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Reply to Newly released app not appearing in exact-name U.S. App Store search after three weeks
Thank you for the context. By “exact-name search,” I mean entering the app’s complete and correctly spelled name, “Mialight,” into the App Store search field. I am not suggesting that Apple documents or guarantees an exact-match search feature. The concern is the inconsistent behavior across search environments. The assigned Senior Advisor reports that Mialight appears as the first result—even when she accidentally misspells the name—while I and multiple independent U.S. users cannot find it after searching the correct name and reviewing many pages of results. Apple’s public U.S. web search shows the same behavior for us. I understand that search ranking is proprietary and evaluated at scale, but this does not appear to be an ordinary ranking complaint.
Sep ’26
Reply to Newly released app not appearing in exact-name U.S. App Store search after three weeks
Despite my repeated and explicit clarifications, the assigned Senior Advisor has continued to send responses that repeat points already addressed or request evidence I have submitted three times, creating the strong impression that the case history, my emails, and the attached evidence are not being reviewed before each response; this ultimately resulted in Engineering being asked to address direct-link availability rather than the exact-name App Store search issue I actually reported.
Sep ’26
Reply to Newly released app not appearing in exact-name U.S. App Store search after three weeks
Update: The case finally reached Engineering, but their response addressed a completely different issue. I reported that Mialight cannot be found through exact-name search; they replied that the direct link works, even though I have consistently stated that the direct link works and that search is the problem. After four weeks and extensive back-and-forth with Senior Developer Support, I am very disappointed that the fundamental concern is still being misunderstood.
Sep ’26
Reply to App not appearing in App Store search for over 6 weeks — including branded searches for its own name
Adding a fourth data point: I hope someone from the Apple Engineering team responsible for App Store search can look into these recurring cases with highly similar symptoms. My app, Mialight (App ID: 6770819530), has been available for approximately four weeks. However, I and several people in California and Texas whom I asked to test independently still cannot find it by searching its exact name, “Mialight,” using their own devices and U.S. App Store accounts. The same issue occurs on Apple’s public U.S. App Store website. The direct link works normally, and searching for the developer name, “Mialight LLC,” returns the app. I submitted Developer Support case 20000142933730 approximately one week after the app became available. Support initially told me that the case had been escalated and was under investigation. Since then, the case has been assigned to three different Advisors. The current Senior Advisor asked me to provide a screen recording and screenshots. I submitted the requested evidence, but the next response asked me to provide the same recording again. I reattached the files and specifically requested confirmation that they had been reviewed, but I still have not received that confirmation or a clear answer about whether Engineering is investigating the issue. The case appears to be stuck in a Support loop in which I am repeatedly asked to submit the same evidence, without confirmation that it has reached the team capable of investigating the App Store search index.
Sep ’26
Reply to Newly released app not appearing in exact-name U.S. App Store search after three weeks
Thank you for the context. By “exact-name search,” I mean entering the app’s complete and correctly spelled name, “Mialight,” into the App Store search field. I am not suggesting that Apple documents or guarantees an exact-match search feature. The concern is the inconsistent behavior across search environments. The assigned Senior Advisor reports that Mialight appears as the first result—even when she accidentally misspells the name—while I and multiple independent U.S. users cannot find it after searching the correct name and reviewing many pages of results. Apple’s public U.S. web search shows the same behavior for us. I understand that search ranking is proprietary and evaluated at scale, but this does not appear to be an ordinary ranking complaint.
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Sep ’26
Reply to Newly released app not appearing in exact-name U.S. App Store search after three weeks
Despite my repeated and explicit clarifications, the assigned Senior Advisor has continued to send responses that repeat points already addressed or request evidence I have submitted three times, creating the strong impression that the case history, my emails, and the attached evidence are not being reviewed before each response; this ultimately resulted in Engineering being asked to address direct-link availability rather than the exact-name App Store search issue I actually reported.
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Activity
Sep ’26
Reply to Newly released app not appearing in exact-name U.S. App Store search after three weeks
Update: The case finally reached Engineering, but their response addressed a completely different issue. I reported that Mialight cannot be found through exact-name search; they replied that the direct link works, even though I have consistently stated that the direct link works and that search is the problem. After four weeks and extensive back-and-forth with Senior Developer Support, I am very disappointed that the fundamental concern is still being misunderstood.
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Activity
Sep ’26
Reply to App not appearing in App Store search for over 6 weeks — including branded searches for its own name
Adding a fourth data point: I hope someone from the Apple Engineering team responsible for App Store search can look into these recurring cases with highly similar symptoms. My app, Mialight (App ID: 6770819530), has been available for approximately four weeks. However, I and several people in California and Texas whom I asked to test independently still cannot find it by searching its exact name, “Mialight,” using their own devices and U.S. App Store accounts. The same issue occurs on Apple’s public U.S. App Store website. The direct link works normally, and searching for the developer name, “Mialight LLC,” returns the app. I submitted Developer Support case 20000142933730 approximately one week after the app became available. Support initially told me that the case had been escalated and was under investigation. Since then, the case has been assigned to three different Advisors. The current Senior Advisor asked me to provide a screen recording and screenshots. I submitted the requested evidence, but the next response asked me to provide the same recording again. I reattached the files and specifically requested confirmation that they had been reviewed, but I still have not received that confirmation or a clear answer about whether Engineering is investigating the issue. The case appears to be stuck in a Support loop in which I am repeatedly asked to submit the same evidence, without confirmation that it has reached the team capable of investigating the App Store search index.
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Sep ’26
Reply to Newly released app not appearing in exact-name U.S. App Store search after three weeks
Update as of September 8: The issue remains unresolved. Users still cannot find the app by searching its exact name. I have already submitted the requested screen recording and screenshots, but Support continues to ask me to provide the recording like she did not really read my email. Feels like a Support loop.
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Sep ’26