To provide you with a more customized, personalized experience, the App Store in iOS 12 will show off apps and games that might be of more interest to you. Based on content you've downloaded from the App Store, you'll get recommendations right in your Today view.
Much of the content will still be the same: You'll still get Apple's specially written content and developer spotlights and the apps and games of the day. Things are just going to be a little more personalized for you in iOS 12.
Some things to note about the differences in iOS 12 include the fact that Our Favorites aren't spotlighted anymore. Previous days' content is now under "You May Have Missed," and it includes only some previously posted content instead the past seven days.
In iOS 12, Spotlight content tends to relate more toward things you're more likely to be interested in instead of general content, like Pro Tips for photography instead of a Behind the Scenes spotlight for a TV show you don't watch.
Under the Games tab, you'll be shown more games you might like higher up on the list. Currently, the Apps tab looks the same on both iOS 11 and iOS 12, but this is a beta, so things will probably change over time.
One thing to mention here is that Apple won't change its privacy policy to generate this personalized information. All data gathering for recommendations happen on-device. Your app and game preferences won't go to Apple's servers or be shared with anyone.
Right now, the changes are subtle (so subtle that it's almost difficult to see the differences). This could be a great feature for the App Store in the future. If you love puzzle games and hate shooter games, Apple can dedicate more of the Today view real estate to content you're interested in, making more of those types of games the center of attention on your App Store. If you're a photographer, you could get more Spotlight stories about great iPhone photography tools, developers, and pro tips instead of more general content you may never even tap into because you're just not interested.
Personally, I prefer to not have a personalized experience. It makes it easier for me to discover a bunch of different apps and games. Maybe I've never downloaded a shopping app before, but maybe I would if, on the Today view, I saw something with a really great looking design. I'd love to be able to disable this personalization in my settings. It's possible Apple will add this before the public launch. This is, after all, the very first developer beta of iOS 12.
What do you think? Do you like the idea of a personalized App Store experience in iOS 12? Or are you happy with the way the App Store works in iOS 11?
