Alex Kirk

This plugin adds a <code>/my-apps/</code> route to your WordPress so that it can act as your personal apps launcher — a dashboard that feels like a mobile phone home screen, so you don’t have to navigate wp-admin to reach the apps you use.
Apps can be plugins that register their own icon, custom links you add yourself, or plugins you install on demand from the built-in app store.
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Launcher at <code>/my-apps/</code> with grid or flow layouts, drag-to-reorder, and an edit mode for customization.</li>
<li>Display settings live in the launcher itself (no admin page): icon size, spacing, grid columns, layout toggle, background color/image, optional personalized greeting, and, in WordPress Playground, a default-on per-user redirect from <code>/</code> to <code>/my-apps/</code> plus a default-on simplified WordPress mode that hides legacy admin shortcuts, plugin recommendations, manual add links, and core WordPress guides behind a reveal button. Device-specific display settings are stored per-device while in edit mode, and app-level options live in a dedicated My Apps Settings window.</li>
<li>App Store for installing new apps: browse a curated catalog, view app detail pages, and install via WordPress Playground blueprints. Paste a custom blueprint JSON from the clipboard to install anything.</li>
<li>Plugin-provided launcher icons: installed apps appear in My Apps when the plugin registers through <code>my_apps_plugins</code>.</li>
<li>Mobile-friendly: full-screen app store, three icons per row, and a My Apps link in the admin bar on the frontend.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Adding an app from a plugin</h3>
Plugins can register their own launcher icon by filtering <code>my_apps_plugins</code>:
<pre><code>add_filter( 'my_apps_plugins', function ( $apps ) {
 // Add your app to the array. These three keys are mandatory:
 $apps['friends'] = array(
 // Name: The name that will be displayed.
 'name' => __( 'Friends', 'friends' ),
 // The icon as a URL. You can also use a local URL inside a plugin, using `plugins_url()`.
 'icon_url' => 'https://ps.w.org/friends/assets/icon-256x256.png',
 // The URL this should link to.
 'url' => home_url( '/friends/' ),
 );
 return $apps;
} );
</code></pre>
<h3>Temporarily adding an app from a blueprint</h3>
You can add your own app to the App Store by pasting a complete WordPress Playground <code>blueprint.json</code>. Open My Apps, choose Add, then paste the blueprint anywhere in the App Store. On mobile, focus the Search field and paste the blueprint there.
My Apps reads the blueprint’s <code>meta.title</code>, <code>meta.description</code>, and <code>meta.author</code> fields to create the app-store entry. If the title matches an existing app, you can temporarily override that app with your pasted blueprint. Custom and modified blueprint entries are stored in this browser, appear in the Custom section, and can be removed or reverted from their badge in the App Store. When you paste multiple versions for the same entry, My Apps keeps a short version list so you can switch between them from the App Store.
To test App Store catalog, What can I do? guide, or plugin recommendation changes from another blueprints source without changing this plugin, paste a <code>WordPress/blueprints</code> PR number, a PR URL, or a GitHub fork branch URL anywhere in the App Store. On mobile, paste it into Search. Use the x next to the source indicator to return to the default catalog.
To test an app or plugin change from GitHub, paste a PR URL, commit URL, or PR changes URL for the repository installed by an existing app blueprint, such as <code>https://github.com/example-user/example-plugin/pull/117</code>, <code>https://github.com/example-user/example-plugin/commit/0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567</code>, or <code>https://github.com/example-user/example-plugin/pull/144/changes/fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98</code>. My Apps will point the matching blueprint or recommended GitHub plugin at the PR branch or commit. Reverting that modified entry also clears its pasted version list.
