Posts tagged rejected apps
Apple Cracking Down on Mass Produced, Low Functionality Apps?
Mar 8th
TechCrunch is reporting that companies who mass produce (or provide tools and templates for the mass production of) “cookie cutter” apps are hearing that they need to add differentiation and functionality or risk Apple not allowing them into the iTunes App Store. Jason Kincaid says:
Between the developers I spoke to, the consensus was this: Apple doesn’t appear to be opposed to ‘app generators’ and templates per se, but in the last month or so it has started cracking down on basic applications that are little more than RSS feeds or glorified business cards. In short, Apple doesn’t want people using native applications for things that a basic web app could accomplish. For some of these services that’s bad news, because that’s exactly the sort of application they produce; any new applications they submit are going to get rejected. But all hope isn’t lost for them, provided they can make their apps more useful.
Kincaid says Appmakr for one has taken suggestions from Apple to improve things like in-app purchases, instant notifications, offline access, and landscape viewing modes and describe the process as positive. Other services apparently haven’t had as much luck.
The move seems to be part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to increase the quality of the App Store experience and protect the brand. Much like the removal of sex-based apps last month, “cookie cutter” apps could seen as low value, sometimes verging on spam. For consumers it could result in a cleaner App Store and ultimately better apps (more than just re-packaged RSS feeds) but at the expense of quantity and choice. For developers, it’s likely another in a list of things they’ll consider before building on Apple’s platform.
If Apple is indeed working on revamping the mass produced app, what think you?
Apple Cracking Down on Mass Produced, Low Functionality Apps? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Apple Removing Wi-Fi Scanning Apps from App Store
Mar 4th
Cult of Mac reports that Apple has begun removing apps from the iTunes App Store that scan for Wi-Fi access points. It looks like these apps are being removed due to their use of private APIs, which is prohibited by the iPhone SDK agreement. This would make it similar to the recent removal of apps that misused the iPhone camera DCIM folder to store and exchange documents.
There’s been some suggestion, however, that list reflects a policy change from Apple closer to the recent removal of sex-based apps.
Our speculation is that Apple has either added the Wi-Fi private APIs to their static analysis tool, or has just finally gotten around to checking for them. That would make it appear like a new policy when it’s actually the originally agreement finally being enforced.
Some developers believe long term lack of action by Apple equals tacit approval for private API use. Those beliefs likely have to start changing. When Apple makes an API public, they’re guaranteeing that developers can use them and have faith Apple won’t break them (and the apps built on them) in a future update. Private APIs are the opposite — Apple can and will change them at any point, breaking apps that try to use them when they shouldn’t. In some cases Apple is working on public versions of private APIs and will release them in future versions of the iPhone OS. In other cases they aren’t — sometimes for security, other times just for proprietary reasons.
In either case, this isn’t the first and likely won’t be last set of rejections. While we feel for developers, we feel more for users who may have come to depend on the functionality of these apps.
If you’re a developer who’s dealing with this and have a better take on the situation, please let us know!
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Apple Removing Wi-Fi Scanning Apps from App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
NYT: Apple SVP, Phil Schiller on Why Sexy Apps are Out, Sports Illustrated, FHM and Playboy are Still In
Feb 23rd
Apple Senior VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, was quoted by the New York Times in an article on the removal of 5000 sex-based app from the iTunes App Store:
“It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable, as well as parents who were upset with what their kids were able to see.”
To developers who weren’t afforded any warning or options to pre-emptively make changes where such changes would have been possible:
“We obviously care about developers, but in the end have to put the needs of the kids and parents first.”
As to why Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit app, the Playboy app, and a few other publication-associated apps were allowed to remain:
“The difference is this is a well-known company with previously published material available broadly in a well-accepted format.”
Key take aways:
- Apple’s App Store ratings system doesn’t work, since Apple classifies anything with unfettered web access as 17+, parents can’t block sex-based apps without blocking Twitter apps, Wikipedia, and countless other non-sex-based apps. Apple needs to redo the ratings system and allow more granular parental control. (Though Safari again shows the ridiculousness of most ratings systems — anyone and everyone can and will find anything and everything in the ratings-free web).
- This move seems entirely perception-based. Apple likely doesn’t believe people will complain about established corporate content like Sports Illustrated [Free/in-app purchase - iTunes link], FHM [$1.99 - iTunes link], and Playboy [$0.99 - iTunes link] where they will about the indie guy who floods the App Store with 3000 variants of the same underwear and swimsuit pics. (Or if someone does complain about SI, Apple can point to its mainstream profile as an easy out).
- Since Apple has shown no signs of wanting to get out in front of these issues and give developers warning before taking major action in the App Store, developers have to come to terms with the reality that making any application that comes anywhere near a) areas Apple may consider their own or b) areas where Apple may consider their brand/image at stake, means constant uncertainty and the risk of being removed at any point. Or they have to consider Web Apps, or other platforms and give Apple feedback that way.
Stick to safe, friendly games and helpful utilities and you should be find. Push any boundaries corporate or familial and you could be gone. Which is kind of sad, because Apple seems like the one company who could champion as much creativity, innovation, and boundary-pushing in the App Store as they do in their technology.
NYT: Apple SVP, Phil Schiller on Why Sexy Apps are Out, Sports Illustrated, FHM and Playboy are Still In is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
5000 Sex-based iPhone Apps Removed, Are These the New Rules?
Feb 21st
Chillifresh, who first sent TiPb word of their Wobble iBoobs app being removed from the App Store due to what Apple termed its “sexual content” has followed up with another blog post, now claiming 5000 apps have been removed and presenting what they say are the new App Store rules:
- No images of women in bikinis (Ice skating tights are not OK either)
- No images of men in bikinis! (I didn’t ask about Ice Skating tights for men)
- No skin (he seriously said this) (I asked if a Burqa was OK, and the Apple guy got angry)
- No silhouettes that indicate that Wobble can be used for wobbling boobs (yes – I am serious, we have to remove the silhouette in this pic)
- No sexual connotations or innuendo: boobs, babes, booty, sex – all banned
- Nothing that can be sexually arousing!! (I doubt many people could get aroused with the pic above but those puritanical guys at Apple must get off on pretty mundane things to find Wobble “overtly sexual!)
