What's New

Invite a friend, and both of you get 3 months

Settings → License has a new Invite a friend panel. Generate a code, send it to someone who does ASO, and when they buy Pro your license grows by three months.

• • Three months per friend, with no limit. Every friend who buys Pro with one of your codes adds three months to your license. Invite as many people as you like.
• • Your friend gets 15 months instead of 12. A first RespectASO Pro license bought with an invite code runs fifteen months for the price of twelve.
• • Codes work once and last 90 days. Generate up to five at a time, copy a code or a ready-made message with one click, and see at a glance which ones have been used.

Line up as many runs as you like

The input form no longer disappears while a run is in progress. Start another one and it waits its turn, so you can set up a whole afternoon of research in a couple of minutes and come back to the results.

• • Add to Queue. While something is running, the button on every AI tab reads "Add to Queue" - fill in the form, submit, tweak a country or a title, submit again.
• • One run at a time. Runs from the AI Niche Researcher, the AI Competitor Analyzer and the ASO Score Simulator all share one queue and run in the order you started them, which keeps every run comfortably inside the App Store's request limits instead of two analyses competing for them.
• • See and change what is up next. Every AI tab shows the run that is executing (and which tab it belongs to) plus everything waiting behind it. Remove a single run, or clear the queue, from wherever you happen to be.
• • Results find you. If you are still on the tab when a run finishes, its results open as before. If you moved on to something else, a short notice tells you it finished and takes you straight to it.

Retry a failed run with one click

• • Same inputs, one click. A failed or cancelled run on any AI tab can be retried without re-typing the title, subtitle, keywords, country or language. Failed and cancelled runs in your history get a Retry button too.
• • One card, not two. A retried run updates its card in place - in queue, running, then done - instead of leaving the failed card next to a new one.
• • A retry uses your current AI settings, so switching provider or model and clicking Retry is the way to try again with a different model.

Connect any OpenAI-compatible AI service

Settings → AI has a new Custom endpoint option next to the existing providers.

• • Base URL, API key, model ID. Enter the service's Base URL, your key and a model ID, run the built-in compatibility test once, and it is active. Works with OpenCode Zen, Groq, a LiteLLM proxy or any other service that speaks the OpenAI API.
• • Your requests go only to the service whose Base URL you entered, and your key stays on your computer - RespectASO never sees it.

Nothing gets stuck any more

• • A run that was in progress when you closed RespectASO now shows up as failed with a Retry button, instead of looking like it is still running forever. Anything that was waiting in the queue picks up again when you reopen the app.
• • The run timer counts only the time a run was actually working, not the time it spent waiting for its turn.

Quality of life

• • Your license extension arrives automatically - there is no key to paste.
• • The Respectlytics banner no longer shows while you have an active Pro license, and without one you can hide it with one click.

Apple's search data, now through Apple's official API

The Apple Ads popularity source has been rebuilt on Apple's new official Apple Ads Platform API. The sign-in window is gone: connecting is a one-time, five-minute API key setup - no campaigns, no spend, no payment method - and your key never leaves your computer.

• • Official weekly data. RespectASO syncs Apple's official top search terms per storefront and category every week, automatically. Keywords Apple reports get Apple's own 1–100 value; the rest are covered by the estimate, clearly labeled.
• • Works everywhere. The Apple source now works in the desktop app, the browser edition, and Docker - it was native-Mac-only before.
• • Faster scoring. After the weekly sync, every popularity lookup is instant and local - scans and analyses no longer wait on Apple.

Top Search Terms - a new Pro tab

Browse what people actually search on the App Store: Apple's official most-searched terms per storefront and category, with rank, popularity, and Apple's 1–5 tier.

• • See the weekly climbers, fallers, and brand-new terms at a glance.
• • Follow any term's week-by-week history with sparklines and a full chart.
• • Track any term for the app you choose, or send it straight to the AI Researcher - one click each.
• • If you run Apple Ads campaigns, your ads' impression share per search term appears on the dashboard.

A smarter, measured estimate

The built-in popularity estimate has been recalibrated against hundreds of Apple's official values, so both sources now speak the same 1–100 scale and popular brand keywords are recognized far more reliably. Your keyword history is re-scored automatically so everything stays comparable - expect the numbers to shift once, by design. Every popularity badge now explains itself on hover: which source produced the number, and exactly how it was derived.

Use any AI model, from any provider

OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google Gemini now work like OpenRouter already did: type any model ID the provider offers, run the built-in test, and it's ready - new models work the day they ship, no app update needed. A new AI response deadline (Settings, default 60 minutes) stops a stalled model from eating your afternoon, and the progress view now shows elapsed time and warns when a model is responding unusually slowly.

Quality of life

• • This What's New page - the full release history, always available from the version badge in the footer and under Settings.
• • Weekly Apple trend arrows on your keywords, plus an Apple popularity trend column in CSV exports.
• • Top Search Terms remembers your storefront and category between visits, and warns you when you are viewing an earlier week.
• • Settings: the Save button moved to the top, every unsaved change shows a clear warning, and a passed model test tells you when Save is still needed.
• • MCP grows to 23 tools (top search terms and impression share are new), and the setup instructions for VS Code, ChatGPT Desktop, Claude Code, and Codex CLI were corrected and expanded.
• • The Apple Ads connection wizard has a Start over button, so a mis-click no longer locks you on step 2.

Fixes

• • Saving AI settings no longer resets your Apple Ads connection.
• • The Apple Ads setup guide page could fail to open - fixed.
• • Tracked keywords are now marked the same way everywhere on Top Search Terms.

