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Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

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Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#601

Post by kyriakos »

0xEFF wrote: post #359
webmobdev wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My advice is to immediately rebrand as gracefully and effectively as possible and use all that activist energy to effect the transition. Apple will definitely appreciate it if all of us would just shut up and let them screw us. While I appreciate your well-meaning advise to the author - pick your battles in life carefully - I'd like to add that using your anger constructively at some injustice is a positive move to…

Do you expect to see a box on a shelf of any retail store labeled, “Amphetamine” with a colorful picture of drugs? It’s entirely reasonable for the retail store to tell the vendor to rename the product or else it will be removed from the shelf.

No but in software it's normal to have metaphorical names. I don't expect to be able to make a salad with cucumber js or have tea time with chai

https://github.com/cucumber/cucumber-js

https://www.chaijs.com/

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#602

Post by anigbrowl »

solidsnack9000 wrote: post #586
anigbrowl wrote: post #501

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But there already is a bright line rule here, it has just not been diligently enforced up to now. The basic argument is that the Amphetamine app has been able to slide for so long that the ToS provision it violates should be treated as a dead letter, or as if some statute of limitations had expired; the Amphetamine brand has existed so long (and under such favorable conditions) in the app store that the developer now…

The only bright line rule in the provision is that an app should not facilitate the trade in controlled substances, and it doesn't.

FTA:

  Apple has accused Amphetamine of violating the following guideline:

  1.4.3 Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of marijuana, tobacco, or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) isn’t allowed."
Looks like you forgot some other stuff.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#603

Post by fjdjsmsm »

oauea wrote: post #582
freehunter wrote: post #571

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I must have forgotten it because I can open the Epic store and play Fortnite on my Mac right now without any warnings. I actually just downloaded the installer right from epicgames.com and it installed just fine. Apple doesn't even try to stop me. I remember Apple revoking Epic's access to Apple's developer tools because of a disagreement over their developer program TOS, but that only stops Epic from using Apple's t…

Yes, there were lawsuits and the courts forced Apple to stop their ridiculous behavior. That is why you can do this right now. Not because of Apple's goodwill, quite the contrary.

The lawsuits were for iOS not MacOS.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#604

Post by nitwit005 »

aardvarkr wrote: post #241
blatherard wrote: post #142

I thought I should look at the App Store and see what this app is doing in comparison to similar apps. The logo is basically a big pill and the tagline "Powerful keep-awake utility" which is clearly alluding to the drug. https://imgur.com/a/RJXHaBa This was consistent with the feedback the author received: "[the] app appears to promote inappropriate use of controlled substances. Specifically, your app name and icon i…

"1.4.3 Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of marijuana, tobacco, or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) isn’t allowed." Taking this literally, is an amphetamine an illegal drug? It’s a clas…

Even for legal drugs most (maybe all?) countries have rules about how you can market or promote them. The classic example would be things like cigarette and alcohol marketing needing to include health warnings.

Since the App store is global, it makes sense to just not allow anything that could run afoul of those rules.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#605

Post by crazygringo »

nsajko wrote: post #599
crazygringo wrote: post #596

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The usage here (stay awake with amphetamines) clearly refers to the recreational illegal application of using it to stay up. Absolutely amphetamines have prescription medicinal applications including for chronic fatigue. Just like cocaine has applications such as a topical anaesthetic. But it's completely disingenous to suggest that the app is using the name "Amphetamine" as if it were under the context of a doctor's…

Amphetamine is used for treating narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcolepsy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiopathic_hypersomnia

Of course. I just used chronic fatigue as one example, those are others.

Regardless, my point stands: when the average person thinks of using amphetamines to stay awake, they're thinking primarily of the illegal context, not the prescription one.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#606

Post by crazygringo »

Daho0n wrote: post #367
crazygringo wrote: post #168

I mean, on this point I'm actually inclined to think Apple's general policy is reasonable, even if it sucks that Apple is only now adding or enforcing this rule. It doesn't want apps that jokingly call themselves "Crack Cocaine", "Crystal Meth", or "Mango Vape". It doesn't have anything to do with them actually promoting drug use, but it helps normalize illegal drug use in a way, while Apple wants to keep a "family f…

Apple disagrees with you - or at least they did when it was a Mac App Store Story.

I already said it sucks that Apple is only now enforcing or adding this rule.

Clearly Apple has changed its mind.

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#608

Post by 0_gravitas »

Considering how hostile Apple seems to be to the creators that make their platform worth using, I'm consistently surprised that people keep developing for it/investing in it. At least Microsoft is apathetic all the way through: don't expect any help, but as far as I know you won't get shot out of the blue. To me, Apple's whole shtick these last few years reads as if they're just saying "We don't want you to develop on our platform." ("Pay us for even the ability to start making anything on our devices. Give us our cut for letting you exist and provide content for our platform. You can't do that anymore; banned. Make this arbitrary change or you're gone in x days...")

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#609

Post by miked85 »

webmobdev wrote: post #549
supernova87a wrote: post #528

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may not know this, but plenty of physical retail stores charge manufacturers of goods to display their wares / offer shelf space for sale.

Yes, but it is not the norm. And physical retail stores can justify it to some extent because storage / display space is actually limited and obviously they would like to give the most space to products that sells fast and / or are more profitable. (This is why FMCG - fast moving consumer goods - are so heavily advertised. Brand awareness helps their sales, and thus shops are more ready to stock it.) Apple has no rea…

> Yes, but it is not the norm.

It very much is the norm [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slotting_fee

Re: Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

#610

Post by methodsignature »

yoz-y wrote: post #407
pfortuny wrote: post #399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Grand Theft Auto comes to mind... Plague Inc... Drink extreme... Trivia Crack Adventura... Drug Mafia... All of those are ios GAMES.

Yes this. The hypocrisy of the gatekeepers is infuriating. Let’s not forget that almost all popular games are mass murder simulators. One of the most popular kids games is a dog fighting game. Now, I’m not advocating to remove those. I like games, but let’s not pretend that somehow calling an app after a molecule is worse.

I posit that it is capriciousness, not hypocrisy.
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