Apple has quietly implemented a change to the way Top Charts work on the Apple TV App Store. The charts are now hiding any apps a user has installed on their device, instead of simply showing a list of the Top Paid, Top Free and Top Grossing tvOS apps.
The change was initially noticed by German app developer @equinux:
In turns out, Apple now hides an app in the charts once you’ve installed it. Give it a try: Go install TV Pro Mediathek (VOD for German TV content) from the App Store (currently #3 Top Grossing in Germany) and then go back in to the App Store: boom — it’s gone from the charts and the next-placed app has moved up.
This tvOS top charts algorithm change even affects featured apps on the start page: TV Pro Mediathek no longer shows up in its featured slot on the start page of the German App Store once you’ve installed it.
Apple’s intention with the change is presumably to make the charts appear ‘fresher’ and users see more apps that they haven’t installed yet.
As noted by @equinux, “the downside is that the charts don’t really show an accurate picture of what the ‘Top’ apps are, instead they show ‘Top apps that you haven’t installed yet’.”
Earlier in the year, tvOS App Store also received a new ‘Not on This Apple TV’ section within the Purchased section.
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