For existing Apple Ads users

Because the old sign-in mechanism no longer exists, the app will ask you to reconnect once using the new key setup - about five minutes, guided step by step. Your last-synced Apple data keeps serving until the new connection takes over.

Choose your keyword popularity source: Apple Ads or the RespectASO estimate

You can now power all your scores with Apple's own search popularity, fetched directly from your Apple Ads account, as an alternative to RespectASO's built-in estimate. Sign in once from Settings, and every keyword you track gets Apple's granular popularity number next to the RespectASO estimate.

• • You decide which source drives your scores. Popularity, opportunity, classifications, and download estimates all follow your selection, and switching is one click and fully reversible, including your full history and trends.
• • Both values, always visible. Wherever popularity appears, a small badge shows which source produced it, with the other source's value right beside it. Nothing hidden, nothing to hover for.
• • New keywords get their Apple value instantly, the moment they are scored.
• • Automatic, visible fallback. When Apple has no value for a keyword, the estimate steps in and is clearly marked, so your scores never go missing.
• • Free for everyone, with a built-in step-by-step setup guide. No campaigns or ad spend required, and your keyword data never leaves your Mac.

Smarter, more honest AI analyses

• • Every AI report now states which popularity source it used, both in the report and in your saved-runs list.
• • When Apple reports its minimum value for many of your keywords, the Simulator now explains what that means for your score and shows what the same metadata would rate under the estimate, so a low number never sends you in the wrong direction.
• • Score verdicts now describe what was measured, and the Simulator is explicit that the readiness score measures search traffic potential, not how well your metadata converts.

MCP: your AI assistant gets more capable

The MCP server, part of RespectASO Pro, now includes tools to check and switch your popularity source from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP assistant, 21 tools in total. App references now accept the App Store ID too, and we fixed an issue where some assistants could not pass app ids at all.

• • ('heading', 'MCP: your AI assistant gets more capable')
• • ('intro', ['The MCP server, part of RespectASO Pro, now includes tools to check and switch your popularity source from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP assistant, 21 tools in total. App references now accept the App Store ID too, and we fixed an issue where some assistants could not pass app ids at all.'])

Also in this release

• • The update banner now stays visible until you actually update, so new versions can't slip by unnoticed.
• • CSV exports now include both popularity values and the source per keyword. The existing Popularity column follows your selected source.

Highlights

• • License renewals now activate themselves. Renew your Pro license on respectaso.com, open the app, and Pro is active again - no need to find the email or paste a new key. If the app is already open, a new Check for renewed license button on Settings -> License fetches your renewal on the spot.

Quality of Life

• • Pasting a license key now gives clear, specific feedback: the app tells you if you pasted the key that's already installed, and expired keys show their exact expiry date along with where to find your new one.
• • The license page now explains that renewals come with a new key, so there's no more guessing why the old one stopped working.

Highlights

• • Work with many keywords at once. You can now select multiple keywords on the Dashboard using checkboxes — and your selection is remembered as you move between pages. Gather keywords from anywhere in your list, then delete them or copy them to your clipboard in a single action.

Fixes

• • The app always loads fully styled. Some users saw a plain, unstyled page instead of the normal dark interface — especially without an internet connection (#13). Styling is now built directly into the app, so it looks right every time, online or offline.

Quality of Life

• • The App and Countries selectors on the Dashboard now line up cleanly.

Use the AI model you want - DeepSeek, free models, and hundreds more

RespectASO now connects to OpenRouter, giving you access to practically any AI model on the market with a single key - DeepSeek, Qwen, Llama, and hundreds of others, including models that are completely free to use. Pick the model that fits your budget and quality bar, and run the AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator on it.

• • ('heading', 'Use the AI model you want - DeepSeek, free models, and hundreds more')
• • ('intro', ['RespectASO now connects to OpenRouter, giving you access to practically any AI model on the market with a single key - DeepSeek, Qwen, Llama, and hundreds of others, including models that are completely free to use. Pick the model that fits your budget and quality bar, and run the AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator on it.'])

Highlights

• • OpenRouter support. Add your OpenRouter key in Settings → AI, type in any model from their catalog, and click Test model. The built-in check confirms the model handles RespectASO's analyses before you commit to a full run - once it passes, you're ready to go.
• • Choose your keyword lengths. All three AI tabs (and the MCP tools) now let you pick which keyword lengths to work with - 1, 2, 3, and now also 4 words. Hunting for long-tail phrases? Uncheck the short lengths and the full research effort goes into multi-word keywords instead.
• • Copy keywords straight from the dashboard. Every keyword in your Search History now has a one-click copy button, and you can show up to 200 keywords per page - so your whole list fits on one screen. Your page-size choice is remembered. For grabbing everything at once, the CSV export is still there.

Quality of Life

• • The ASO Simulator now proposes up to 3 alternative titles and subtitles, ordered best-first, each explaining which keyword opportunity it targets - and if your current metadata is already strong, it tells you to keep it rather than change for the sake of change.
• • Apply Suggestions & Re-Simulate keeps your keyword-length selection, so before/after scores always compare like with like.
• • Each analysis now shows which keyword lengths it used, in the results and in your session history - and the tabs explain why the words already in your title and subtitle are always scored, whatever lengths you select.
• • The AI provider list in Settings has a cleaner layout that's easier to scan now that there are five providers to choose from.

Fixed

Thanks to @gerasimoph and @foxfortmobile - both of the headline improvements in this release started as your requests (#11, #12).

• • A successful OpenRouter model test now takes effect immediately - previously you also had to click Save Settings, which was easy to miss.
• • Flipping dashboard pages no longer drops an active keyword search.
• • The AI tabs no longer show rough per-run dollar estimates - with so many models to choose from, they could mislead. The actual token usage after each run remains your reliable cost signal.

