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Back when I did a lot more web stuff, soft launches were the default way we released features. But I wonder if soft launches are possible or even desirable in the mobile apps world where a lot of press is devoted to "new" (app store sections and even blogs with a recurring "new this week" sections).

Do any mobile startups do soft launches?

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You're right it's more difficult to pull off a soft launch on mobile if you're also aiming for a feature in the App Store (Apple seems to favor new-ness when selecting apps for features). I've heard of iOS apps launching into a subset of the regional app stores as a way to soft launch (ie. excluding the US store and thus preventing Apple from featuring there before the developer is ready).

This is exactly what Supercell, maker of Clash of Clans (currently ranked 81 in the App Store), is doing with its new game Boom Beach, which is Canada only

I'm guessing here, but did Evernote ever do a "big" launch, or it slowly came out as the note taking app/service?

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