Web Version of the App Store
Apple launched a new App Store on the web today, allowing users to browse through and search for apps across all of its platforms.
[…]
There is a search interface for looking up a specific app, and clicking on “View” on any app in the store provides screenshots and information optimized for a web view. The design mirrors the App Store on each of Apple’s platforms, but it has a much friendlier web interface.
[…]
Prior to now, Apple provided webpages for each app in the App Store , but there was no central site for content discovery.
Finally. But sadly, just like in the App Store app, Apple prevents you from selecting any of the text. I don’t understand why Apple insists on making its stores user-hostile in this way. However, unlike in the App Store app, you can find within the page using the browser’s built-in search feature. You can also fix text selection using StopTheMadness Pro’s “Protect text selection” feature.
What you can’t do is install or update those apps on your devices. At least some of that is because there’s no link to your Apple account: instead, this is really just a catalog. If you’re browsing the App Store for the device you’re on, you can easily jump to the app you’re looking at in the actual App Store app. In other cases, the usual “Get” or “Buy” link has been replaced with a Share button.
As someone who’s written about apps for years, this does get rid of one longstanding frustration where you would put a link to an app in your story, but it would force you to open the App Store app to see all the details of the program.
Previously:
- The Negative Impact of Mobile-First Web Design on Desktop
- App Store Editorial Stories on the Web
- Redesigned Web Versions of App Stores
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Which text? App descriptions? I have no problem selecting and copying text from an app description page.
The screenshots can't be enlarged, that's a real shame. Also, the pixel size of the images is smaller than the displayed size, so they look bad.
@Kevin All text: app name, description, IAP and privacy info, reviews. Maybe you have a browser extension that’s undoing the restriction?