Run AI on your own Mac — introducing Local AI (Beta)

RespectASO now works with local AI models running right on your own machine — through Ollama, LM Studio, or any compatible local server. Point RespectASO at your local model and the AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator run entirely on your own hardware, with no cloud API costs.

• • ('heading', 'Run AI on your own Mac — introducing Local AI (Beta)')
• • ('intro', ['RespectASO now works with local AI models running right on your own machine — through Ollama, LM Studio, or any compatible local server. Point RespectASO at your local model and the AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator run entirely on your own hardware, with no cloud API costs.'])

Highlights

• • Bring your own model. Connect Ollama or LM Studio in Settings → AI, choose your model, and you're ready. A one‑click Detect finds the models you already have installed.
• • Check before you commit. A built‑in Test Local AI runs a quick, representative check so you know your setup is ready before you start a full analysis.
• • See it working. Every AI tab now shows live progress while your model thinks — how much it has written and how fast — so a longer run never feels stuck.
• • Stop means stop. Cancelling an analysis now halts the work right away and frees your machine.
• • Clearer guidance. Friendlier, more helpful messages when something needs your attention, with practical next steps instead of cryptic errors.

Good to know

Local AI is labelled Beta while we keep refining it across the wide range of local models out there.

• • RespectASO's analyses involve demanding processing, and local AI models won't perform equally well on every device — how smoothly things run depends on your Mac's hardware.
• • Bigger models handle RespectASO's multi‑step workflows far better, returning more robust and more relevant suggestions. If a smaller model feels slow or its results feel thin, a larger one is well worth it.
• • Prefer the cloud? Your existing OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini options are unchanged — Local AI is simply a new, cost‑free choice.

Highlights

• • Sharper keyword suggestions across every AI tab. The Score Simulator, Niche Researcher, and Competitor Analyzer now suggest keywords that genuinely fit your app — every word earns its place instead of padding the list.
• • Your keyword field is held to a higher standard. It's now judged for relevance just like your title and subtitle, so the keywords you copy into App Store Connect actually match what your app does — better for ranking and conversion.
• • No more wasted keyword space. Suggestions no longer include both a word and its plural (like "hour" and "hours") — that freed-up space goes to keywords that broaden your reach.
• • Long-tail phrases that people actually search. Awkward, nonsensical keyword combinations are gone. You get more real, natural search phrases to choose from — and far less noise to sift through.

Highlights

Keep your app details in sync with the App Store Renamed your app, refreshed its icon, or updated your developer name? Open the Apps tab and click the new refresh button beside any app — RespectASO pulls the current title, icon, and developer name straight from the App Store, so the right details follow you everywhere you work.

Always the latest AI models The model picker in AI Settings now keeps itself current. When your AI provider ships a newer model, it shows up automatically — no app update required. And if a model you'd chosen is ever retired, RespectASO seamlessly moves you to a current one, so AI Researcher, Competitor analysis, and the Simulator keep running without a hitch.

---

Requires: macOS on Apple Silicon (M1 or later).

• • ('heading', 'Highlights')
• • ('intro', ['Keep your app details in sync with the App Store Renamed your app, refreshed its icon, or updated your developer name? Open the Apps tab and click the new refresh button beside any app — RespectASO pulls the current title, icon, and developer name straight from the App Store, so the right details follow you everywhere you work.', "Always the latest AI models The model picker in AI Settings now keeps itself current. When your AI provider ships a newer model, it shows up automatically — no app update required. And if a model you'd chosen is ever retired, RespectASO seamlessly moves you to a current one, so AI Researcher, Competitor analysis, and the Simulator keep running without a hitch.", '---', 'Requires: macOS on Apple Silicon (M1 or later).'])

See your whole ASO picture at a glance

The Dashboard now opens with a brand-new App Summary — an instant, at-a-glance read on how your app is really doing for the keywords you track.

For each app you'll see:

It's collapsible whenever you want more room, and it stays in sync automatically as you add keywords or refresh your rankings.

• • Daily downloads now and your growth potential if you reached the top spots
• • Where you rank and which keyword is driving the most traffic
• • Your single biggest opportunity — the keyword with the most untapped upside
• • A clear breakdown by country, so multi-market apps can spot exactly where to focus

Bring keywords over, ready to act on

Keywords you add from the AI tools now land in your Dashboard fully scored — complete with download estimates — so you can analyze and prioritize them immediately.

• • ('heading', 'Bring keywords over, ready to act on')
• • ('intro', ['Keywords you add from the AI tools now land in your Dashboard fully scored — complete with download estimates — so you can analyze and prioritize them immediately.'])

A clearer, smoother Dashboard

---

RespectASO runs entirely on your Mac. No accounts, no API keys, no data leaves your machine.

• • Friendlier labels and helpful explanations throughout, so every number is easy to understand
• • Tidier hover details that appear right where you expect them
• • A more intuitive flow when switching between apps and filtering your keywords

What's new

See when your rankings were last refreshed. A live "Rankings auto-refreshed X ago" indicator now sits right under your Search History heading — at a glance, you know whether the numbers you're looking at are fresh.

• • ('heading', "What's new")
• • ('intro', ['See when your rankings were last refreshed. A live "Rankings auto-refreshed X ago" indicator now sits right under your Search History heading — at a glance, you know whether the numbers you\'re looking at are fresh.'])

Compatibility

• • macOS 11 or later (unchanged).

