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Developer account removed by Apple

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Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#161

Post by treprinum »

mm263 wrote: post #101
slezyr wrote: post #43

Russian guy saying that he is in Chile in the first sentence? Absolutely nothing suspicious. https://companies.rbc.ru/id/1215600010141-obschestvo-s-ogran... It is even a Russian company. It was registered a bit before the war started and liquidated not so long ago.

The company is liquidated, which means he doesn't do business in Russia. Also, I love living in the world where doing business is suspicious because of my nationality.

A former colleague was denied studying at Berkeley due to being Russian (they told him that).

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#162

Post by judge2020 »

wavemode wrote: post #153
judge2020 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the main draws of iOS is its resistance to malware, adware, and outright scam apps. Requiring third party app stores disproportionately harms those that purchased the device specifically for these purposes (such as people at higher risks of being targeted by nation state actors). And this isn’t something that can be addressed with a new uber-secure product just for these people, because the EU will deem it a g…

Apple doesn't want third-party stores because it would cut into their profits. That they were able to convince the public that it is about personal privacy is just great marketing on their part. If you bought an iPhone because you wanted protection from the purported dangers of third-party apps, then ... just don't install any...?

Third party app stores don’t play into the legal liability of developing for iOS without a license. Chances are Apple still has every right to charge a percentage of revenue as the licensing fee for usage of iOS APIs.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#163

Post by silenced_trope »

RainbowFriends wrote: post #49

Hitting the front page of Hacker News will lead to a much cheaper resolution of this issue than paying their law firm.

Hopefully.

Honestly it sucks but when this happens with Google and others there's sometimes a person in the comments here: "Send me your info and I'll escalate this internally". Which also sucks, but the PR at least has some impact.

I think it's doubtful that this kind of PR impacts Apple as much.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#164

Post by woadwarrior01 »

lapcat wrote: post #116
woadwarrior01 wrote: post #23

This is very reminiscent of the Dash controversy from a few years ago. In that case Apple even responded with the details[0] of the developer's transgressions, after a huge outcry from the app dev community. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12680131

That link is very very far from the end of the Dash story, which includes the developer recording a phone call with Apple. See extensive coverage by Michael Tsai: https://mjtsai.com/blog/2016/10/10/apple-and-kapeli-respond/ https://mjtsai.com/blog/2017/05/30/dash-for-ios-returns-to-t... Dash for macOS continues to this day, though not in the App Store.

That very much was the end of the developer's sales of the Dash app on the Mac App Store and the iOS App Store. Apple decided to respond publicly only after he published the recording of the phone call with the Apple rep. John Gruber had a well-balanced coverage[1] of the whole story.

He continues to sell it directly[2] and on Setapp[3], and has lately pivoted to the subscription-ware revenue model.

[1]: https://daringfireball.net/2016/10/apple_dash_controversy [2]: https://kapeli.com/dash [3]: https://setapp.com/apps/dash

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#165

Post by oleg_antonyan »

slezyr wrote: post #43

Russian guy saying that he is in Chile in the first sentence? Absolutely nothing suspicious. https://companies.rbc.ru/id/1215600010141-obschestvo-s-ogran... It is even a Russian company. It was registered a bit before the war started and liquidated not so long ago.

> Russian guy saying that he is in Chile in the first sentence? Absolutely nothing suspicious.

This would be a bit weird in previous life (before the war), but today it's normal b/c wrong nationality means you'll be assumed as evil orc who worship pu*in and support tha war bla-bla-bla. So mentioning that you at least don't live there and you business in not there helps a bit. Source: I'm in the same situation.

And those who actually support the crazy dictator (by making fake companies across the world to bypass sanctions, for example) don't mention their names on the internet, don't ask public for help fighting Apple's decision, and probably don't sell mobile apps at all.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#166

Post by [deleted] »

cptaj wrote: post #112

This keeps happening again and again in all online marketplaces. Be it amazon, ebay, app stores, etc. This NEEDS to be regulated. If thousands of companies make a living in your marketplace, you simply can't be allowed to take destructive unilateral action against their business without due process. One guy reviewing tickets in a random location worldwide, working for minimum wage, takes a 30 second look at your case…

[deleted]

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#167

Post by worik »

This is a sad story

It is repeated many times, this is not the first here

Illustrates the problem with building businesses based on those "walled garden" services

We have seen reports like this not just about the apple store, but about YouTube and Facebook too

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#168

Post by n6242 »

Longhanks wrote: post #141
cptaj wrote: post #112

This keeps happening again and again in all online marketplaces. Be it amazon, ebay, app stores, etc. This NEEDS to be regulated. If thousands of companies make a living in your marketplace, you simply can't be allowed to take destructive unilateral action against their business without due process. One guy reviewing tickets in a random location worldwide, working for minimum wage, takes a 30 second look at your case…

> This is simply an insane way of doing business. Then don't? Apple clearly lays out the rules beforehand? I don’t see how "being able to sell software on the platform a company allows you to sell on yet not following the platform creator's rules" should be a human right? If you don't want to take the risk of Apple disapproving you selling your software on their platform, maybe don't start a business depending on App…

Having a warranty or a return policy is not a human right either, yet companies are obligated by law to do it (at least here in Europe) because otherwise companies would just say "you knew what you were getting when you bought it" and not give a damn as long as they profit from it, just like apple is doing here.

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#169

Post by dakial1 »

I don't know Chile, but this move by Apple is illegal in many countries and the developer might get a good money in damages.

It doesn't matter what the platform T&Cs say, know your country's laws and you'll avoid unnecessary headaches.

Now thinking about it, it might make sense for some developers to publish their apps in specific countries to mitigate this kind of risk...

Re: Developer account removed by Apple

#170

Post by biohacker85 »

echelon wrote: post #80
judge2020 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was talked about by Phillip Shoemaker (head of App Store Review 2009-2016) in this talk[0], where some developers figured out that if they hired marketing firms to commit review fraud on a competitor’s app, their competitor would get terminated because there’s no clear way to actually attribute the fraud to the developer. I guess the App Store fraud prevention team hasn’t necessarily found a good solution yet. 0…

> I guess the App Store fraud prevention team hasn’t necessarily found a good solution yet. The most essential device of the century is owned by two companies. The ability for them to completely control software and business activities on top of something that is almost as essential as public transportation is appalling. The DOJ needs to remove the "app store" racket for essential computing devices. Software needs to…

I don't disagree with the problem and lack of options. But forcing a company to add features feels like overstepping. I'm not sure how that can be legal or even be with the spirit of the law.
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