Apple has removed us from the App Store • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#121

Post by ryanwaggoner » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 1:43 PM UTC

danmg wrote: post #27

scarface74 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is Apple a “monopoly” with less than 20% of the smart phone market?

100% of that market. The apple app market is not the same as the android app market. They're not in competition with each other. Owners are captive.

Sorry, but this is completely ridiculous. You can slice and dice any market down enough to where one company is a “monopoly”.

They’re the only taco store on this block! I demand the government force them to lower their prices so I don’t have to walk more than 50 feet!

If you don’t like it, switch to Android. But of course, the real problem is that people don’t want to switch to Android. They want to have their cake and eat it to, but that’s unfair and illogical, so they start slicing down the market to where they can cry monopoly and ask the government to force the business to give them what they want.

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#122

Post by ThomPete » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 1:54 PM UTC

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #114

ThomPete wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No no no, you go further here, you claim that people shouldnt even be able to get the service even if they wanted to, in other words you are not even recognizing the parents right to his opinion you also want to have a say in whether HE should be able to get it.

My current perspective is that I don’t want the government rolling in to hammer ban things they don’t understand, but I don’t want to have to carefully evaluate every single app just in case they’re shady. Having the platforms that the apps live on compete with each other on a number of metrics, including privacy, seems like a great balance to me. If I think Apple got it wrong, there’s always Android.

"Every single app...."

Unless you have some unusual high and crazy usage of new apps then this isn't the problem you try to make it. Rescue time isn't just some random app out there, they have a long track record. Calling that balance is quite puzzling.

". If I think Apple got it wrong, there’s always Android."

Yeah just like if you are worried about privacy there is always the option of not using a phone at all.

This is not an argument for anything.

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#123

Post by hesarenu » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 1:59 PM UTC

gagege wrote: post #10

lostmsu wrote: post #5

I still wonder how is this legal.

Because it should be legal for the owner of a store to decide not to sell a product, whatever the reason.

What about the owners of the device. They don't have a say?

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#124

Post by stordoff » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 2:06 PM UTC

I do appreciate the irony of a popup dialog covering the article promising to "fight[...] distraction"

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#125

Post by ryanwaggoner » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 2:13 PM UTC

ThomPete wrote: post #122

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My current perspective is that I don’t want the government rolling in to hammer ban things they don’t understand, but I don’t want to have to carefully evaluate every single app just in case they’re shady. Having the platforms that the apps live on compete with each other on a number of metrics, including privacy, seems like a great balance to me. If I think Apple got it wrong, there’s always Android.

"Every single app...." Unless you have some unusual high and crazy usage of new apps then this isn't the problem you try to make it. Rescue time isn't just some random app out there, they have a long track record. Calling that balance is quite puzzling. ". If I think Apple got it wrong, there’s always Android." Yeah just like if you are worried about privacy there is always the option of not using a phone at all. Thi…

No need to speculate about what the situation would be without Apple’s policies and review process. Just look at the dumpster fire that is the Android app market.

To each their own. Feel free to cry for the government to come and save you every time a company does something you don’t like.

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#126

Post by dcbadacd » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 2:20 PM UTC

craftyguy wrote: post #66

Avamander wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could someone please recommend a cross-platform self-hosted alternative to ResueTime?

I'm not sure I'd even trust a self-hosted alternative. Presumably this would need to be exposed to the internet, and would be a nice target for someone to break into given how much information it collects.

Hiding it behind a VPN sounds fairly secure.

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#127

Post by aaaaaaaaaab » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 2:24 PM UTC

You were misusing background location updates to periodically run your app in the background. I bet you were also misusing some keychain API or similar, to determine whether the device is locked or not, because there’s no official API for that either.

You were misusing multiple APIs and hoped that the reviewers won’t notice.

Facebook used to play silent audio in the background to prevent their app from being suspended. They got found out too and had to stop doing it. Suck it up!

I hope Apple would one day reject those apps that misuse silent push notifications for uninstall tracking too.

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#128

Post by ThomPete » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 2:31 PM UTC

ryanwaggoner wrote: post #125

ThomPete wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Every single app...." Unless you have some unusual high and crazy usage of new apps then this isn't the problem you try to make it. Rescue time isn't just some random app out there, they have a long track record. Calling that balance is quite puzzling. ". If I think Apple got it wrong, there’s always Android." Yeah just like if you are worried about privacy there is always the option of not using a phone at all. Thi…

No need to speculate about what the situation would be without Apple’s policies and review process. Just look at the dumpster fire that is the Android app market. To each their own. Feel free to cry for the government to come and save you every time a company does something you don’t like.

Nice strawman, do you have more of those? Where did I say the government should do that? Try with some intellectual honesty next time.

Rescuetime is not some new company it's an old company who actually provide real utility and have been on the Apple platform for a long time.

One would think that balance was to look at the utility and reputation of that company.

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#129

Post by SQL2219 » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 2:31 PM UTC

It seems to me that you can't build a viable business and be so vulnerable. Apple or Google can pull your plug anytime they see fit, for any reason they want.

Re: Apple has removed us from the App Store

#130

Post by nibnalin » Sat, Nov 10, 2018, 3:05 PM UTC

Avamander wrote: post #57

ancorevard wrote: post #22

Slightly related. Only a month ago I deleted my RescueTime account and the app from my Mac. With all the privacy issues lately, I finally realized how much data I'm sending RescueTime, and a made a decision. I don't have a reason to mistrust them, but I also don't have a reason to give them this much of my trust either. A breach of the RescueTime database would be insanely invasive.

Could someone please recommend a cross-platform self-hosted alternative to ResueTime?

There is the open-source ActivityWatch[1] which is not perfectly feature complete but it’s a decent alternative.

[1]: https://github.com/ActivityWatch/activitywatch