Highlights

• • Title and subtitle suggestions stay true to what your app actually does. The AI now treats relevance to your app's core functionality as the first filter — a high-opportunity keyword that doesn't describe your app gets rejected, even if it ranks at the top of the opportunity table. You get titles users will tap on, not just rank for.
• • Localized metadata reads as a real app name in every supported language. Generating metadata for any of the 30 supported App Store storefronts now produces something a native speaker would actually write — proper prepositions, particles, compounding, and word order — instead of a flat list of keywords translated word-for-word from English. The same standard applies to Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Turkish and every other locale we ship.
• • Runs no longer get stuck when Apple's App Store API misbehaves. RespectASO now detects when Apple slows down or starts rate-limiting, paces requests adaptively, and — if things stay rough — finishes gracefully with partial results plus a clear recommendation to re-run in a few minutes. No more multi-minute hangs on a single keyword.

Quality of Life

• • Live status when things slow down. A subtle banner appears in the AI tab progress panel if Apple's API starts throttling, so you know what's happening and roughly how much longer to expect.
• • Cleaner non-English runs. When you target a non-English App Store, the AI Simulator, Niche Researcher, and Competitor Analyzer now stay strictly within the target language end-to-end — keyword scoring no longer drifts into English near the end of a run.
• • Clearer guidance when a run can't complete. If a run had to stop early because Apple's API was unreliable, the result page now shows a clear amber banner above your readiness score with a specific "re-run in a few minutes" recommendation — no more guessing whether the result is complete or not.

Compatibility

• • macOS 11 or later (unchanged).

RespectASO v2.11.0

Multi-language metadata — pick any App Store storefront, generate native target-language versions.

• • ('heading', 'RespectASO v2.11.0')
• • ('intro', ['Multi-language metadata — pick any App Store storefront, generate native target-language versions.'])

Highlights

• • Suggestions language picker on AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Score Simulator. Choose any of 30+ App Store storefronts (English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, and many more) and get suggestions written natively for that market.
• • New Localize mode in ASO Score Simulator. Hand over your existing metadata in any language and get a brand-new title, subtitle, and keyword field in your target storefront's language — native search phrases real local users actually type, never machine translation.
• • Localize works across regional variants. Take your en-US metadata to en-GB ("soccer" → "football"), es-ES to es-MX, pt-BR to pt-PT, zh-Hans to zh-Hant, and more. The Simulator detects when source and target match and offers a quick confirm-or-switch prompt.
• • Bilingual output by design. Suggested titles, subtitles, and keyword fields come back in your target language; AI feedback and analysis stay in English so your decisions stay easy to read.
• • Title pre-fill from the App Store. Pick your tracked app and the App Title field auto-fills from the App Store.

Quality of Life

• • Cleaner Simulator results. Title, subtitle, and keyword field each get their own clearly-labelled row with a one-click copy button — paste straight into App Store Connect.
• • Mode-aware results heading. Score mode says "Evaluated Metadata"; Localize mode says "Generated [Language] Metadata" so you always know what you're looking at.
• • "Source (your English)" sub-panel on Localize results so you can compare side-by-side.
• • Refreshed locked AI Simulator preview matches the real form pixel-for-pixel — no surprise after you activate Pro.

RespectASO 2.10.0 — Stronger metadata recommendations

This release significantly broadens the keyword opportunity space our agentic engine considers when crafting metadata recommendations across the AI Niche Researcher, AI Competitor Analyzer, and ASO Score Simulator.

• • ('heading', 'RespectASO 2.10.0 — Stronger metadata recommendations')
• • ('intro', ['This release significantly broadens the keyword opportunity space our agentic engine considers when crafting metadata recommendations across the AI Niche Researcher, AI Competitor Analyzer, and ASO Score Simulator.'])

Highlights

• • Recommendations are now built on a substantially larger and more diverse pool of keyword candidates, surfacing stronger niche and long-tail opportunities that earlier versions could overlook.
• • More consistent coverage across all three AI tools, so the quality of suggestions no longer depends on which entry point you start from.
• • Improved balance between high-volume head terms and natural multi-word phrases, leading to more competitive title, subtitle, and keyword field suggestions.

Why it matters

A wider opportunity pool means each metadata suggestion is grounded in more evidence — increasing the chance of finding the right fit for your app's niche.

• • ('heading', 'Why it matters')
• • ('intro', ["A wider opportunity pool means each metadata suggestion is grounded in more evidence — increasing the chance of finding the right fit for your app's niche."])

RespectASO v2.9.0

A bigger, more polished AI workflow — and a smoother bridge from your AI simulations into the Dashboard you already track keywords with.

• • ('heading', 'RespectASO v2.9.0')
• • ('intro', ['A bigger, more polished AI workflow — and a smoother bridge from your AI simulations into the Dashboard you already track keywords with.'])

Highlights

• • ('heading', 'Highlights')

🆕 Send AI Simulator keywords straight into your tracked Search History

The ASO Simulator now lets you tick the keywords (and metadata terms) that look most promising and add them to the Dashboard's Search History for the same app — in one click. No re-searching, no re-scoring. The popularity, difficulty, opportunity, download estimates, app rank, and competitor list are reused exactly as shown, so the Dashboard sees the same scores you just looked at. Keywords you already track are skipped automatically, which preserves your existing rank history.

• • ('heading', '🆕 Send AI Simulator keywords straight into your tracked Search History')
• • ('intro', ["The ASO Simulator now lets you tick the keywords (and metadata terms) that look most promising and add them to the Dashboard's Search History for the same app — in one click. No re-searching, no re-scoring. The popularity, difficulty, opportunity, download estimates, app rank, and competitor list are reused exactly as shown, so the Dashboard sees the same scores you just looked at. Keywords you already track are skipped automatically, which preserves your existing rank history."])

