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App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

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Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#91

Post by mortenjorck »

Jonovono wrote: post #28
w10-1 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are those documented anywhere?

Somewhat, but still very subjective. https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#spa... You can still always get around them (at least my experience), but it just takes a lot of time

Look up "wireless printing" in the App Store sometime. As best I can tell, one or two actors have spammed the entire category with dozens, perhaps hundreds, of subscription-heavy repackagings of CUPS drivers as iOS apps. They all have very similar blue line-art icons of a printer, similar preview images with similar typography, and are all crammed full of subscription options.

They are probably making a killing on people who forgot about or can't figure out how to cancel the $4.99/week subscription on the top 20-30 of these apps.

All this while of course the one app you've been working on for a year will be held up with multiple rounds of rejections weeks apart. For all the good Cook has done in his 15 years at Apple, the App Store will be the one real stain on his legacy, and I hope Ternus is as acutely cognizant of that as the developer community is.

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#92

Post by iamnothere »

ceejayoz wrote: post #89
iamnothere wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re precisely right, and of course there’s no possible way on Earth that we could create a safe way to allow users to install apps outside of the blessed path. No matter how many steps people have to go through, even if they have to pass a special exam to prove their competence, even if they have to sign something that says they could lose their life savings and submit it to a court to document this fact. There’s…

There isn’t a way for everyone to be able to do what they want with computing devices and be safe from this shit. That’s the reality. As with most things in society, it’s left to people to negotiate the balance.

Glad you agree that it’s simply impossible to protect most people and have freedom. Hopefully we can extend this approach to other areas of life soon. “Freedom” is overrated anyways!

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#93

Post by eek2121 »

My immediate thought upon clicking the link referenced in the article, is that the first thing I see is at first glance looks like astrological signs taking up the entire height of the page.

I'm not defending Apple at all (I'm a developer, I've not specifically worked on apps for iDevices, however I've worked closely with those that take our platforms and tie them into those apps at many companies and startups)

I've also not finished reading the article, however right away, based on what I've read, I see the problem. Apple reviews a thousands upon thousands of apps a day, and the folks reviewing those apps (and now, AI) aren't going to continue to review an app when they see a potential violation. It is up to the app developer to be clear and concise.

Apple is a pain to deal with, I get that. However, I see why it was rejected. Continuing to read the article now.

EDIT: read the rest of it. My take is that they are probably employing AI based upon the odd response (which is dumb, also note, Apple has been using forms of machine learning for years to assist with this stuff. When I say AI, I specifically refer to LLMs).

Something that I think folks really need to pay attention to, however, is the first impression. The app reviewer doesn't just hit a reject button and call it a day. They take notes. Notes that aren't shared with you, just among folks that may review it again in the future. When it is re-reviewed, those notes are taken into consideration and given a ton of weight. That is why it is important to give a perfect presentation the first time around. If you have 30 seconds to re-review an app that was rejected and you have notes (and possibly a screenshot or two? I don't know if Apple does that part) of what was presented during the previous review, you aren't going to do a whole bunch of investigating if it looks like nothing has changed. You have deadlines that impact your performance review, you will move on and rubber stamp the re-review. The next level up will take slightly longer, etc.

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#94

Post by Handy-Man »

eek2121 wrote: post #93

My immediate thought upon clicking the link referenced in the article, is that the first thing I see is at first glance looks like astrological signs taking up the entire height of the page. I'm not defending Apple at all (I'm a developer, I've not specifically worked on apps for iDevices, however I've worked closely with those that take our platforms and tie them into those apps at many companies and startups) I've…

Well then you clearly should have read it first. As it kept getting escalated and went to review board and was still rejected stating first review was correct.

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#95

Post by turtlebits »

Arodex wrote: post #83
starik36 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other side of your coin is that I need to periodically visit my relatives and remove all sorts of malware and adware from their phones. Just like I've done with PCs over the past few decades.

Then Apple should do its fucking job correctly. It is not a poor little company, they have no excuse for this rank incompetence. None.

I'm sure the number of submissions has gone up exponentially due to AI.

Since real people review apps, Apple should charge per app / version submission.

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#96

Post by grishka »

lazyasciiart wrote: post #53
grishka wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The society should change such that grandmas could decide for themselves whether they want tech or not, and still have a comfortable life if they choose to not use it. In our current society, smartphones and the internet are forced on everyone. It's not really a choice any more. Which is quite sad.

My grandma does want tech because she loves sharing pictures with her grandchildren throughout the day. That doesn’t mean she wants to send money to Nigeria through a fake banking app?

Then how about her not having online banking?

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#97

Post by fragmede »

doublerabbit wrote: post #90
iamnothere wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously the solution is to restrict the stores to a small, government-licensed list of apps that are known to be safe and regulated.

Then you get government censorship. China for example.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#98

Post by ceejayoz »

iamnothere wrote: post #92
ceejayoz wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There isn’t a way for everyone to be able to do what they want with computing devices and be safe from this shit. That’s the reality. As with most things in society, it’s left to people to negotiate the balance.

Glad you agree that it’s simply impossible to protect most people and have freedom. Hopefully we can extend this approach to other areas of life soon. “Freedom” is overrated anyways!

What freedom on the planet isn't restricted in some way for societal benefit?

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#99

Post by sneak »

The worst part is that for all of this, the App Store is still absolutely chock full of fraud apps, scam apps, and malware.

They deny great apps, fail to fix their mistakes, and leave heaps and heaps of actively malicious apps in place, in the top 40 in every category.

And we pay them 10x cc processing fees (30% instead of 3%) for this.

It’s pure rentseeking bullshit, and it goes against everything that made Apple Apple. It’s an actual tragedy.

Re: App Store Rejection of the Week: Dark Hours

#100

Post by iamnothere »

ceejayoz wrote: post #98
iamnothere wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glad you agree that it’s simply impossible to protect most people and have freedom. Hopefully we can extend this approach to other areas of life soon. “Freedom” is overrated anyways!

What freedom on the planet isn't restricted in some way for societal benefit?

I know, right! Here’s hoping we have many more restrictions in the future.
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