Example:
<pre><code>`json
</code></pre>
{ 
 “$schema”: “https://playground.wordpress.net/blueprint-schema.json”, 
 “meta”: { 
 “title”: “My Custom App”, 
 “description”: “Installs my custom WordPress app.”, 
 “author”: “Your Name” 
 }, 
 “landingPage”: “/wp-admin/”, 
 “steps”: [ 
 { 
 “step”: “installPlugin”, 
 “pluginData”: { 
 “resource”: “wordpress.org/plugins”, 
 “slug”: “gutenberg” 
 } 
 } 
 ] 
} 
 `
<h3>Short install links</h3>
For QR-code-friendly shares, link to the site root with <code>myapps-i=<app-slug></code>. My Apps redirects the request into <code>/my-apps/</code>, installs the matching App Store entry if needed, and opens the app’s landing page with the remaining query parameters preserved.
Example:
<pre><code>`
</code></pre>
https://my.wordpress.net/?myapps-i=wordcamp-companion&schedule=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%2Fschedule.json 
 `
<pre><code>wordcamp-companion resolves to the matching App Store catalog key, including `apps/wordcamp-companion.json` and `blueprints/wordcamp-companion/blueprint.json`. You can also use `?install=1&app=wordcamp-companion` when an `app` parameter is easier to generate.
</code></pre>
<h3>Abilities API</h3>
When the WordPress Abilities API is available, My Apps registers a <code>my-apps</code> category with App Store search, What can I do? guide discovery, and launcher customization abilities:
<ul>
<li><code>my-apps/get-all</code> returns the full launcher state, including grouped background metadata, visible apps in display order, and app customization metadata.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/get-what-can-i-do</code> returns the default My Apps What can I do? guide catalog for questions like “what can I do?”. It intentionally excludes browser-local custom blueprints and alternate App Store catalog sources; the backing catalog file remains <code>recipes.json</code>.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/search-app-store</code> searches or browses the default My Apps App Store catalog, including curated installable apps and optional curated plugin recommendations. It intentionally excludes browser-local custom blueprints and alternate App Store catalog sources.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/set-background</code> updates the launcher background using a preset slug, an image attachment ID, a remote image URL to sideload or use directly if sideloading fails, or a safe CSS color/gradient value.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/add-app</code> creates a custom app icon with a name, URL, and optional icon. Icons can be an image URL, Dashicon, emoji, gradient, generated letter tile, or the app URL’s conventional <code>/favicon.ico</code>.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/set-app-details</code> renames an existing launcher app, changes its URL, or reverts those name/URL overrides.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/set-app-icon</code> updates or reverts the icon for an existing launcher app by slug.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/set-visible-ordered</code> sets the complete <code>visible_ordered</code> launcher app list; apps omitted from this list are hidden.</li>
<li><code>my-apps/set-app-visibility</code> hides or restores a launcher app by slug.</li>
</ul>
When the AI Assistant plugin is available, My Apps also registers domain hints so questions about the My Apps App Store, app catalog search/browsing, installable apps/plugins, What can I do? guides, what WordPress can do, the launcher, app icons, hidden apps, app order, and launcher backgrounds are routed to these abilities.

