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Apple has locked me out of my developer account

rambo.codes

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Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#211

Post by johndubchak »

cmcd wrote: post #151
atonse wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Said it better than I could've – there are some pretty obvious reasons why Rambo's account could've been suspended, the clear violation of NDAs being the main one, with him publishing information about unreleased products. I'm honestly kind of surprised they let him keep his Developer account all this time. My bigger issue here is the complete lack of transparency or visibility into the process. It's this kind of stu…

with regards to the App Store being the only way to get apps on iOS The App Store is the only Apple supported way to release apps, there are unsupported third party app stores as well. Lack of transparency is not good, but I'm not sure what the issue is with there being only one officially supported way to download apps. It is Apple's product and software, they are selling the "Apple Experience" as much as the hardwa…

The primary reason for the single Apple supported AppStore is platform control and by that I mean they can control quality, security, content (remember Steve Jobs said he wasn't making a product for people to stream PORN on) and the type of apps that are permitted. This is a big part of the brand.

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#212

Post by benologist »

dkonofalski wrote: post #186
benologist wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you research that time period you will find many arbitrary rejections were being made that could not be resolved by the developer and may even have been nonsensical. https://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-app-rejections-2009-1... https://www.cnet.com/news/behind-10-eyebrow-raising-app-stor... https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a3dwq8/apples-long-histor...

Read your own articles. None of the decisions were overturned as a result of a report to the media. All of them were resolved independently between Apple and the developer.

Google Voice and the NiN album were both reinstated without change after succumbing to public pressure. Google actually went to the FTC where Apple claimed they didn't reject their app! The drone strike notification app in the Vice article ended up being approved in 2017(!!) after five years of trying to publish it, then it got immediately removed lol.

https://www.macworld.com/article/1140476/accessapproved.html

https://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/11/16/2318247/official-g...

https://mashable.com/2017/03/28/apple-app-store-metadata-dro...

Also from the CNET article: a political countdown timer, a podcasting app and South Park streaming episodes app were all never approved.

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#213

Post by AnthonyMouse »

FussyZeus wrote: post #120
mortenjorck wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My bigger issue here is the complete lack of transparency or visibility into the process. This is indeed the core of the problem. If Apple provided a clear citation, e.g. “the following protected information was shared under your name at this URL on this date, which violates section xyz of your developer agreement,” it would still be unfortunate, but it would be miles ahead of Apple’s maddening “for more informatio…

This is impossible at scale and a waste of a companies' time. Apple doesn't care if your account is reinstated. Odds are (just like the author here) you know exactly why your account is suspended. If you honestly don't, then you didn't do your due diligence in signing up. And, even if they cited whatever part of whatever agreement, it would just be onto the next excuse. It's a bottomless pit of arguing that solves no…

> Apple doesn't care if your account is reinstated.

But that's the problem. These people who don't agree with the rules? They have the capacity to vote, to not develop applications for the App Store, not buy them from others and publish accounts to try to move public opinion and encourage others to do the same. That's what they're doing right now.

You're saying if they don't like the rules they should do what? Shut up and do nothing? That doesn't effect change. So instead they raise Cain and do what they can to put pressure on Apple and their reputation in order to bring about a change in policy.

Telling dissenters to eat sand because their opponent is bigger than them is not going to convince anybody that Apple is right. It does more to convince people that Apple is problematic.

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#214

Post by jdgoesmarching »

hnarn wrote: post #49

It feels like I'm living in a bizarre world where this event is being parsed by so many people as "Apple can't lock any account they want, force them to apologize!", when what people should be saying is "Wow, monolithic software pipelines controlled by a corporation sure are bad and this is just one of many entirely predictable consequences"

It’s weird to see this whole thread jumping to Apple’s defense because “he broke the rules.” Feels hilariously similar to the human centipede episode of South Park.

The fact that this company can rip away his work and livelihood because he’s clever enough to find clues in their betas is crazy. Everyone here acting like it’s ok because the world’s richest company has a team of lawyers building the justification are even crazier. Especially when this community eats up his leaks and reporting, it’s sad to see everyone turn their backs on this dude.

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#215

Post by jjeaff »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #109
mortenjorck wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My bigger issue here is the complete lack of transparency or visibility into the process. This is indeed the core of the problem. If Apple provided a clear citation, e.g. “the following protected information was shared under your name at this URL on this date, which violates section xyz of your developer agreement,” it would still be unfortunate, but it would be miles ahead of Apple’s maddening “for more informatio…

This is an issue with a lot of companies and industries. It's getting really old, and I really hope we see it happen to actual senators so we can see some damn change over it. I'd love to read about how Paypal shutdown some senators account or campaign donation account or whatever, maybe then we will see congress start to turn tables. If you're going to discontinue service with a client then provide proper background…

Unfortunately, the official internal policy seems to be to shut down accounts and then if someone turns out to be well connected or is able to get some press coverage, then they get unblocked. So senators will never need to worry.