📊 Live progress counter that survives tab switches

The "keywords scored" counter on AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator no longer resets to zero when you switch tabs and come back. The number simply continues from where it was, in every AI tab, every time.

• • ('heading', '📊 Live progress counter that survives tab switches')
• • ('intro', ['The "keywords scored" counter on AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator no longer resets to zero when you switch tabs and come back. The number simply continues from where it was, in every AI tab, every time.'])

📋 Copy and Export now work reliably in the native Mac app

The Copy button on every AI tab finally just works in the native Mac app. Exports prefetch in the background so the moment you click Copy or Export, the content is already there — no waiting, no silent failures.

• • ('heading', '📋 Copy and Export now work reliably in the native Mac app')
• • ('intro', ['The Copy button on every AI tab finally just works in the native Mac app. Exports prefetch in the background so the moment you click Copy or Export, the content is already there — no waiting, no silent failures.'])

💡 Honest "your description is limiting your suggestions" guidance

When ASO Simulator detects that your live App Store description is shorter than what Apple allows (4,000 characters), it now shows a clear amber notice explaining why the suggestions feel safer than they could be — and gives you two concrete options to unlock richer ideas, including a one-click jump to the Refine tab.

• • ('heading', '💡 Honest "your description is limiting your suggestions" guidance')
• • ('intro', ['When ASO Simulator detects that your live App Store description is shorter than what Apple allows (4,000 characters), it now shows a clear amber notice explaining why the suggestions feel safer than they could be — and gives you two concrete options to unlock richer ideas, including a one-click jump to the Refine tab.'])

🧭 Dashboard keyword table: rank column always visible

The Dashboard's keyword table now always shows the Rank column, even when "All apps" is selected. Keywords tied to a tracked app show your real rank; keywords without an app show "—". You can scan rank performance across your portfolio at a glance.

• • ('heading', '🧭 Dashboard keyword table: rank column always visible')
• • ('intro', ['The Dashboard\'s keyword table now always shows the Rank column, even when "All apps" is selected. Keywords tied to a tracked app show your real rank; keywords without an app show "—". You can scan rank performance across your portfolio at a glance.'])

✨ Cleaner sticky result headers across all 3 AI tabs

The result headers on AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator have been reorganised into a calmer, more breathable two-row layout. The badges (keywords analysed, chain total, elapsed time) sit lightly under the title; the action buttons line up neatly on the right.

• • ('heading', '✨ Cleaner sticky result headers across all 3 AI tabs')
• • ('intro', ['The result headers on AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator have been reorganised into a calmer, more breathable two-row layout. The badges (keywords analysed, chain total, elapsed time) sit lightly under the title; the action buttons line up neatly on the right.'])

Quality of Life

• • Dashboard layout fix — restored the spacing between the Filters, Search, and Scoring Guide cards that was visually cramped in the previous build.
• • Re-simulations stay instant — adding keywords from a re-simulation into the Dashboard is just as instant as the simulation itself.
• • Friendlier handling of older simulations — simulations from earlier versions show a clear notice instead of a broken state when you try to add their keywords to the Dashboard.

Compatibility

Apple Silicon (M1 or later) macOS. Free edition still ships via Docker; Pro AI features require the native .dmg and a Pro license.

• • ('heading', 'Compatibility')
• • ('intro', ['Apple Silicon (M1 or later) macOS. Free edition still ships via Docker; Pro AI features require the native .dmg and a Pro license.'])

RespectASO v2.8.0

• • ('heading', 'RespectASO v2.8.0')

See your work happen in real time

AI features now show live progress while running:

When the run finishes, the results header tells you exactly how much work was done:

No more wondering whether the AI is still working or how thorough the analysis was.

• • An elapsed-time clock ticking up
• • A live counter of how many keywords have been scored so far
• • X unique keywords analyzed in this run
• • How long it took
• • For refinements: total unique keywords across all iterations in the chain

Sortable Opportunity column on the Dashboard

You can now sort your keyword history by Opportunity — quickly surface your best targets. Numeric columns (Popularity, Difficulty, Opportunity, Rank, Competitors) now sort highest-first on the first click, which is what you actually want.

• • ('heading', 'Sortable Opportunity column on the Dashboard')
• • ('intro', ['You can now sort your keyword history by Opportunity — quickly surface your best targets. Numeric columns (Popularity, Difficulty, Opportunity, Rank, Competitors) now sort highest-first on the first click, which is what you actually want.'])

Get your app featured on the ASO Review Show

We added a Settings card linking to The Creator Behind's ASO Review Show — a YouTube series that breaks down real apps' metadata using RespectASO. Submit your app via the card and we'll consider featuring it in an upcoming episode.

• • ('heading', 'Get your app featured on the ASO Review Show')
• • ('intro', ['We added a Settings card linking to The Creator Behind\'s ASO Review Show — a YouTube series that breaks down real apps\' metadata using RespectASO. Submit your app via the card and we\'ll consider featuring it in an upcoming episode.'])

Fixes

---

Free vs Pro: All features above are available in the free edition unless noted. The AI features (Researcher, Competitor, Simulator) require a Pro license.

Compatibility: Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or later) running macOS 11+. Internet required.

Upgrade: Download the new DMG, drag to Applications. Your settings, license, and tracked apps carry over automatically.

• • Settings: Changing the AI model (not just the provider) now correctly shows the "unsaved changes" reminder.
• • External links in the native Mac app (email, web links) now open reliably in your default browser or mail app.

What's New in v2.7.3

• • ('heading', "What's New in v2.7.3")

Resilient Data Collection

The iTunes Search API occasionally returns incomplete data for certain country/keyword combinations. RespectASO now automatically detects this and falls back to a secondary Apple endpoint (Server-Side Rendering), ensuring you always get complete results — even in edge-case markets.