My Apps

SEALsystems

The App Store Assistant WordPress plugin displays a list of iOS Apps, Mac apps or iTunes content from an RSS feed (https://rss.itunes.apple.com/us/) or the detail for iPhone/iPod Apps, Mac Apps, iPad Apps, Songs, Albums, Movies, Short Films, TV Episodes, or Seasons and Music Videos via the item’s ID. optionally it will also converts the items’s link to use your affiliate program. It now also allows items from Amazon.com to be displayed.
Built-in search for automated Post creation.
When upgrading to a new version of the plug-in, it is recommend that you rebuild the cache. There is an option in the Utilities tab that will do this for you.
Features
<ul>
<li>Find an App or iTunes item fast with the “New ASA Post” button in the Admin area
<ul>
<li>Auto-creates new POST or Shortcode</li>
<li>Adds item Title</li>
<li>Choose from Draft, Publish or Pending</li>
<li>Auto creates Featured Image from app icon or item images</li>
<li>Adds items Categories to Post</li>
<li>Can auto create Categories based on App or items Categories</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Displays detailed item information or links
<ul>
<li>Apple App Store</li>
<li>Mac App Store</li>
<li>Amazon.com</li>
<li>iTunes Store
<ul>
<li>Songs</li>
<li>Albums</li>
<li>Podcasts</li>
<li>Movies</li>
<li>Short Films</li>
<li>TV Episodes or Seasons</li>
<li>Music Videos</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Arrange the order of App elements via drag and drop</li>
<li>You can now display individual item elements via new shortcode</li>
<li>Display an item’s icon and short description in RSS/ATOM feed</li>
<li>Multi-country support</li>
<li>I18n aka Localization is supported via POT file</li>
<li>Earn Money with Affiliate Programs
<ul>
<li>PHG</li>
<li>TradeDoubler</li>
<li>Amazon Affiliates</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Customizable
<ul>
<li>Choose from different Star rating colors</li>
<li>Button colors and style</li>
<li>Choose which detail elements to display and their order</li>
<li>Adjust App Icon image size</li>
<li>Elements can be displayed in an Accordion (show/hide)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Cache detail and images locally for quicker page load times</li>
<li>Remove the whole cache or individual items</li>
<li>Widget to show ATOM/RSS Feed of Apps</li>
<li>Use custom Excerpts or let App Store Assistant auto-create an excerpt</li>
<li>Tested with over 300 Themes</li>
<li>Screenshot Lightbox support</li>
<li>wp-o-matic plugin support</li>
</ul>
There is now a built-in quick search function. It searches for iTunes items or iOS/Mac apps. Displays the shortcode already filled out, and with the click of a button, creates a new POST already titled with the appropriate shortcode already entered.
You can also Donate to fund the development of this plugin at <a href="http://theiphoneappslist.com/donate/" rel="nofollow ugc">TheiPhoneAppsList Donate</a>
Please let us know of any features you would like added or bugs that need squashing in the <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/app-store-assistant" rel="ugc">WordPress forums</a>
REQUIRES PHP 5.4 or later
<h3>Available Shortcodes</h3>
<ul>
<li>[asa_item]: Displays a single iOS app, Mac app or item from the iTunes Store</li>
<li>[amazon_item]: Displays a single item from Amazon.com</li>
<li>[asaf_atomfeed]: Displays the items from the ATOm feed in a formatted view with the modes iOS, Mac or iTunes</li>
<li>[asa_list]: Displays Several iOS apps, Mac apps or iTunes items on a single page or post</li>
<li>[asa_link]: Displays a text only link to the iOS App, Mac app or iTunes Item</li>
<li>[amazon_item_link]: Displays a button or text only link to the Amazon Item with the modes text,button or textPrice]. The mode “textPrice” displays “Available from Amazon.com for” ending with price or “View on Amazon.com” if there is no price.”</li>
<li>[asa_elements] Displays one or more elements for an item</li>
</ul>
Full help for shortcodes is displayed in the settings area.
<h3>Feature Request List</h3>
<ul>
<li>Request: Have an ATOM feed auto create posts from app List</li>
<li>Request: iTunes breakout of elements</li>
<li>Request: Bulk import of Apps [Thanks TesterGP]</li>
<li>Request: Change file type to png if tiff supplied by app store WP_Image_Editor</li>
<li>Request: Random Post generator (randomly picks an app that you don’t already have a post for) [Thanks AslanDoma]</li>
<li>Request: Shortcode tags can now override the Store/Language chosen [Thanks crisf86]</li>
<li>Request: Sped up Reset of Featured Images (Using log system)</li>
<li>Request: All images now saved as png 
 http://bhoover.com/wp_image_editor-wordpress-image-editing-tutorial/</li>
<li>Request: Reset Featured Images now saves to log</li>
<li>Request: Plugin checks the app in all stores for availability and then generates the box with flags. Each flag is a button and a link to the app. Of course links is set for affiliate programs. [Thanks Aslan Guseinov]</li>
<li>Request: Option to search for Apps no longer available and change post to “Pending Review”</li>
<li>Added: —————-Option to rebuild cache same method as FI Rebuild</li>
<li>Request: iBooks support [Thanks rnakoneshny]</li>
<li>Request: separate the elements of appDetails, ex. appVersion, appCreateBy, appReleaseDate, etc. [Thanks Jomasher]</li>
<li>Request: Add Tags with App/item name to post [Thanks iOSAppLists]</li>
<li>Added: iWatch search</li>
</ul>
<h3>Note</h3>
The App Store Assistant can cache the data from your application in the WordPress database for a preset number of hours. App icons and screenshots are cached on your server.
<h3>License</h3>
This file is part of App Store Assistant.
App Store Assistant is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
App Store Assistant is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with App Store Assistant. If not, see <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.gnu.org/licenses/</a>.

App Store Assistant

I am the programmer, so my review is a bit biased. But I think it is a pretty good plug-in.



Version 7 coming shortly

Lets you display the detail of an item or an RSS feed from Apple's App Store, iTunes Stores or Amazon.com. Affiliate ready.

My Apps vs App Store Assistant