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#216

Post by behnamoh »

atonse wrote: post #68
rgovostes wrote: post #39

> I’m just an indie developer trying to make good products. Apple should separate Rambo's software development from his reporting rather than retaliate against him, if that is indeed what is happening, but it is a little disingenuous for him to make the above claim. Rambo reverse engineers Apple products and publishes findings on 9to5Mac.com, in particular future product references that have slipped prematurely into…

Said it better than I could've – there are some pretty obvious reasons why Rambo's account could've been suspended, the clear violation of NDAs being the main one, with him publishing information about unreleased products. I'm honestly kind of surprised they let him keep his Developer account all this time. My bigger issue here is the complete lack of transparency or visibility into the process. It's this kind of stu…

> I strongly support some government action to change the current state of affairs with regards to the App Store being the only way to get apps on iOS.

I couldn't disagree more. IMO governments should be kept separate from business matters as long as those businesses don't pose a threat to the nation. Otherwise, it'd be against the freedom of individuals and companies to involve government agencies into the matter.

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#217

Post by akira2501 »

johndubchak wrote: post #200
atonse wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Said it better than I could've – there are some pretty obvious reasons why Rambo's account could've been suspended, the clear violation of NDAs being the main one, with him publishing information about unreleased products. I'm honestly kind of surprised they let him keep his Developer account all this time. My bigger issue here is the complete lack of transparency or visibility into the process. It's this kind of stu…

> I strongly support some government action to change the current state of affairs with regards to the App Store being the only way to get apps on iOS A very slippery slope that will not end well for anyone, i.e. Apple, end users, and developers included. This is something I wouldn't advocate for personally and I'm not an Apple fanboi. I don't particularly care for the closed ecosystem but it does create security adv…

> A very slippery slope that will not end well for anyone,

An anti-trust case against an established monopoly is a slippery slope? I'm having trouble understanding the fear here.

> I don't particularly care for the closed ecosystem but it does create security advantages

Anyone can claim "security advantages" from their walled garden, there's nothing particular about their implementation that grants them any additional security. Further, there are plenty of instances where Apple has had to remove malware and violating apps well _after_ they had been released to the store so it's not entirely clear what the true advantage for the consumer is here.

> and Apple is making efforts to protect users more so than greedy Corporate interests when it comes to data and privacy rights.

Do you believe this is the only model? Why should the manufacturer of my computer have any reason to be "protecting my privacy." Why are they involved in that discussion in the first place?

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#218

Post by jmull »

hnarn wrote: post #49

It feels like I'm living in a bizarre world where this event is being parsed by so many people as "Apple can't lock any account they want, force them to apologize!", when what people should be saying is "Wow, monolithic software pipelines controlled by a corporation sure are bad and this is just one of many entirely predictable consequences"

> monolithic software pipelines controlled by a corporation sure are bad

I would guess a lot of people wouldn't agree with that as a general statement.

I suppose we can argue about what "bad" means. They certainly aren't perfect and have various drawbacks. On the other hand, where are the better software pipelines not controlled by corporations, all things considered? Keep in mind that people generally opt-in to the Apple ecosystem, despite the high dollar cost of entry.

Meanwhile, let's consider an unpoliced app store. It will be full of malware, scams and frauds that only highly sophisticated users will be able to navigate with some safely. One one hand, no one's going to get banned. On the other hand, no one is going to be banned! It doesn't sound good to me.

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#219

Post by ouid »

pcroh wrote: post #193
bogwog wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These giant walled gardens should seriously be regulated. One company should not have complete control over an entire industry like this.

Apple doesn't even have 50% of market share in any country, how are they in "complete control" of anything?

They are in complete control of the programs that you can install on your iphone, and take 30% of all transactions that occur through that marketplace. Are you a lawyer for apple?

Re: Apple has locked me out of my developer account

#220

Post by logfromblammo »

FussyZeus wrote: post #176
ebiester wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it is in their long term interest - seeing the way Apple and Google treat developers has stopped me, at the very least, from putting time into learning their ecosystems and choosing it for a side project. It may be true that there are plenty of people who will replace me, but the aggregate effect can eventually hurt their marketplaces.

Your hypothesis comes up against the App Store breaking records each year and making tons of money for those who participate. It's the most profitable mobile store by a huge margin, and it's not as if these policies are new, this has been more or less the environment it's operated in since it opened.

Ethics and economics rarely agree.

Slavery was also profitable for slave-owners. Fascism was also profitable for the willing corporate partners of the state. The argumentam ad pecuniam is valid only for the accountants, not for policy-makers.

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