Updated ASO teardown, US App Store
Surfline: Wave & Surf Reports App Store optimization
A Weather app's App Store page, taken apart: the screenshots and why each one helps people decide to download, the icon and design system, and an ASO score out of 100.
- Est. monthly downloads
- 40K−20% vs previous month
- Est. monthly revenue
- $601K+20% vs previous month
- Est. revenue ÷ downloads
- $15.03
- Rating
- 4.7★30.6K ratings
Downloads and revenue are third-party est. for the US App Store, latest month vs the month before. Revenue includes renewals, so revenue ÷ downloads is a rough ratio, not what a new user pays. Estimates as of ; rating and dates from the App Store, .
Screenshots and why they convert
10 screenshots of up to 10, the first 6 shown here. The first 3 show in search results when there's no preview video.
#1In search results
Know before you go
- What it shows
- A surfer with arms raised in front of a large blue wave, under a forecast strip reading 4-6ft tomorrow, 8-12ft Wednesday and 6-8ft Thursday.
- Why it converts
- Pairs the feeling of the sport with the job of the app: wave height by day. A short caption and three large numbers say “surf forecast” before anyone reads the name.
#2In search results
Watch the surf live
- live surfnot in name
- What it shows
- A live camera view of Huntington Beach Pier Northside, with a timeline, a “Good” condition rating and surf height of 4-6ft.
- Why it converts
- A live view is easy to understand and hard to show in words.
#3In search results
Get the read from our forecasters
- forecastersnot in name
- What it shows
- A regional forecast from a named forecaster with a portrait, and written notes for today and tomorrow.
- Why it converts
- A named person gives the forecast a source, which helps a visitor trust it. The notes themselves are small text
#4
Track storms and swell patterns
- swellnot in name
- stormsnot in name
- What it shows
- A colored wind and swell chart around the Hawaiian islands, with a time scrubber along the bottom.
- Why it converts
- Surfers know what this map means, and it signals a serious tool.
#5
See what other forecasts miss
- forecastsnot in name
- What it shows
- A dense forecast screen with nearshore and offshore energy, an advanced swell table and a multi-line chart.
- Why it converts
- This one is for experienced users who want more data. The caption is broad and doesn't say what is missed.
#6
Preview tomorrow's conditions
- conditionsnot in name
- What it shows
- A “Cam Matches” beta card with a past camera image marked 89% match, a “Fair to Good” rating, and a 4-5ft surf chart.
- Why it converts
- A past photo shows roughly what the water may look like. The idea needs some reading, so its place at the end of the set fits.
Icon and design system
What makes the page read as one brand at a glance.
- One symbol, a water drop, points to water and weather, but it doesn't say “surf” on its own.
- Black and white match the dark screenshots, while the blue of the phone frames and waves doesn't appear in the icon.
- A solid shape with no text, so it holds up at small sizes.
- 01
Emotion first, data after
Screenshot 1 is a wave and a person. The ones after it are product screens, so the set moves from why you care to how it works.
- 02
Dark frame, bright content
A dark background with contour lines surrounds the water photos and colored charts inside a thin blue phone frame.
- 03
Large white captions
Most captions are two short lines of bold white type on near-black, which stays readable when the images are small.
- 04
Named people as the source
A forecaster with a name and a face stands behind the numbers. That is a different kind of proof from a rating or a user count.
- 05
Depth for experts
Later screens are dense. They show serious users that the data goes deep, after the simple story has been told.
ASO score breakdown
94 of 100 points. The full rule is under “How the ASO score works” below.
- App name25 / 25
- Uses 29 of 30 characters9.7/10
- Brand + keyword phrase10/10
- Keywords fill half the name or more5/5
- Screenshots33 / 35
- Caption on every screenshot5/5
- Each caption names a feature people search for8.3/10
- First screenshot shows the main use5/5
- One consistent design system5/5
- Readable at search-result size5/5
- Trust signal5/5
- Ratings21 / 25
- 4.7 average (full marks at 4.8)13.1/15
- 30,640 ratings (full marks at 100,000)7.4/10
- Freshness15 / 15
- Last update 7 days ago (full marks within 30)15/15
Where the points are
- Ask happy users for a rating+4 pts
4.7 stars from 30,640 ratings. Apple's in-app rating prompt can be shown up to 3 times a year; show it right after a user finishes something in the app.
- Check caption terms against your subtitle and keywords
6 caption terms aren't in the app name: live surf, forecasters, swell, storms, forecasts, conditions. Captions don't count for search; the subtitle and the 100-character keyword field do.
- Win back installs
Downloads fell 20% while revenue rose 20%. A product page that converts more of its visitors wins installs back without more ad spend.
Apply it to your app
A checklist for your next product page update.
- Open with the feeling of the activity, plus one real piece of product data.
- Show live or visual features large and let the data sit below.
- Keep captions to about five words in bold, high-contrast type.
- If a person stands behind your data, show their name and face.
- Save dense expert screens for the end of the set.
- Say what a caption promises in concrete terms, not only “more” or “better”.
How the ASO score works
- 01
App name, 25 points
Up to 10 for how much of Apple's 30 characters it uses, 10 for a brand + keyword structure, 5 when keywords fill half the name or more.
- 02
Screenshots, 35 points
Captions on every image, captions that name searched features, a first screenshot that shows the main use, one design system, readability at search size, and a trust signal.
- 03
Ratings, 25 points
Up to 15 for the average (from 4.0, full marks at 4.8) and 10 for the count (from 1,000, full marks at 100,000 ratings).
- 04
Freshness, 15 points
Full marks for an update in the last 30 days, falling to zero at 180 days. 85+ is excellent, 70+ strong, 50+ fair.
Common questions
What is an ASO score?
A 100-point check of the parts of an App Store page you control: the app name, screenshots, ratings and how recently the app was updated. It's our own scoring rule, shown in full on this page, not a number from Apple. Use it to compare your page with apps that already sell well in your category.
How long can an app name be on the App Store?
30 characters. A common pattern is a short brand followed by the main thing people search for, like “Surfline: Wave & Surf Reports”, which uses 29. Apple also gives you a 30-character subtitle and a 100-character keyword field for more terms.
Which screenshots show up in App Store search results?
The first one to three, when the app has no preview video. That's why the first three should cover the main reasons people download. Surfline uses them for live surf and forecasters.
How many screenshots can an iPhone app have?
Up to 10 per device size. Apple recommends focusing each screenshot after the first on one main benefit or feature. Surfline uses 10.
Where do the download and revenue numbers come from?
They're third-party estimates for the US App Store, not figures reported by the developer. Treat them as a sense of scale. Growth compares the latest month with the month before.
Do screenshot captions help an app rank in search?
Apple says search results use text matches in the app name, subtitle, keywords and primary category, plus user behavior such as downloads, ratings and reviews. Captions aren't on that list: they help people who already see the app decide to download. When a caption names something people search for, put that term in the keyword field too.
Where the numbers come from
- Apple: Creating your product page
- App name limit (30 characters), up to 10 screenshots, the first one to three shown in search results, keyword field.
- Apple: App Store search
- Search results use text relevance (name, subtitle, keywords, primary category) and user behavior (downloads, ratings, reviews).
- Apple: Ratings, reviews and responses
- The in-app rating prompt can be shown up to three times in a 365-day period.
- Surfline: Wave & Surf Reports on the App Store
- Name, developer, category, icon, screenshots, rating, release and update dates (US storefront), checked Nov 4, 2026.
- Downloads and revenue
- Third-party est. for the US App Store, latest month, pulled Oct 29, 2026. Not reported by the developer.
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