App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps • Hacker News Board

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#341

Post by 8note » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 9:02 AM UTC

hedora wrote: post #297

drekipus wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there? If 200,000 calculator apps all fulfill your need, what is the problem? Just use one, and if it doesn't, use another. Use the stock one if you want, or ask some friends what they use. I agree rating systems are not an effective measure, and can be gamed, however.

Most of them probably don't fulfill my needs. They're likely stuffed with ads and spyware, have numberic precision issues, are missing functions I need, are subscription-based etc. These days, I just use F-Droid for this sort of thing.

For a calculator, using a ti emulator for with the ti-89 software is a great time

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#342

Post by JimDabell » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 9:26 AM UTC

8note wrote: post #339

JimDabell wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The "if iOS is opened up, Meta will put Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp on their own app store and steal user data" doomsday scenario has always seemed a little half-baked to me. Meta was literally already caught doing this by abusing enterprise certificates to bypass the App Store to spy on people, including children, until Apple stopped them. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/31/apple-fac...

So what you're saying is that the app store is just as good as the government in this case? If meta will do this anyways, I'd rather have the openness and democratic oversight

> So what you're saying is that the app store is just as good as the government in this case?

No part of my comment said this.

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#343

Post by gauddasa » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 9:52 AM UTC

In this case, Apple is blatantly honest and they can not be clearer than that. Web standards (like JS, CSS and HTML5) for made with tremendous effort to serve entire humanity. I too recommend to provide web based service whenever possible and publish an app only if you rely on some cutting edge technology that is not a part of web standard yet. Think about it.

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#344

Post by faebi » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC

I still think that this is a side effect of having a broken discoverability in the app store. It's very hard to find new apps, it's even harder to actually try them, and it's extremely hard to find something good. I literally need 100's of touches to install and uninstall 10 apps.

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#345

Post by chakkepolja » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 10:54 AM UTC

butz wrote: post #334

Please, build MORE simple apps. I would pay for a suite of simple Android applications that respect privacy, take least amount of "disk" space and RAM, load and work as fast as platform allows it. Replacements for bloated system apps, like calendar, messages, email etc., also some other apps like qr reader, notes and similar.

There's some of these on F-droid.

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#346

Post by TGRush » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 12:36 PM UTC

bergenty wrote: post #320

throwaway892238 wrote: post #318

We need a law to open up these devices. Just because it's a Duopoloy instead of a Monopoly doesn't mean we should be forced into using a device only the way these companies dictate. The whole idea of the App Store is, to me, actually worse than no App Store at all. If you want to find popular software, normally you google for it, and go with the recommendations from a trustworthy publication. Yes there is malware on…

There really isn’t all that much malware on the App Store. I like the way things are to be honest, apple does its best to protect my device, ecosystem and privacy and it works for me without having to expend brain cycles. If I wanted an open phone I would just jailbreak the iPhone or get an android.

Except Apple is also heavily going against Jailbreaking, with multiple lawsuits in the past, and system updates made specifically to patch them out, and nothing else.

Sure, you can stay on older iOS Versions, but you would be loosing actual improvements

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#347

Post by jasonm23 » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 2:35 PM UTC

strongpigeon wrote: post #89

This sucks... I'm sorry you had to go through this. The App Store review process is just pretty bad. It's especially frustrating when you see downright shitty apps on the store. The "black-box" aspect of it makes it that much more kafkaesque too. When I first submitted my app on there, they rejected it and complained that I used HealthKit but didn't mention it in the app description. The thing is, I did. My app descr…

> it's not worth my time or the risk to fight it.

I think this sums up so much about the situation we're all slipping into.

It also guarantees we'll slip into it up to our necks and never get out.

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#348

Post by intrasight » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 2:39 PM UTC

First to OP: Why are you denying users the use of your service by beating this dead horse? Does that really in any way serve your users?

The current state of affairs with iOS is the context is which we must make decisions. So many of the posts here strike me as useless complaining about the reality on the ground which cannot be changed.

You want to hack? Simple - get an Android or PinePhone.

You want to share your hacks with friends? Simple - make a PWA.

You want to make an app for the general public and don't want to deal with app store bureaucracy? Simple - make a PWA.

Your app requires native features? Then learn to navigate the app store approval process.

I have several friends and colleagues who have launched public apps. Some went the PWA route. Some went the app store route. All have achieved their mission. It's informative to hear their answers as to their choice. Those that choose the PWA route mostly did so because they already had a web service, and just wanted a good mobile version. Those that went the app store route said in effect that it's not really an app (in the minds of their user audience) if it's not in the app store, and were not already providing some service via the web.

Granted this is a small sampling of half a dozen. I would love to have a wider sample to review as I am interested in transitioning from desktop web to mobile app development, and want to invest myself in a good foundation. Does anyone know of a good (and recent) article where developers of successful apps are interviewed and ask to explain their platform decisions?

A final comment is this. I think Apple is working to make PWAs a viable choice partially to reduce their approval burden and incentivize developers of "simple" apps - like that of the OP - to go the PWA route.

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#349

Post by Apocryphon » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 3:30 PM UTC

JimDabell wrote: post #337

Apocryphon wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and presumably the authorities would not go easy on them next time, with the greater political pressure to rein them in. And if Meta was doing that on their own third party store where all attention can be focused on them, misbehavior would be even more visible because they would not be hiding it behind someone else’s platform.

This happened after GDPR was in force and the EU was pushing hard on privacy. I just think it’s a little silly to dismiss as “half-baked” the idea that Meta might do something they have already been caught doing before. This is not a company that is afraid to break the rules when it comes to privacy.

It also happened under the cover of an obscure promo program that was far less visible than a rival app store. I don’t believe it is a true precedent for the hypothetical people are worrying about here.

Another important factor is the consumer backlash it’d engender.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30808926

To do something as disruptive as to create a new App Store and force everyone to migrate is not easy. Users are sick of juggling as many user accounts as they do already. Not all existing iOS users will switch, there will be grassroots viral social media campaigns on other platforms warning people not to use it, and it will bring a lot of bad PR. It would not be a frictionless transition and Meta would quickly discover that it is more trouble than it is worth. (And as I’ve pointed out elsewhere, I don’t believe Facebook or Google have the gumption these days to create widely popular new products these days.)

Ultimately, I believe both the public in the form of democratic government, and in the form of consumers, can be counted on to do the right thing. We should not put ourselves in the position of simply relying on one corporation’s benevolent paternalism to check the power of other corporations.

Re: App Store doesn't accept “too simple” apps

#350

Post by Apocryphon » Sat, Aug 20, 2022, 3:35 PM UTC

intrasight wrote: post #348

First to OP: Why are you denying users the use of your service by beating this dead horse? Does that really in any way serve your users? The current state of affairs with iOS is the context is which we must make decisions. So many of the posts here strike me as useless complaining about the reality on the ground which cannot be changed. You want to hack? Simple - get an Android or PinePhone. You want to share your ha…

This completely unsympathetic and unempathetic comment elides the root problem: it isn’t that Apple exercises strict oversight over its App Store, it’s that 1) that oversight is applied inconsistently, and 2) they do not provide transparency into the specifics of their oversight. This whole situation could have been avoided if the reviewers had been specific about what they took issue with, instead of wasting valuable developer time.

That you are blaming a fellow developer is most unbecoming.