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What are the Benefits of Soft Launching an App?

June 25th, 2025

What are the Benefits of Soft Launching an App?
David Bell

by David Bell

CEO at Gummicube, Inc.

Launching an app without testing it first is a risk most app developers cannot afford to take. A soft launch is your opportunity to collect real-world data before the world has access to it. Soft launching gives you time to adjust, refine, and optimize every element of your app listing. When executed strategically, a soft launch is a critical phase of your mobile app marketing lifecycle that can help to set your app up for competing in a busy market.

For those preparing to release an app, soft launching can provide clarity on next steps and changes to make to your app listing. Discovering what performs best for your target audience is a helpful component of any App Store Optimization (ASO) strategy. Developers can experiment with different app creatives, analyze user responses, and determine whether any updates need to be made. Whether you are deciding between two sets of screenshots or wondering if your App Preview needs edits, exposing it to a limited audience is the smarter choice. A soft launch can help developers prevent missteps that are harder to fix once an app is live.

WHAT IS A SOFT LAUNCH FOR MOBILE APPS?

Every mobile app release falls within three core stages: pre-launch, soft launch, and full release.

The pre-launch stage involves product development, early positioning, and preparation for distribution. Developers solidify their messaging and make initial decisions around design, paid search strategies, and finding out what appeals most to their target audience. ASO strategies should begin here, not after launch. Early optimization decisions can affect how your app performs the moment it hits the store.

The soft launch allows your app to go live in a smaller market or to a limited user base. This controlled release is not about driving volume. It is about validating hypotheses. Does your title convey the app’s primary benefit? Are users convertingclicking through your screenshots? Does your icon attract new users Is your app icon recognizable? These are the types of questions a soft launch can answer.

The full release marks your entry into target markets. By this stage, your app should be running smoothly, your creative assets should be able to convert well, and your metadata should be aligned with relevant, high-performing app keywords. The mistakes that tank conversion rates or increase uninstall rates should already have been resolved through the soft launch process.

External A/B testing

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR APP FOR A SOFT LAUNCH

A successful soft launch requires clear goals, A/B testing ASO tools, and a willingness to regularly iterate. You need to know what to measure and how to act on the data you gather over time. Without a detailed strategy, your soft launch can cause more confusion instead of showing you where your app listing is shining.

To prepare effectively, start by identifying your primary testing focus. Are you evaluating creative performance, such as app icons and App Store videos? Are you validating different value propositions within your app description? Are you experimenting with keyword usage in your app subtitle?

External mobile app A/B testing tools like Splitcube can help answer all of these questions. In the absence of specific A/B testing capabilities, external testing offers app developers opportunities to test assets they might not otherwise be able to on other Native platforms.

Whether your app is still in development or available to select users, Splitcube enables you to test the performance of your listing assets with precision.

Gummicube’s Splitcube allows you to A/B test:

  • App icons
  • App Screenshots
  • App Store videos
  • Feature graphics
  • App Titles and Subtitles
  • Short descriptions
  • Full descriptions

In addition to standard creative and metadata testing, Splitcube supports testing of elements typically locked behind app store limitations:

Unlike native testing tools, Splitcube does not require live publishing to conduct mobile app A/B testing. You can test everything before releasing any version to the public. Developers use Splitcube to create web-based replicas of app store pages and then send targeted traffic to those pages. Each variation is tested with real users, and all behavioral data is collected in real time.

The ability to test a pre-launch ensures that your live first impression in any market is backed by reliable conversion data.

BENEFITS OF A SOFT LAUNCH FOR YOUR APP

Soft launching brings measurable benefits for developers who want to launch with confidence. It shifts your launch strategy from reactive to proactive. Instead of scrambling to fix low conversion rates or poor ratings post-launch, you arrive in the store with optimized creatives and validated messaging.

Gummicube has supported countless developers through soft launches, helping them turn early feedback into long-term success. One of the most effective soft launch strategies is releasing your app in a lower-priority region while directing limited paid traffic to your store listing. This testbed market allows you to:

  • Identify technical bugs or UX issues
  • Test paid search strategies
  • Measure app  engagement and retention
  • Assess bounce rates and user exploration
  • Monitor app creative effectiveness and metadata performance

These insights guide optimization efforts and give your app a competitive edge before you ever launch in your main territories. Without this data, developers are guessing. And guessing rarely scales.

A soft launch also helps prepare your app for growth. If your store listing is already converting at a high rate, paid user acquisition becomes more efficient. You spend less per download and drive better long-term retention. The result is a launch that not only performs but sustains performance over time.

HOW TO SOFT LAUNCH AN APP

The soft launch process is about identifying which parts of your product and store listing drive results. With Splitcube, you can run external mobile app A/B testing campaigns by creating landing page variants that mirror the app store environment. These landing pages are designed to capture user behavior and reveal which version converts best.\

Gummicube’s Splitcube can be used with:

  • Facebook and Instagram link-click campaigns
  • Email marketing campaigns
  • Website or in-app banners
  • Paid ad networks with link-based targeting

Splitcube evenly distributes traffic. This is especially important when measuring early performance without skewing results due to overexposure.

Audience targeting is handled within the platforms driving the traffic. You can direct specific user segments to specific tests, enabling more granular insights. For example, you might test different value propositions between audiences in the United Kingdom and Canada or between fitness-focused users and general lifestyle users.

Because Splitcube is not tied to a native app store interface, it can run tests that Apple and Google do not support. You are free to test creative combinations, metadata pairings, and engagement strategies that would otherwise be out of reach. You can also run multivariate testing across territories to evaluate how cultural differences impact conversion rates.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Soft launching is not optional for developers serious about their mobile app’s success. It is a foundational part of a modern launch strategy, especially in saturated markets where discoverability and conversion are constant challenges. Testing your app store listing before you go live allows you to refine your approach based on user data, not assumptions.

Mobile app A/B testing tools like Splitcube give developers the power to test, iterate, and validate every creative decision. From app icon design to title phrasing, nothing should be left untested. A strong app starts with data-driven decisions. 

A soft launch will not just highlight what is working. It will expose what is not. That is where real growth begins. You cannot fix what you do not measure. And you cannot scale what you have not tested. Soft launching is how you prepare your app to compete and how you build long-term success from day one.

LET’S CHAT

If you are looking to bring mobile app A/B testing and real-time data into your ASO strategy, Gummicube’s ASO services are built to support apps at every stage of development. From early testing to making your app live, we can help you navigate the complexities of app stores and make informed, data-driven updates that can drive results. Let’s elevate your app together, one iteration at a time.

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