Apple’s App Store search tool has reportedly received an update designed to return more accurate results when users fat-finger their search terms or app names. The changes were put into production “a few weeks ago,” according to TechCrunch.
Data compiled by SearchMan CEO Niren Hiro suggests that the changes bring mixed returns. A pre-update search for “resteraunt” returned only a single result, while a post-update search for the same term returned just two results out of the thousands of apps bearing the properly-spelled keyword “restaurant.”
However, a search for “hotwls” returned 2,200 results, where previously it returned zero results.
Developers have complained of problems with app discovery almost since the opening of the App Store. The latest changes are just the latest in a string of attempts by Apple to remedy the situation. In one notable move, Apple acquired app indexing startup Chomp for $50 million in 2012.
