete 30 days, win a t-shirt."
✅ "Save 50% on Pro subscription this week only."
✅ "Read 5 books before September."
❌ "We have a new feature."
❌ "Check it out."

Image: high-quality + on-brand

The event image is your visual hook. Treat it like a screenshot:

Clean, branded.
Communicates the event value at thumbnail size.
Doesn't repeat your app icon.

Video (optional)

Same as preview video — 15-30 seconds, captions, no sound dependency.

When to use In-App Events

Time-bound campaigns

Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales.
Holiday-themed challenges.
Anniversary celebrations.
Limited-time pricing offers.

Content launches

New album / season / course release.
Major content drop.
Premiere of a video / show.

Engagement campaigns

Daily / weekly challenges.
Streak campaigns.
Community events.

Major releases

v3.0 with significant new features.
Launch of a new app feature category.

Frequency

Apple recommends 2-4 events per year per app at most. Over-using dilutes their impact.

Quality over quantity. A single great event > five mediocre ones.

Submission requirements

In-App Events must:

Be actually time-bound (no perpetually-on "events").
Lead to specific in-app content (deep link required).
Be promoted at launch (push notifications, email, etc.).
Not promote competing apps.

Apple reviews each event individually. Plan for 1-2 day review delays.

Promoting your event

For an event to perform well:

Push notification to users about the event launch.
Email to subscribers about it.
Social posts linking to the event.
Deep link landing that takes users directly to the event.
In-app banner during the event.

A great event without promotion sits in obscurity.

What gets noticed by Apple

Apple sometimes editorially features In-App Events. Factors:

Visual quality.
Engagement (users actually participating).
App quality overall.
Relevance to current themes.

Common mistakes

Generic event titles. "Update v2.4" buries the event.
No deep link. User can't get to the event.
Over-using (5+ events / year). Dilutes impact.
No promotion outside App Store. Wasted.
Image quality poor. Visual hook missed.
Confusing dates. Apple rejects events with vague timing.

Categories that benefit most

In-App Events benefit some categories disproportionately:

Games: new seasons, tournaments, content drops.
Fitness: challenges, programs.
Reading: book clubs, reading challenges.
Music: album releases, special concerts.
Education: course launches, cohorts.
Lifestyle: seasonal challenges.

Less impactful for:

Utility apps (calculator, weather).
Productivity tools (most don't have "events").
Reference apps.

Run an audit alongside

Events compound with overall listing quality. If your listing converts poorly, events deliver eyeballs to a bad page. Run free ASO audit before launching events.

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