• • ('heading', 'Resilient Data Collection')
• • ('intro', ['The iTunes Search API occasionally returns incomplete data for certain country/keyword combinations. RespectASO now automatically detects this and falls back to a secondary Apple endpoint (Server-Side Rendering), ensuring you always get complete results — even in edge-case markets.'])

MCP Server — 19 Tools for AI Assistant Integration

RespectASO Pro now includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI assistants like Claude Desktop and Cursor perform ASO tasks directly. 19 tools cover the full workflow: keyword research, difficulty/popularity scoring, opportunity analysis, competitor analysis, app tracking, metadata simulation, and more. Configure it in Settings → MCP Integration.

• • ('heading', 'MCP Server — 19 Tools for AI Assistant Integration')
• • ('intro', ['RespectASO Pro now includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI assistants like Claude Desktop and Cursor perform ASO tasks directly. 19 tools cover the full workflow: keyword research, difficulty/popularity scoring, opportunity analysis, competitor analysis, app tracking, metadata simulation, and more. Configure it in Settings → MCP Integration.'])

Export Competitor Apps from Dashboard

The CSV export now includes the top competitor apps for each keyword — with their names, ratings, review counts, and prices. See exactly who you're competing against without leaving your spreadsheet.

• • ('heading', 'Export Competitor Apps from Dashboard')
• • ('intro', ["The CSV export now includes the top competitor apps for each keyword — with their names, ratings, review counts, and prices. See exactly who you're competing against without leaving your spreadsheet."])

Better Support for Non-English Markets

Keyword extraction and n-gram analysis now properly handle accented characters (é, ñ, ü, etc.) and language-specific word boundaries, improving accuracy for French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and other non-English App Stores.

• • ('heading', 'Better Support for Non-English Markets')
• • ('intro', ['Keyword extraction and n-gram analysis now properly handle accented characters (é, ñ, ü, etc.) and language-specific word boundaries, improving accuracy for French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and other non-English App Stores.'])

Session Timestamps in Local Timezone

AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator sessions now display timestamps in your local timezone instead of UTC.

• • ('heading', 'Session Timestamps in Local Timezone')
• • ('intro', ['AI Researcher, AI Competitor, and ASO Simulator sessions now display timestamps in your local timezone instead of UTC.'])

Update Notifications on Every Tab

The version update banner now appears on all tabs (Dashboard, Apps, Opportunity, Methodology, and Pro features), not just the Dashboard.

---

Download: Mount the DMG, drag RespectASO to Applications, and launch. Requires macOS with Apple Silicon (M1 or later).

• • ('heading', 'Update Notifications on Every Tab')
• • ('intro', ['The version update banner now appears on all tabs (Dashboard, Apps, Opportunity, Methodology, and Pro features), not just the Dashboard.', '---', 'Download: Mount the DMG, drag RespectASO to Applications, and launch. Requires macOS with Apple Silicon (M1 or later).'])

Native Apple Silicon Support

RespectASO now runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4) — no Rosetta 2 translation needed. The app launches faster and uses less memory.

Improved Update Notifications

Release notes in the update banner now display with clean formatting instead of showing raw text symbols.

Requirements

macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later).

• • ('heading', '')
• • ('intro', ['Native Apple Silicon Support', 'RespectASO now runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4) — no Rosetta 2 translation needed. The app launches faster and uses less memory.', 'Improved Update Notifications', 'Release notes in the update banner now display with clean formatting instead of showing raw text symbols.', 'Requirements', 'macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later).'])

What's New in v2.5.0

• • ('heading', "What's New in v2.5.0")

Smarter AI Keyword Suggestions

• • Better titles and subtitles — The AI now generates more natural, human-readable app names instead of keyword salad. Titles like "AI Grammar Checker Keyboard" instead of "Grammar Check Fix Tool App". Every word must dual-purpose: sound natural AND target a high-opportunity keyword.
• • Better use of every character — Title and subtitle now target 25–30 characters (previously could be much shorter), and the keyword field targets 97+ characters. The AI works harder to fill every available character with meaningful keywords instead of leaving space unused.
• • No more abbreviations — The AI no longer shortens words like "Keyboard" to "Keybd" or "Manager" to "Mgr". Only universally recognized abbreviations (AI, GPS, PDF, etc.) are allowed.
• • Smarter keyword field design — The keyword field is now treated as a complement to the title and subtitle, not a dumping ground. The AI considers which cross-field combinations each keyword field word creates with title/subtitle words, prioritizing words that form phrases people actually search.

Improved Cross-Field Combination Discovery

• • Better combination quality — All three AI tabs (Simulator, Researcher, Competitor) now share the same quality gate for cross-field keyword combinations. The AI filters out nonsensical word pairs (like "tracker running") and keeps natural search phrases (like "running tracker").
• • Both word orderings considered — The AI now evaluates phrases in both directions (e.g., "budget planner" and "planner budget") and picks the one people actually search.
• • 3-word long-tail combinations — In addition to 2-word pairs, the AI now discovers valuable 3-word search phrases (e.g., "daily calorie tracker") by mixing words across metadata fields.

Faster Re-Simulations and Refinements

• • Keyword score caching — When you re-simulate or refine suggestions, previously-scored keywords are reused instantly instead of being re-fetched from the App Store. This makes follow-up runs significantly faster.
• • Clearer refinement process — The Refine panel now explains that it regenerates suggestions using existing keyword data without re-scoring, so you know what to expect.

