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My App Is Dead in the Water

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Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#71

Post by kemayo »

kalleboo wrote: post #63
lathiat wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given the "back" link from Safari to your app since iOS 11? (10?) - this is the right solution IMHO.

Especially with the swipe gestures on the new phones since the X, my pet peeve are apps that use web views inside their app inside of just opening Safari. The worst offender is the Gmail app since half the links I click on there interact with cookies in the Safari app (account activation, notifications, etc). And Gmail will even keep nagging me to install Chrome which I will never do. Ugh, I really need to switch awa…

And it keeps on ignoring the "don't ask me about Chrome / Safari again" toggle...

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#72

Post by option_greek »

It's sad that most of the comments seem to suggest that while it is not ideal, this is indeed the rule and either the links should be opened in safari or this is nothing new. That such a common functionality isn't allowed on ios while showing arbitrary enforcement is a real travesty. I'm surprised how tepid most of the comments are.

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#73

Post by TylerE »

stan503 wrote: post #57
bluetwo wrote: post #50

It seems to me by saying "Attach documentary evidence in the App Review Information section in App Store Connect granting you permission to use these sources" they are just asking for a paper trail of your rights to use that information. Why can't you include the agreement for the API as documentation of this? Seems really straight forward. They are trying to protect themselves, not get into a philosophical battle ov…

I have pointed them to the API documentation that I use, however they were uninterested in that. I also tried contacting the maintainers of the API, they didn't have anything for me.

Don't point them to, INCLUDE.

#1 rule of dealing with bureaucrats: They are lazier than you can possibly imagine. Indulge them.

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#75

Post by everyone »

Tomte wrote: post #49

> Questions like, “How is my app different than all the other Hacker News apps out there?” were ignored. I understand the frustration that leads to this question, but it is wholly irrelevant and only loses you a bit of the reviewer's attention span.

"it is wholly irrelevant"

Nonsense. It seems like the developer was willing to make any changes Apple wished in order to conform to their policies. His impediment was that he could not figure out what those changes were.

If very similar app X is ok, and my app is not, then asking what the crucial difference is, is a very apt question which may lead directly to the specific issue.

If we cant be sensible, ask sensible questions and have a sensible conversation about an issue with another human, in order to try and resolve a problem in good faith, then I guess we should all just go stick our heads in buckets of water.

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#76

Post by ocdtrekkie »

gecko39 wrote: post #45

One option is to submit the app under a new dev account with a few tweaked variables ( name, colors, screenshots ) I feel like some of these rejections depend on the reviewer you get that day; and once an app is flagged, it's hard to recover.

This is a really bad idea. These platforms like Apple and Google control large online ecosystems, and they're known to permaban people across the board when they step out of line. There are dozens of stories about Google basically terminating all relationships with someone (including their Gmail, Drive content, etc.) over Play Store dev account hijinks.

I presume the author of the article has an iPhone. If he intends to be able to use an iPhone, screwing around with making Apple accounts that pretend to be different people to sneak an app past the reviews is not a good decision. The developer could find themselves unable to use any Apple account or service.

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#77

Post by sparky_z »

Tomte wrote: post #49

> Questions like, “How is my app different than all the other Hacker News apps out there?” were ignored. I understand the frustration that leads to this question, but it is wholly irrelevant and only loses you a bit of the reviewer's attention span.

If you believe they actually had a reason for their actions and are trying to apply their rules consistently, that question is the best way to get everyone on the same page and reach full understanding of the situation. It's only irrelevant if you assume from the beginning that enforcement is completely arbitrary and capricious.

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#78

Post by vorpalhex »

stan503 wrote: post #57
bluetwo wrote: post #50

It seems to me by saying "Attach documentary evidence in the App Review Information section in App Store Connect granting you permission to use these sources" they are just asking for a paper trail of your rights to use that information. Why can't you include the agreement for the API as documentation of this? Seems really straight forward. They are trying to protect themselves, not get into a philosophical battle ov…

I have pointed them to the API documentation that I use, however they were uninterested in that. I also tried contacting the maintainers of the API, they didn't have anything for me.

I would obtain a full copy of the copyright laws, ask your lawyer to put them on legal paperhead in a PDF, then attach them in full to your email.

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#79

Post by izacus »

pashabitz wrote: post #68

I think it's important to look at the broader issue: "App stores" are walled gardens, policed by corporations and are the opposite of freedom. The web is open and free. We made a deal with the devil when we collectively decided to write and use apps and not the web. This is just one symptom.

You can of course still write software outside app stores and provide best of both. Not every computer in this world is a walled garden.

Re: My App Is Dead in the Water

#80

Post by jobigoud »

bluetwo wrote: post #50

It seems to me by saying "Attach documentary evidence in the App Review Information section in App Store Connect granting you permission to use these sources" they are just asking for a paper trail of your rights to use that information. Why can't you include the agreement for the API as documentation of this? Seems really straight forward. They are trying to protect themselves, not get into a philosophical battle ov…

> Why can't you include the agreement for the API as documentation of this?

If I understand correctly they are having a problem with the inclusion of third party pages. So he would have to provide permission from all the sources of articles, like WSJ, NPR, LA Times, any website linked, etc.

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