- No apps will be approved that in any way imply sexual content (not sure how Playboy is still in the store, but …)
Apple has already commented to TiPb that they took action following customer complaints over objectionable contents, and our readers have been split between “good on Apple, we don’t want to see that in the App Store” and “shame on Apple, we should be able to decide for ourselves” camp.
Apple does present parental controls for the App Store, but they currently lack sophistication enough to handle situations like this. For example, because Apple tags any app that provided unfettered access to the internet as 17+ (’cause there’s violence and porn on them there webs), enabling that parental control wouldn’t just kill sexy apps, it would kill any app with an embedded WebView (like all Twitter apps — see Tweetie 1.3 rejection).
This isn’t the first time Apple has removed apps for content first, figured out ways to re-introduce them later either — many developers went through this before, prior to parental controls in iPhone 3.0. (And after, when some nudity briefly slipped into the App Store, only to be promptly removed).
Again, it’s conceivable Apple will provide more granular parental controls in iPhone 4.0, perhaps even create an opt-in “adult-but-not-porn” category. It’s that or Web App-only land.
This is what happens when a company like Apple (or Walmart, or Blockbuster) chooses to curate content in their store — they become divided between serving the “family friendly” vs. “freedom to choose” customer bases, and the developers who get caught in between. (And we sympathize with those developers, who must feel trapped in a giant pit with a blind, startled T-Rex at times like these).
Let us know what you think of those guidelines above, and what you’d like to see Apple do to better serve all their customers and their developers.
5000 Sex-based iPhone Apps Removed, Are These the New Rules? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Apple Comments on Removal of Sexual-content Apps
Feb 19th
Following up on last night’s story about the removal of apps with sexual content from the iTunes App Store, TiPb asked Apple for comment and they responded:
“Whenever we receive customer complaints about objectionable content we review them. If we find these apps contain inappropriate material we remove them and request the developer make any necessary changes in order to be distributed by Apple.”
Developer Frasier Spears blogged about the plethora of sexually-based apps a couple weeks ago after exploring the deployment of the iPod touch at his school:
After some research, preference-tweaking and so on, I have one conclusion to share with you. Despite Steve’s insistence that Apple wouldn’t carry porn in the App Store:
The App Store is so full of soft porn apps that I cannot provide access to the App Store and comply with our acceptable use policies.
He went so far as to file radar bugs with Apple over the inability to filter out inappropriate content.
Putting aside the argument over whether or not Apple changed their policy yesterday or merely began more closely enforcing the policies announced in March, 2008, if filters can be created and deployed by iTunes such that users could control whether or not they (or their children, or whomever) could see sexual or violent or any other age-restricted content on the App Store, that might provide an ideal solution for all involved.
That, or Web Apps again become the alternate, unrestricted App Store.
Apple Comments on Removal of Sexual-content Apps is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
UPDATED: Apple Removes Sex-based Apps from the App Store
Feb 19th
UPDATE: TiPb received a comment from Apple, see our latest post.
Developer Chillifresh sent us a link to their blog post where they claim Apple is removing “all non-PG apps” (read: sex-based apps) from the App Store.
Here’s the email they received:
The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, Wobble iBoobs (Premium Uncensored), contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately.
We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.
First, we should point out Wobble has no sexual content in and of itself, it applies a “wobble” graphical distortion effects to any photo you choose to import — though the app name is certainly suggestive.
Second, it’s important to remember that users who’ve already downloaded the app can keep using it in its current state, although the developers can no longer provide updates (including updates to make it compatible with future iPhone OS releases).
Third, Apple’s already gotten negative press for rejecting apps and removing an entire range likely won’t sit well with the “let us decide for ourselves” crowd.
Fourth, sex-based apps have been spreading through several categories and there have been complaints from those who’d rather not see them side-by-side with non-sex-based apps.
So, is there a middle ground where Apple could create an “adult” category all its own, there for those who want the R-rated apps, easy for others to ignore? Or are they right to go the Blockbuster/Walmart family-friendly route, and leave the adult content to join the porn content as Web Apps?
Let us know what you think…
UPDATED: Apple Removes Sex-based Apps from the App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Apple to iPhone Developers: So… Happy with the App Store?
Feb 9th
TechCrunch is reporting that Apple has started sending developers invitations to take a satisfaction survey with regards to the App Store in general, and the App Store approval process in specific.
Apple asks you to answer with: “Very dissatisfied,” “Somewhat dissatisfied,” “Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,” “Somewhat satisfied,” “Very satisfied,” or “Don’t know.”
They also ask, “What one thing could Apple do to make the iPhone Developer Program better?” and give you a text box to write anything you want. A few months ago they certainly would have gotten some interesting responses there.
Indeed and as we suspected, “wait for developers and bloggers to get really ticked off and then have Phil Schiller email them” wasn’t a scalable solution. TechCrunch speculates that the improvements in the App Store approval process starting 2010 involve more and better trained staff, since approval speed has improved and reportedly even communications between Apple and developers is better.
So, if you’re a developer, what will you be telling Apple? And if you’re not a developer, does it matter to you that Apple is trying to improve their developer relations?
Apple to iPhone Developers: So… Happy with the App Store? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.
TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