More Accurate Ranking Effectiveness Score

• • Honest scoring for unranked keywords — The ranking effectiveness score no longer gives free points for keywords you don't rank on. Previously, an app with zero rankings on hard keywords could still show a score of 20–30; now it correctly shows near zero. You earn ranking effectiveness by actually ranking, not just by targeting difficult keywords.

Better Competitor Analysis

• • Nonsense keyword filtering — Multi-word n-grams extracted from competitor metadata are now validated by the AI, removing meaningless phrases that would waste API calls and clutter results.
• • App context in results — Competitor analysis now shows app rating, release date, last update, and version info, giving you more context about each competitor.
• • Source labels show field origins — Combination keywords now show exactly which metadata fields they come from (e.g., "Title + KF", "Subtitle + Title") instead of a generic "Combination" label.

UI Improvements

• • Copy any keyword — Every keyword in the results tables now has a copy button so you can quickly grab keywords for your metadata.
• • Clearer section descriptions — The "Keyword Opportunities" and "Metadata Coverage Analysis" sections now have better descriptions explaining what each section shows and how to use it.
• • More visible selection borders — Selected title/subtitle combo cards now have more visible borders so you can clearly see which combination is being analyzed.
• • App context display — The Simulator now shows your app's rating, release date, last update, version, and seller below the app selector, so you have full context without leaving the page.

What's New

• • ('heading', "What's New")

Smarter AI Keyword Discovery

All three AI features (Researcher, Competitor Analyzer, Simulator) now use a more intelligent approach to discover keywords. The AI receives richer context about competitor apps, resulting in higher-quality keyword suggestions that better reflect real user search behavior.

• • ('heading', 'Smarter AI Keyword Discovery')
• • ('intro', ['All three AI features (Researcher, Competitor Analyzer, Simulator) now use a more intelligent approach to discover keywords. The AI receives richer context about competitor apps, resulting in higher-quality keyword suggestions that better reflect real user search behavior.'])

Source Tooltips

Hovering over any source badge in keyword tables now shows a helpful explanation of where that keyword came from and what it means — making results easier to understand at a glance.

• • ('heading', 'Source Tooltips')
• • ('intro', ['Hovering over any source badge in keyword tables now shows a helpful explanation of where that keyword came from and what it means — making results easier to understand at a glance.'])

Scrollable Keyword Tables

Keyword tables in all AI tabs now scroll vertically with sticky column headers, keeping long result lists manageable without losing track of which column is which.

• • ('heading', 'Scrollable Keyword Tables')
• • ('intro', ['Keyword tables in all AI tabs now scroll vertically with sticky column headers, keeping long result lists manageable without losing track of which column is which.'])

More Keywords Generated

All AI features now discover more keyword opportunities per analysis, giving you a broader view of your niche.

• • ('heading', 'More Keywords Generated')
• • ('intro', ['All AI features now discover more keyword opportunities per analysis, giving you a broader view of your niche.'])

Improvements

• • Improved tooltip descriptions to be more accurate and intuitive
• • Cleaned up internal code for better performance

What's New

• • YouTube demo links on all Pro feature promo pages
• • Prominent "Download Pro" button on free/Docker promo pages
• • Direct .dmg download (no more redirect to GitHub releases page)
• • Docker warning made more visible on Pro promo tabs
• • Dead code cleanup (unused model, workflow, static file removed)
• • Improved release testing documentation

What's New

• • Keyword text search in dashboard history — type a word and press Enter to filter results across all pages. Works with all existing filters (insight, popularity, difficulty, country), pagination, sorting, and CSV export.

Fixes

• • Fixed About dialog showing hardcoded version instead of actual app version
• • Fixed download estimates chart rendering
• • Fixed country filter dropdown behavior

What's New

• • ('heading', "What's New")

Server-Side Dashboard Filters

• • Insight, popularity, and difficulty filters now work across all pages (not just the first 25 results)
• • Filter count shows "X of Y matching" for clarity
• • Filters persist when switching tabs (via sessionStorage)

CSV Export Fix

• • Export now correctly deduplicates results (latest per keyword+country), matching what the dashboard shows
• • Export respects all active filters

Opportunity Tab Persistence

• • Partial results are saved incrementally during multi-country scans, so switching tabs mid-search no longer loses completed country results

Other

• • Native macOS app improvements (.gitignore cleanup, version bump)
• • Docker version remains fully functional

What's New

• • ('heading', "What's New")

Brand Keyword Detection

• • Automatic brand identification — RespectASO now detects brand keywords using two signals: seller-name matching (Signal A) and review disparity analysis with same-seller exclusion (Signal B)
• • Brand badge — Brand keywords are clearly labeled in search results on both Dashboard and Opportunity pages
• • Smarter difficulty scoring — Brand keywords correctly bypass the Weak Leader Cap and Backfill Discount, since brand dominance is expected and shouldn't inflate difficulty
• • Methodology documentation — Full explanation of brand detection added to the Methodology page

Download Model Recalibration

• • Three-component model — Downloads = Searches x Tap-Through Rate x Conversion Rate, providing more realistic estimates
• • Realistic conversion rates — CVR narrowed to 5–20% (previously 35–55%), better reflecting real-world App Store install behavior
• • Position-based tap-through — Position #1 receives ~30% of taps, dropping to ~1.3% by position #10
• • Market-size scaling — Download estimates now adjust for country market size with ~55 country multipliers (e.g., US = 1.0x baseline, smaller markets scale down proportionally)

Algorithm Improvements

• • Better title matching — Refactored into a dedicated function with exact phrase, all-words, and partial overlap detection plus a finance-intent guard to reduce false positives
• • 7 difficulty sub-scores — Rating Volume (30%), Dominant Players (20%), Rating Velocity (10%), Keyword in Titles (10%), Star Ratings (10%), Market Maturity (10%), Publisher Diversity (10%)
• • Cleaner download charts — Removed the "Raw: X → adjusted" override note from download estimate displays

