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How Apple Kills Indie Developers

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Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#41

Post by d-d »

kemayo wrote: post #15

Glancing at the app store review guidelines[1], I will note that this app's listing[2] is low-key violating the privacy policy requirement by just linking to the github repo for the app, which has no actual privacy policy listed. I have no idea if that's enough for Apple to do a suspension-and-review process like this, but it's definitely a violation. That said, I think they should include at least some hint in their…

When someone doesn't have proper privacy policy links, Apple points this out very specifically and quickly accepts the app after it's fixed. I've seen them accept policies as simple as a plaintext link containing "We don't store any of your data".

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#42

Post by mizaru »

fluder wrote: post #9
vxNsr wrote: post #4

Do you have any speculation about why they would do this?

This happened after I revoked the approved app. I found critical bug and reupload my app. After this actions my app was locked :(

I've done this once or twice in the past without any problems.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#43

Post by gcheong »

djsumdog wrote: post #14
fluder wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This happened after I revoked the approved app. I found critical bug and reupload my app. After this actions my app was locked :(

Maybe the right solution was to not revoke the current app and just upload the fix? If it was a security bug, that kinda sucks for security, but if the cost is being locked out of your developer account, that might be what developers need to do going forward.

Maybe, maybe not. It sounds to me like they revoked the app because they didn't want users to suffer a critical bug until they could put out a fix. I think that's a good thing and I see no reason why it should trigger an investigation, but we'll never know because of Apple's lack of transparency.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#44

Post by FussyZeus »

privateSFacct wrote: post #26

For some perspective on apple "killing" developers. Apple is FLOODED with copycat crap apps - 10 different names etc etc. Seriously, the play store used to have lots more of these - maybe now cleaned up. But saying that apple needs to encourage this crap is silly. This is what was killing the play store. The guy complaining here has his "privacy policy" as follows: https://github.com/glushchenko/fsnotes When someone…

More to the point, part of publishing on the App Store is fulfilling the requirements. If the requirements include you must send a video to them of you standing on your head and blowing a party whistle, that's what you have to do. If you don't want to, you're free to not develop for Apple devices.

That you get away with not doing it for any amount of time is not an excuse. It's Apple's sandbox; play by their rules, or play elsewhere.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#45

Post by xenospn »

matwood wrote: post #30
xenospn wrote: post #20

This is very odd. I’ve always found interactions with the Apple App Store review people to be very smooth and they always tell me exactly what they’re looking for while reviewing my app. If they can’t find it, i get back to them and they finish their review in under an hour. I get the feeling someone isn’t telling the whole story here.

Same. I do feeling like something is missing in this story.

Makes sense since it saves them a tremendous amount of back and forth with the developers when they're as specific as possible.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#46

Post by xnyan »

YooLi wrote: post #33

Feels like there are some pieces missing from the story. This isn't a "we won't approve your app because it's not following the app guidelines" rejection or an app stuck in review purgatory. (I once had an Apple TV app stuck in review for 10 weeks before it magically was approved with no changes from me.) This is a "your account did something it shouldn't have done" flag. The whole account is suspended for an alleged…

I'm not aware of the details. but from my (admittedly non-empirical data) that this experience is not uncommon. When Apple thinks there's a problem, big applications are more likely to get quick communication from Apple and small ones get tend to get drawn-out silence.I hear about it from friends, coworkers and my own experience.

This makes sense in a realpolitik way - Apple has a monopoly on mobile app profits. Where else can you go? Apple is not trying to smash small devs, but they also know they have very little pressure to provide great service to small devs.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#47

Post by coldtea »

kazinator wrote: post #11
gameswithgo wrote: post #3

The google store operates in the same way. Application developers need to band together and quit accepting these locked down store monopolies. They aren't good for consumers either. The usual justification is that these stores reduce fruad and malware, but I have found the opposite to be true. Having a single store leads to an aggressive race to the bottom, where gaming the store ranking is priority one. Last two tim…

Application developers practically tripped over each other in a scramble to join these stores. Serves them right.

What exactly "serves" them?

Just in 2018, the App Store paid developers $34 billion from their sales.

https://fortune.com/2019/01/28/apple-app-store-developer-ear...

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#48

Post by [deleted] »

kemayo wrote: post #15

Glancing at the app store review guidelines[1], I will note that this app's listing[2] is low-key violating the privacy policy requirement by just linking to the github repo for the app, which has no actual privacy policy listed. I have no idea if that's enough for Apple to do a suspension-and-review process like this, but it's definitely a violation. That said, I think they should include at least some hint in their…

[deleted]

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#49

Post by FpUser »

xnyan wrote: post #35
FpUser wrote: post #23

I really feel for those who fall victim of this huge companies that under various disguises trying to get full control of people's lives and business. I am lucky that so far I have managed to avoid all this walled garden madness. All of my products so far are either desktop based or browser based and servers are hosted on my own/rented hardware, no cloudy stuff. Other than paying for security certificates every now a…

"Frankly I do not understand why do people submit to this kind of stewardship" Uhhh: "I am lucky that so far I have managed to avoid all this walled garden madness" "All of my products..." "...desktop based or browser based and servers are hosted on my own/rented hardware" This is like a professional chef saying they don't understand why everyone does not make their own souffles. People want the same services you wan…

"why everyone does not make their own souffles" - I am not only developer. I am also a customer. And I avoid those McDonalds of the Internet like a plague. Not always successful but mostly.
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