Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#71

Post by TedDoesntTalk » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:03 AM UTC

ehnto wrote: post #41

bb88 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. What's worse than trying to pick between 10 different apps that do the exact same thing? Trying to pick between 11 different apps.

I have to assume you just haven't thought very hard about this problem yet, as that is a very trivial reason to give up on a free market. I would also like to point out that the ecosystem that gets you ten apps doing the same thing is the reason you get any apps at all. If people thought they were competing for one or two slots in a rigged marketplace then the incentives to participate go way down, they would take th…

> look anywhere else.

But on iPhones, you can’t. There’s only one App Store , and that’s the problem.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#72

Post by dliff » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:03 AM UTC

FractalParadigm wrote: post #65

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We need to be able to use non-Apple app stores for iPhone.

I was really hoping this would be the outcome of Epic v. Apple, but alas it was not. I honestly don't know if I understand any reasoning behind it. I would buy an iPhone tomorrow if I could get a web browser or keyboard that weren't effectively skins of the default/included one.

While web browsers on iOS are unfortunately just re-skinned Safari, you actually are able to create/download totally custom keyboards. A while back I created a custom keyboard to translate what you type and help you learn a new language.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#73

Post by mod » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:05 AM UTC

ofrzeta wrote: post #62

viraptor wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In many cases it would make sense, but flashlight apps? They're literally an on-off switch for a single system resource. There's nothing that you can add to them to improve the experience.

How about a timer that switches the "flashlight" off after a configurable period of time? :-)

Using the screen as a light

Dimming the screen

Different colors on the screen

Calculation of how long light will last

SOS signaling

Strobe setting

Light in response to some kind of input, like audio or camera

Blinking light with adjustable frequency

Yeah, there's probably more features that could be put into a flashlight app.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#74

Post by bryanrasmussen » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:06 AM UTC

systemvoltage wrote: post #68

yarcob wrote: post #44

I published an app on the App Store, which did quite well in its niche. Soon, a bunch of very similar apps popped up. One app cloned everything about my app -- even the icon. But Apple didn't care. They don't give a shit when people clone apps and try to mislead customers by making apps that have almost the same name as another app. Apple should focus on getting rid of scam apps and blatant rip-offs. Who cares if the…

Not to undermine your effort, but isn't this the same outside of Apple? Kickstarter projects get cloned and ask a legitimate Amazon seller how their products got overrun by Chinese clones. That said, I would expect Apple to be a little better for 30% cut.

That's true, on the other hand the fact that copyapps even copy icons and have very close sounding names in the same space would be a trivial thing to guard against.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#75

Post by ryantgtg » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:08 AM UTC

colejohnson66 wrote: post #33

herpderperator wrote: post #23

> Also avoid piling on to a category that is already saturated; the App Store has enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, drinking games, and Kama Sutra apps, etc. already. I had to double-take to see if this was really a statement from Apple... It was.

Before Apple added the flashlight feature into their OS, flashlight apps were flooding the store. IIRC, this is the exact text they added at that time

My MIL still uses a flashlight app on her iPhone, because she doesn’t know the difference between a feature and an app, and because each time she gets a new phone all her apps are ported over. Whenever she turns on her flashlight a huge ad blazes across the screen (and the screen doesn’t seem to turn off), and I keep meaning to tell her she doesn’t need that app.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#76

Post by mongol » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:18 AM UTC

i_like_apis wrote: post #37

I have been using the Samsung store for a little while and am shocked by the overwhelming number of low quality apps that are stuffed in there. Long live the walled garden for Apple.

It is not that it is a walled garden that is a problem. It is that it is the only garden.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#77

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:26 AM UTC

rgoulter wrote: post #9

The developer has some screenshots on Twitter https://twitter.com/nightcatprod/status/1439773812753637378 Seems like it's got humorous horoscopes. Given that the screenshots are all of just text on a screen, and the development took about a year, I wonder if the rejection is more about the app being 'low quality' rather than about it being just another horoscope app. Regardless, it seems weird to reject an app becaus…

[deleted]

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#78

Post by bradly » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:28 AM UTC

yarcob wrote: post #44

I published an app on the App Store, which did quite well in its niche. Soon, a bunch of very similar apps popped up. One app cloned everything about my app -- even the icon. But Apple didn't care. They don't give a shit when people clone apps and try to mislead customers by making apps that have almost the same name as another app. Apple should focus on getting rid of scam apps and blatant rip-offs. Who cares if the…

You can file a DMCA on the icon and you may get a quicker response. I used a DMCA to take down a fraudulent listing of one of my rental properties after all other contact channels were tried.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#79

Post by sandworm101 » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:28 AM UTC

i_like_apis wrote: post #42

sandworm101 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I face the same problem every time I buy mustard at the supermarket. Dozens of flavors to choose from and only so much money. The tyranny of choice is a small price to pay.

But the supermarket is a walled garden too. They choose what to put on the shelf based on quality and shelf space. Buying mustard on Amazon is closer to the issue, or products where many imitators compete like meal prep Tupperware or water bottles.

>> But the supermarket is a walled garden too.

From my perspective as a customer there is no wall. I am free to go to any other market and pick from their mustard selection. Or I can grow and mill my own mustard at home. That would be like Apple allowing me to use competitor app stores and even install my own open source software.

Re: Apple rejects developer's horoscope app, says App Store has enough

#80

Post by cblconfederate » Sat, Oct 09, 2021, 6:30 AM UTC

i_like_apis wrote: post #37

I have been using the Samsung store for a little while and am shocked by the overwhelming number of low quality apps that are stuffed in there. Long live the walled garden for Apple.

Then why are you not using Apple?