YouTube Channel Visibility

• • Navigation link — "The Creator Behind" YouTube channel link added to the nav bar with a YouTube icon
• • Methodology callout — New section on the Methodology page highlighting the YouTube channel
• • Bolder footer — YouTube pill in the footer now has a red glow for better visibility

Upgrade

``bash docker compose pull && docker compose up -d ``

• • ('heading', 'Upgrade')
• • ('intro', ['``bash docker compose pull && docker compose up -d ``'])

What's New

• • ('heading', "What's New")

Search History Filtering

• • Insight filter: multi-select dropdown to filter by Sweet Spot, Good Target, Hidden Gem, etc.
• • Popularity and Difficulty threshold dropdowns
• • Match counter and Clear All button

Search Results UX Redesign

• • Tabbed view for multi-country search results
• • Auto-clear search field, dismiss button, Escape key support
• • Streamlined single ad placement (banner only)

Data Integrity

• • One result per keyword per day: refreshing replaces existing entry instead of creating duplicates
• • Auto-refresh scheduler no longer runs redundant cycles
• • Opportunity save preserves historical trend data

UX Polish

• • Global fixed-position tooltip system (no more clipping)
• • Filter state resets cleanly on page refresh
• • Improved banner copy and CSV attribution

Bug Fixes

• • Fix _needs_refresh_today() always returning true
• • Fix search skip check blocking re-searches from previous days
• • Fix template syntax error in filter bar
• • Fix filter row counter matching nested competitor rows

What's New

• • ('heading', "What's New")

Country Filter on Search History

You can now filter your search history by country using a dropdown in the history toolbar.

• • Country dropdown appears on the right side of the Search History header, alongside Reload, Export CSV, and other actions
• • Smart filtering — only shows countries that actually have search results
• • Persistent selection — your chosen country filter is remembered across sessions via localStorage
• • Works with all features — pagination, CSV export, and app filter all respect the active country selection
• • Changing the app filter preserves your country selection
• • Selecting a country resets pagination to page 1

How to Update

``bash docker compose pull docker compose up -d ``

• • ('heading', 'How to Update')
• • ('intro', ['``bash docker compose pull docker compose up -d ``'])

What's New

• • ('heading', "What's New")

Trend Chart Improvements

• • Full trend chart with proper Y-axis labels, horizontal grid lines, and auto-scaled ranges
• • Rank plotted on chart as a secondary Y-axis (right side) with inverted scale
• • Vertical axis titles: Popularity / Difficulty (left) and Rank (right)
• • All dates shown on X-axis (up to 10 smart ticks for longer histories)
• • Bigger chart and history table for better readability
• • Sticky table headers with backdrop blur

UI Polish

• • Close button (X) on trend panels instead of auto-close
• • Version display in footer next to the GitHub link
• • Trend arrow formatting: cleaner format with parentheses
• • Zero-delta values no longer show a distracting equals sign
• • Fixed alignment of rank, popularity, and difficulty values with trend arrows

Under the Hood

• • New context processor exposes VERSION to all templates
• • VERSION bumped to 1.2.0

What's New

• • ('heading', "What's New")

Automatic Version Update Check

RespectASO now automatically checks GitHub for newer releases when you open the Dashboard.

• • Update banner — If a newer version is available, a subtle purple banner appears at the top of the Dashboard showing your current version and the latest available version.
• • One-click instructions — The banner links directly to the "Updating to a New Version" section on the Setup page with step-by-step commands.
• • Non-intrusive — The check runs silently on page load. If GitHub is unreachable or the check fails, nothing is shown. No disruption to normal use.

Technical Details

• • Added VERSION constant to core/settings.py for tracking the current version
• • Added /version-check/ API endpoint that queries the GitHub Releases API
• • Added #updating anchor to the Setup page for deep linking

RespectASO v1.0.0 — Initial Release

Free, open-source, self-hosted ASO keyword research tool.

• • ('heading', 'RespectASO v1.0.0 — Initial Release')
• • ('intro', ['Free, open-source, self-hosted ASO keyword research tool.'])

Features

• • Keyword Research — Search any keyword across 40+ App Store countries
• • Popularity Score (0–100) — 6-signal estimation using Apple's Search Ads framework
• • Difficulty Score (0–100) — 7-factor competitive analysis
• • Download Estimates — 3-stage pipeline: popularity → search volume → per-position downloads
• • Country Opportunity Finder — Compare keyword performance across all supported countries
• • Keyword History — Save and revisit past research with full result snapshots
• • CSV Export — Export results for external analysis
• • Multi-Country Search — Analyze keywords in multiple markets simultaneously

Privacy

• • No API keys required — Uses Apple's public iTunes Search API
• • Self-hosted — All data stays on your machine
• • No tracking — Zero analytics, no external requests beyond Apple's API

Quick Start

```bash git clone https://github.com/respectlytics/respectaso.git cd respectaso docker compose up -d

• • ('heading', 'Quick Start')
• • ('intro', ['```bash git clone https://github.com/respectlytics/respectaso.git cd respectaso docker compose up -d'])

Open http://localhost in your browser

```

• • ('heading', 'Open http://localhost in your browser')
• • ('intro', ['```'])

Tech Stack

• • Django 5.x + SQLite
• • Docker (Python 3.12-slim)
• • Tailwind CSS (CDN)

License

AGPL-3.0

• • ('heading', 'License')
• • ('intro', ['AGPL-3.0'])