The README says only one post should carry featured true; the newest wins. The homepage no longer leads with a random featured anyway. It leads with the App Store cluster Google already showed.
Why the flag still exists
Build logs like Hangar #21 used it. Fine as a pin. Not as five pins.
What the homepage does now
StoreKit, Hangar first submit, paywall close — then the rest. Featured is not the strategy.
Drafts
Featured on a draft still does not ship in production. Drafts stay out of the sitemap.