Sensor Tower has a variety of tools that allow you to track when app updates occur, and to understand the content of each update. Two features especially useful for tracking updates are App Update Timeline and Custom Alerts.

With these two features, you'll be notified whenever an app has any updates including version number, name, screenshots, and more. You can then navigate to App Update Timeline and see the content behind the update to track what ASO strategies your competitors are using.

Tracking App Updates with Custom Alerts

Sensor Tower's Custom Alerts feature enables you to pick a variety of different app update metrics to track. Here's how you can set up your own custom alerts so that you are notified whenever an app update occurs:

1. Navigate to Dashboards & Alerts > Custom Alerts > Configure.
   Alternatively, you can click on the  bell icon beside your email address in the upper-right.

2. Click Add New Alert under App Alerts.

   

   You can also set up a Publisher Alert, for tracking all app updates from an app publisher.

3. Choose Type of Alert to Track (Step 1 of 4)
   

   1. Start typing the name of the app you wish to track in the Add another app... field.
   2. Select the desired app from the returned results.
   3. Repeat for each app you wish to include in this alert.
   4. Choose to be notified about updates in the App Store, Google Play Store, or both with the Unified option.
   5. Click Next.

4. Select Metric to Use for Alert (Step 2 of 4)
   

   1. Scroll down to the App Updates section and select Version Update. Alternatively, start typing version update in the Search alert type field.
   2. Select any other updates types according to your needs. 
   3. To the right, you can choose to view a Sample Alert or read an Explanation of that alert type, including what will be included in the alert and which attributes can be configured in the following step.
   4. Click Next.

5. Configure When to be Alerted (Step 3 of 4)
   

   1. Select one or more Countries / Regions to monitor for new releases.
   2. Select how often you would like to be notified: daily (Last 1 Day), weekly (Last 7 Days), or monthly (Last 30 Days).
   3. Click Next.

6. Name Alert and Select Delivery Options (Step 4 of 4)
   

   1. Your alert will be given a Name based on the details you have chosen in the previous steps, but you may edit this here
   2. Indicate whether you would like to receive alerts via Email.
   3. Indicate whether you would like to receive alerts via Slack. Alerts may be delivered as a direct message or to a channel of your choice.
      

      If you have not yet connected Slack to your Sensor Tower account, and you wish to receive alerts this way, click the   Add to Slack button.

7. Click Finish.
8. You can now Close the pop-up window, go back to the Custom Alerts Manager page, or Create Another Alert immediately.
   

Understanding Updates with App Update Timeline

When you receive an alert that your chosen app has released a new version (or another update type you may have selected), you can navigate to the App Update Timeline module to understand the update in more detail.

1. Navigate to App Intelligence > App Profiles > App Update Timeline.
2. Select your desired App and filter the Update Types and impacted Country/Region(s) you wish to see via the dropdown menus at the top of the module.
   
3. All updates matching your filters will be listed from most recent to oldest.
   
4. Click on any update to see more details, including before and after comparisons.