On February 2, 2026, AppTweak made updates to keyword search popularity (volumes) across our platform. This article explains what changed, why, and guidance to interpret your keyword data in AppTweak.
Context
Back in October 2025, AppTweak observed changes in how App Store search popularity was reported for lower-demand keywords. Many keywords that previously showed mid-range volumes were now grouped into the lowest popularity tier (volume 5).
At that time, to preserve context for keyword research, AppTweak temporarily displayed the last known volumes for affected keywords while we monitored how search popularity evolved.
On February 2, 2026, AppTweak returned to aligning all related keyword metrics (volumes, maximum reach, and organic installs) with today’s official values from the store.
As we continue to investigate longer-term improvements to keyword search demand data in our platform, AppTweak introduced additional context to support keyword analysis on February 2, 2026, as detailed below.
How to interpret keyword volumes in AppTweak
Today, AppTweak has observed that when a keyword’s search popularity falls below a certain threshold in a given country, it is grouped by the store into the lowest popularity tier.
As a result, many keywords now display a volume of 5, even though they can still attract meaningful search demand.
To effectively interpret keyword volumes in AppTweak, we recommend considering these additional signals:
Trend indicator
AppTweak will highlight most keywords whose volume suddenly dropped to 5 after App Store changes with a trend icon. This helps you identify keywords that may still be worth researching, despite a low current volume.
The trend icon may also appear on keywords that dropped to volume 5 after being impacted by App Store changes, before increasing in volume.
Max. Volume
The new Max. Volume metric provides insight into how popular a keyword has been in the past (since January 1, 2025), helping you assess its potential beyond today’s snapshot.
Volume history
The volume history graph will help you understand whether a keyword showed consistently higher demand prior to App Store changes or followed specific seasonal patterns.
Together, these signals help to distinguish keywords with consistently low demand today from those affected by store changes that may still represent valuable opportunities.
All Ranked Keywords – Volume Differences
You may notice differences in search volumes within the All Ranked Keywords report.
This is because these reports were computed in the past and were not recomputed retroactively after we updated our volumes to display exactly what Apple sends us.
Only volumes from February 2nd onward have been updated.
Volumes shown before February 2nd may still reflect the old values.
The Volume history graph view displays updated historical volumes, which can create discrepancies with the table.
Example
In the table:
Volume on January 5th: 27
Volume on February 5th: 5
In the graph:
January 5th shows 5, as volumes were updated there.
For fully updated and consistent data, please refer to volumes from February 2nd onward.
New Max. Volume metric
As mentioned, AppTweak provides additional context for keywords currently showing a volume of 5 with the Max. Volume metric, available in Keyword Research tables.
Max. Volume displays the highest volume value returned by the store for a given keyword since January 1, 2025, along with the date it was recorded.
To see the Max. Volume metric, click to "display more metrics" in the top-right of your keyword tables.
This metric is particularly useful for evaluating:
Keywords that previously showed mid-range volumes before being grouped into the lowest tier
Keywords that now share the same volume but have very different historical demand patterns
Keywords with strong seasonality demand
You can also switch between Today’s Volume and Max. Volume to evaluate opportunities in our keyword suggestion pickers:
Please note that Max. Volume is an additional decision-making signal for keyword research. Other features (organic installs, maximum reach, All Ranked Keywords, Monitor Performance, Reporting Studio, etc.) rely solely on today’s official volume values reported by the stores.
Monitoring keyword volume history charts
In volume history charts, you may notice that some keywords suddenly drop to a volume of 5.
Based on the changes we have observed, this behavior is linked to how the App Store currently groups lower-demand keywords.
How volume thresholds work
From our observations, the App Store appears to apply volume thresholds when reporting search popularity. A threshold represents a level below which the store no longer provides volume granularity. When a keyword falls below this level, it is grouped directly into volume 5.
These observed thresholds:
Vary by country
Can change over time
What changed around October 1
Before October 1, each country appeared to have a single threshold. For example, in the United States, we observed a threshold around volume 14. This meant there were no keywords with volumes between 6 and 13, and keywords instead jumped directly from volume 5 to 14.
After October 1, two major changes were observed:
Thresholds increased significantly.
In the United States, for example, keywords may no longer appear between volumes 6 and 39.Multiple thresholds now appear to exist within the same country.
As a result, different keywords can drop to volume 5 at different volume levels.
These changes can cause sudden drops to volume 5 in the volume history graph.
Examples
For example, the keyword “free cleaner” in the United States dropped from volume 38 to 5 on October 1.
On the other hand, the keyword “rideshare” in the United States dropped from volume 46 to 5.
These examples show that a drop to volume 5 does not necessarily mean search demand disappeared. Instead, it reflects how keywords are grouped once they fall below observed reporting thresholds.
As soon as a keyword’s search popularity rises above the relevant threshold, its volume will jump up from 5 accordingly.
Conclusion
As app store search popularity reporting continues to evolve, reliable keyword data remains essential to your work.
The updates described restore alignment with today’s official values reported by the stores. At the same time, our product and data science teams are actively working on longer-term improvements to keyword search data in AppTweak. As our work progresses, we’ll continue to communicate any meaningful updates.
If you have questions, feedback, or would like to discuss how these changes affect your strategy, our support team and Customer Success Managers will be happy to help.
Overview of changes to keyword volumes in AppTweak
October 1, 2025
AppTweak observed changes in how the App Store reports search popularity, particularly for lower-demand keywords.
Many keywords that previously showed mid-range volumes were grouped into the lowest popularity tier (volume 5), based on volume thresholds that vary by country.
At the same time, we observed a new volume scale for keywords that remained above volume 5, leading to increased volumes for many popular terms.
October 21-24, 2025
To preserve context for keyword research and reporting, AppTweak temporarily displayed the last known volumes (as well as installs and maximum reach) for affected keywords.
This temporary display applied only to keywords that fell to volume 5. Higher-volume keywords continued to reflect their updated values.
During this same period, AppTweak aligned related metrics (organic installs and maximum reach) with the updated volume scale observed for higher-volume keywords.
February 2, 2026
AppTweak removed the temporary display of last known volumes for affected keywords.
From February 2, 2026, all keyword volumes reflect today’s official values reported by the App Store.
Some keywords now appear with a volume of 5, reflecting how lower-demand keywords are currently reported. This update was applied retroactively to volume history charts.
New supporting context was introduced, including the Max. Volume metric and trend indicators.
All related keyword metrics (organic installs and maximum reach) are calculated using today’s volume values. As a result, you may notice drops in visibility, installs, and impressions in All Ranked Keywords and Monitor Performance reports around this date.
These updates applied to keyword volumes and related metrics for the App Store & Google Play, across ASO Intelligence, Reporting Studio, Campaign Manager, the API, and exports.