Updated ASO teardown, US App Store
Waffle: Shared Journal App Store optimization
A Lifestyle 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
- 10K+43.8% vs previous month
- Est. monthly revenue
- $41K+0.6% vs previous month
- Est. revenue ÷ downloads
- $4.10
- Rating
- 4.6★10.9K 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
#1 SHARED JOURNAL APP
- shared journalin name
- What it shows
- The Waffle logo, the line “#1 SHARED JOURNAL APP”, five stars with “4.8 • 3.3K Ratings”, and four badges: New & Noteworthy (Apple), Snap Inc., Choosing Therapy and Adweek. A large waffle illustration fills the bottom.
- Why it converts
- Opens with a ranking claim, a rating and badges rather than the app in use. The rating and badges are the app's own printed claims. No app screen appears yet, so the use itself is shown in the next image.
#2In search results
SHARED JOURNAL a way to bond deeper
- shared journalin name
- What it shows
- A phone with a row of journal covers in plaid patterns. The center cover is labeled “Waffle family” with three illustrated avatars.
- Why it converts
- Shows the core idea: one journal, several people. The cover cards make “shared” visible without reading UI text. The caption states a relationship benefit, not a feature.
#3In search results
QUESTIONS to get to know better
- questionsnot in name
- What it shows
- A “Daily Waffle” card with an AI tag and the prompt “Who is someone you really admire?”, floating over a journal entry. A row of member avatars sits above.
- Why it converts
- Gives a concrete reason to open the app each day. The large pink card is readable at small size and sits on top of the busy entry text.
#4
SAFE SPACE to open up
- What it shows
- A journal feed titled “Waffle Family” with a July 2023 entry, “A Delightful Holiday”, by a named member, with two illustrations and a short text.
- Why it converts
- Shows what a finished entry looks like, so the idea of sharing becomes concrete. The caption states an emotional benefit.
#5
- What it shows
- Tilted notebook covers on a cream background: a sky and sunflower design, orange watercolor, plaid, clouds and solid yellow. Each has a white label with placeholder shapes. No text is printed.
- Why it converts
- Shows that covers can be personalized, which is a reason to care about the app. With no caption, the point depends on the visitor guessing what the covers are for.
#6
- What it shows
- More tilted notebook covers: navy with gold trim, plaid, green and red speckle, pink hearts, and others. No text is printed.
- Why it converts
- Continues the cover theme from the previous image. Without a caption, it adds variety but gives no new message.
Icon and design system
What makes the page read as one brand at a glance.
- One central object, a waffle with butter, matches the app name and the logo in the first screenshot.
- The wizard hat, bats and stars look like a seasonal Halloween variant. The warm orange still matches the screenshot palette.
- The hat, bats and stars add detail that may blur at the smallest sizes, though the waffle shape stays clear.
- 01
Printed proof in the first image
The first image carries a “#1” claim, a star rating with a count, and four named badges. All of it is the app's own printed text.
- 02
Two-tier captions
On most images, a bold uppercase keyword line sits above a lowercase benefit line.
- 03
Benefit-first captions
Three captions say “bond deeper”, “get to know better” and “open up”. They describe what a user gets, not which feature to tap.
- 04
Cards break out of the phone
The Daily Waffle card and the journal covers extend past the device frame. This makes them large enough to read at small size.
- 05
One warm system
Cream background, brown type and orange accents repeat on most images and match the icon. Images 5 and 6 drop the phone and caption for a cover pattern.
ASO score breakdown
76 of 100 points. The full rule is under “How the ASO score works” below.
- App name22 / 25
- Uses 22 of 30 characters7.3/10
- Brand + keyword phrase10/10
- Keywords fill half the name or more5/5
- Screenshots23 / 35
- Caption on every screenshot3.3/5
- Each caption names a feature people search for5/10
- First screenshot shows the main use0/5
- One consistent design system5/5
- Readable at search-result size5/5
- Trust signal5/5
- Ratings16 / 25
- 4.6 average (full marks at 4.8)11.2/15
- 10,851 ratings (full marks at 100,000)5.2/10
- Freshness15 / 15
- Last update 12 days ago (full marks within 30)15/15
Where the points are
- Ask happy users for a rating+9 pts
4.6 stars from 10,851 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.
- Use the rest of the app name+3 pts
8 characters are free. Add the next most important search term.
- Check caption terms against your subtitle and keywords
1 caption terms aren't in the app name: questions. Captions don't count for search; the subtitle and the 100-character keyword field do.
Apply it to your app
A checklist for your next product page update.
- Say what the app is in the first words of screenshot 1.
- Put ratings and badges where visitors see them first, and print only ones you can back up.
- Show the app in use early, not only the logo and proof.
- Write captions as a short keyword line plus a benefit line.
- Enlarge the key card or object past the device frame so it reads at small size.
- Use one background, one type color and one accent across the set, and match the icon.
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 “Waffle: Shared Journal”, which uses 22. 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. Waffle uses them for shared journal, shared journal and questions.
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. Waffle 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.
- Waffle: Shared Journal 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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