How to A/B test your app icon

Use product page optimization in App Store Connect. Put up to three alternate icons into your app, release that version, then test them against your current icon for up to 90 days. Apple shows each version to a random part of your visitors and tells you which one turns more of them into downloads.

What you can test

A test can change your app icon, your screenshots and your app previews. You can have up to three treatments, each compared with your original page. Change one thing per treatment, so you know what made the difference.

Before you start

• Your app must be live on the App Store.
• Every icon you want to test must already be in the app version that's live, as an alternate icon in your asset catalog, built with Xcode 13 or later.
• Icons are 1024 × 1024 pixels.
• If you only test icons, there's nothing new to review. New screenshots or previews need App Review's approval, but no new app version.
• Tests reach people on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or later. They don't work for Apple Watch, iMessage or custom product pages.

Set up the test

1. In App Store Connect, open your app and click Product Page Optimization in the sidebar.
2. Create a test, give it a name and choose up to three treatments.
3. Choose the traffic share: the part of your visitors who see a treatment instead of your original page. With 30% and three treatments, each treatment gets 10%.
4. Pick the languages to include. All are selected at first.
5. On the App Icon tab, choose an icon for each treatment. The tab only shows when your live app has more than one icon.
6. Click Start Test.

How long it runs

A test runs for 90 days, or until you stop it. Results show in App Analytics once five first-time downloads come from the test. A treatment is marked “Performing Better” or “Performing Worse” when Apple is at least 90% confident. The less traffic you have and the more treatments you add, the longer that takes.

A stopped test can't be started again. Let it run until you have a clear result.

What people see

Each person sees the same version during the whole test. If they download your app from a test page, they get that treatment's icon on their phone too.

When you have a winner

Applying a treatment only moves its screenshots and previews to your page. To make a winning icon your real icon, set it as the default icon in your next app version.

In Fermium100 you see your icon ideas next to your competitors' in search, small and big, light and dark. Then you set up Apple's test from there, follow every variant and keep the winner.