Mobile app stores currently face significant discovery challenges, with users struggling to find apps that match their specific needs and device limitations. Two key gaps exist: there's no way to sort apps by actual download counts (only curated "top charts"), and no proper filtering by app size—a critical factor for users with storage constraints or data limitations.

Solving Discovery Through Better Filters

The idea suggests implementing two practical filtering options in app stores:

• Download count sorting: Allowing users to sort apps by verified download numbers (with options for different time periods) would surface genuinely popular apps beyond store promotions.
• App size filtering: Enabling search by application size would help users with limited storage space (common on budget devices) or expensive data plans find appropriately sized apps.

These filters could be combined with existing options like category or rating filters, appearing alongside standard sorting methods. While stores already show this data, making it actionable through sorting would significantly improve discovery.

Why This Matters

These features would primarily benefit three groups:

1. Users who need to carefully manage their device storage
2. People in regions with expensive mobile data costs
3. Practical shoppers who prefer crowd-validated apps over promoted ones

For app store platforms, this could increase user satisfaction and engagement. However, there might be resistance as these features could reduce control over which apps get visibility.

Practical Implementation

One way to test this could start with an MVP focusing on size filtering (less controversial than download sorting), implementing:

• Size filters in search and category pages
• Two-way sorting (largest to smallest and vice versa)
• More prominent size display in listings

If successful, download count sorting could be added later as a secondary phase. The data already exists—this would simply make it actionable for users through existing filter interfaces, avoiding UI clutter.

The concept builds on existing store capabilities but adds the crucial ability to actually sort by these meaningful metrics, giving users more control over their app discovery experience while creating new visibility opportunities for certain types of developers.