Guide

How to create an App Store in-app event

Jul 19, 2026 Plan, create, and schedule an App Store in-app event: creative, localization, badges, deep links, and how to include the event in your next review submission with Helm.

In-app events put a timely moment from your app onto the App Store: a season pass, a live drop, a challenge, a content premiere. This guide walks through planning, creative, localization, and submission, with Helm in-app events as the workstation on Mac.

When an event is worth creating

Good fits:

A start and end date customers can understand
Something new to experience inside the app (not just a price change)
Creative assets that look strong next to native App Store modules
A deep link that opens the right screen for existing users

Weak fits:

Evergreen features with no schedule
Vague “something cool is coming” placeholders
Events that require a binary you have not submitted yet without a plan

Read the product definition in the in-app events glossary.

Plan before you open the form

Write a one-page brief:

Event name (clear, not cryptic)
Short description for the App Store card
Schedule including time zone strategy
Deep link destination and fallback
Badge choice that matches the content type
Locales you will support on day one
Whether the event needs App Review with your next submission

If you also hope for editorial featuring, align messaging with your nomination materials so the story matches.

Create the event

In App Store Connect or Helm:

Create a new event on the app.
Set the publish and start/end schedule.
Add primary and secondary locale text.
Upload the required image (and video if you use one).
Choose a badge that sets accurate expectations.
Add the deep link and verify it on a device build.
Set availability for the territories that make sense.
Include the event in a review submission when required.

Helm helps you create, schedule, and localize events, attach media, and fold the event into submission flows on Mac. AI helpers on Pro can improve event copy and generate image options when you need a first draft of creative.

The helm-asc CLI also supports in-app event workflows for teams that automate release ops.

Creative tips

Design for small cards first, then check larger placements
Keep faces and focal points away from edges that crop
Avoid tiny text inside the event card art
Match the in-app destination visually so the handoff feels intentional
Localize text on art for priority markets when the headline is baked into pixels

Localization without thrash

Ship the event in your top locales on publish day rather than English-only with a promise to “add more later.” Event windows are short. Late translations miss the campaign.

Use the same process you trust for listing copy: strong base language, assisted translation where appropriate, human review for claims. See translate app metadata.

Measure the operational success

Even without deep analytics inside Helm, you can watch:

Whether deep links open the correct screen
Support volume spiked by confusing event copy
Conversion into the experience you promoted
Whether the schedule matched reality (no starting an event before the content is live)

Common mistakes

Deep link to a screen behind a paywall with no explanation
Schedule that goes live before the backend event exists
Badge that implies live video when the content is static
Forgetting to submit the event for review with the binary that contains the destination