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Avoid the Apple App Store

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Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#121

Post by jonatanheyman »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #114
wackget wrote: post #14

Wow, that gallery of Wordle clones is really infuriating, especially when seen in the context of OP's submission. The absolute gall of Apple to reject OP's submission repeatedly despite him providing differentiating features... but then to allow all those trash-tier blatant clones into the app store. That's what infuriates me the most.

It points out to me another issue with the App Store though. While the author's "Wordle" was Swedish and different in other regards, why would you even want to submit a Wordle-like app into that fray? I think it's almost a given that you cannot charge for your app. A neighbor's adult daughter down the street told me (and this was perhaps eight years ago), "No one wants to even pay 99 cents for an app." In-App purchas…

The main drive for me (OP) was that I loved the game idea. Also, when I first decided to build the app, there were no Wordle-style games in the store (that I could find).

> And if you're going to essentially give it away, just make it web-based (like everyone's beloved Wordle).

Oh, you bet I regret I didn't take that road.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#122

Post by dcow »

Humdeee wrote: post #119
mrtranscendence wrote: post #107

Unlike many people here, I'm not ideologically opposed to the idea of a walled-garden phone (though my preference would be to have the ability to sideload). But it kills me just how poorly Apple is behaving here. It's like they don't care at all about pissing off the developers that help make their platform attractive, and they'll belligerently go on not caring even as government agencies around the world gear up to…

Reigning in copycat developers is not a bad thing for the consumer base. Have an original idea and one with more effort than what could be summarized in a youtube tutorial and I don't see why they would reject. I don't want to discredit OP's 'hackathon' night of coding, but making a blog post because you paid the annual $100 and Apple rejects your mud that you threw at the wall hoping it would stick is why I like bei…

I think the developer made a very clear case as to why they do not have a simple copycat experience. Please read the essay.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#123

Post by _fat_santa »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #114
wackget wrote: post #14

Wow, that gallery of Wordle clones is really infuriating, especially when seen in the context of OP's submission. The absolute gall of Apple to reject OP's submission repeatedly despite him providing differentiating features... but then to allow all those trash-tier blatant clones into the app store. That's what infuriates me the most.

It points out to me another issue with the App Store though. While the author's "Wordle" was Swedish and different in other regards, why would you even want to submit a Wordle-like app into that fray? I think it's almost a given that you cannot charge for your app. A neighbor's adult daughter down the street told me (and this was perhaps eight years ago), "No one wants to even pay 99 cents for an app." In-App purchas…

Apple needs to reign in subscriptions. I was looking for a "photo vault" app the other day, basically a place to store photos that is password protected. I didn't need cloud storage, no fancy features, just a place to store photos with a passcode lock.

So I went looking for an app and I must have reviewed close to 50, every single one had a "subscription". Now I get it, apps aren't easy to make and aren't free either, I get paying $2, $3, hell $5 or $10 for the app, but don't make me pay you $2.50 per month for all eternity.

Now I get subscriptions, I happily pay for Netflix, Spotify, and even some lesser known apps that have a subscription. But in every case those apps are providing me with a great value, 1Password is another great example. But to charge for a subscription to just use an offline app? No.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#124

Post by realo »

This app contains a large dictionary of swedish words. Could it be possible that it is rejected simply because none of the reviewers know swedish well enough to guarantee that there is no “taboo “ word in the list?

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#125

Post by dkonofalski »

dcow wrote: post #122
Humdeee wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reigning in copycat developers is not a bad thing for the consumer base. Have an original idea and one with more effort than what could be summarized in a youtube tutorial and I don't see why they would reject. I don't want to discredit OP's 'hackathon' night of coding, but making a blog post because you paid the annual $100 and Apple rejects your mud that you threw at the wall hoping it would stick is why I like bei…

I think the developer made a very clear case as to why they do not have a simple copycat experience. Please read the essay.

The developer's post assumes that those other clones won't be removed. It also assumes that every review process is exactly the same. We only know one side of the story here and it's full of assumptions and conjecture.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#126

Post by amelius »

mrtranscendence wrote: post #107

Unlike many people here, I'm not ideologically opposed to the idea of a walled-garden phone (though my preference would be to have the ability to sideload). But it kills me just how poorly Apple is behaving here. It's like they don't care at all about pissing off the developers that help make their platform attractive, and they'll belligerently go on not caring even as government agencies around the world gear up to…

> I'm not ideologically opposed to the idea of a walled-garden phone (though my preference would be to have the ability to sideload).

The App-Store is, in this context, merely a Content Filter. So why not allow multiple content filters?

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#127

Post by endisneigh »

Make web apps. It’s that simple. People complain about the play store and the Apple App Store yet continue to submit apps there that don’t even require native functionality.

Wordle went from web app to sold in what, two months? Native apps aren’t required. Make web apps and we need to unite and figure out a common distribution method.

When a critical mass is reached - Google in particular - is incentivized to help galvanize even further. Heck, Google tried to make PWAs a thing. It’s Apple that benefits more from app stores at the moment.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#128

Post by Humdeee »

dcow wrote: post #122
Humdeee wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reigning in copycat developers is not a bad thing for the consumer base. Have an original idea and one with more effort than what could be summarized in a youtube tutorial and I don't see why they would reject. I don't want to discredit OP's 'hackathon' night of coding, but making a blog post because you paid the annual $100 and Apple rejects your mud that you threw at the wall hoping it would stick is why I like bei…

I think the developer made a very clear case as to why they do not have a simple copycat experience. Please read the essay.

No, it's not a clear case. That's what the discussion is about. It's overemphasizing the differing features, and Apple seems to also think so. What you and OP think is evidently not what Apple and many other thinks. Please at least attempt to understand another perspective.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#129

Post by mrtranscendence »

Humdeee wrote: post #119
mrtranscendence wrote: post #107

Unlike many people here, I'm not ideologically opposed to the idea of a walled-garden phone (though my preference would be to have the ability to sideload). But it kills me just how poorly Apple is behaving here. It's like they don't care at all about pissing off the developers that help make their platform attractive, and they'll belligerently go on not caring even as government agencies around the world gear up to…

Reigning in copycat developers is not a bad thing for the consumer base. Have an original idea and one with more effort than what could be summarized in a youtube tutorial and I don't see why they would reject. I don't want to discredit OP's 'hackathon' night of coding, but making a blog post because you paid the annual $100 and Apple rejects your mud that you threw at the wall hoping it would stick is why I like bei…

I don’t mind the App Store removing shameless copies. But games with distinct features (eg offering Swedish) and which don’t use anyone else’s intellectual property should probably not face such an uphill battle.

Further, they only pay such attention to Wordle clones because they were publicly called out on it. Other clones, even ones that violate IP laws, still get a free pass.

And it’s not as if they’ve stopped allowing Wordle clones in, either.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#130

Post by Apocryphon »

dkonofalski wrote: post #125
dcow wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the developer made a very clear case as to why they do not have a simple copycat experience. Please read the essay.

The developer's post assumes that those other clones won't be removed. It also assumes that every review process is exactly the same. We only know one side of the story here and it's full of assumptions and conjecture.

That highlights another problem with the process- the complete lack of transparency. Apple could be more forthcoming about the review process, yet they aren’t.
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