Apple appears to be testing out some new changes to its iTunes App Store ranking algorithms, taking into account app ratings and other new factors in the Top Chart rankings.
It's not clear if the changes are more experimental or part of a larger overhaul, but they have resulted in apps losing and gaining positions without a corresponding increase or decrease in app downloads.
App marketing startup Fiksu spotted the trend in late July, after observing that apps with ratings of four stars or more received a ranking boost, which they've maintained throughout August. Meanwhile, apps with fewer than three stars dropped down in the charts, and haven't moved back, despite downloads remaining relatively consistent.
Previously, the App Store would take download volumes and velocity into account as the two largest factors that determined an app's rank, Fiksu noted in its report.
But now, consumers' personal preference regarding an app could become a major deciding factor.