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How Apple Kills Indie Developers

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Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#91

basically this: "You broke a rule. We won't tell you what rule, or how you broke it. But we're going to punish you for it."

They don't know and can't really tell. ML fraud/flagging systems are opaque and non-interpretable. They can also change with each re-training that might happen daily.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#92
post #46
post #33

Feels like there are some pieces missing from the story. This isn't a "we won't approve your app because it's not following the app guidelines" rejection or an app stuck in review purgatory. (I once had an Apple TV app stuck in review for 10 weeks before it magically was approved with no changes from me.) This is a "your account did something it shouldn't have done" flag. The whole account is suspended for an alleged…

I'm not aware of the details. but from my (admittedly non-empirical data) that this experience is not uncommon. When Apple thinks there's a problem, big applications are more likely to get quick communication from Apple and small ones get tend to get drawn-out silence.I hear about it from friends, coworkers and my own experience. This makes sense in a realpolitik way - Apple has a monopoly on mobile app profits. Wher…

> big applications are more likely to get quick communication from Apple and small ones get tend to get drawn-out silence

Don't most companies provide better response time to larger customers?

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#93
post #84

For some perspective on apple "killing" developers. Apple is FLOODED with copycat crap apps - 10 different names etc etc. Seriously, the play store used to have lots more of these - maybe now cleaned up. But saying that apple needs to encourage this crap is silly. This is what was killing the play store. The guy complaining here has his "privacy policy" as follows: https://github.com/glushchenko/fsnotes When someone…

It's kind of disappointing to see you and others in this thread being so hostile towards the developer of FSNotes and assuming the worst. I guess I'm a bit biased since I use it regularly, and I really like the business model of an open-source application that is available for free, and is purchasable if you wish to support the creator. It seems like you're ignoring the fact that an actual person (and presumably, fel…

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Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#94
post #51
post #33

Feels like there are some pieces missing from the story. This isn't a "we won't approve your app because it's not following the app guidelines" rejection or an app stuck in review purgatory. (I once had an Apple TV app stuck in review for 10 weeks before it magically was approved with no changes from me.) This is a "your account did something it shouldn't have done" flag. The whole account is suspended for an alleged…

> Did your account do contract work on other "spammy" apps or similar? This is a good question. I've seen the stories before where a person who had normal apps did contract work on scam apps in the same account , and then wonder why their account ends up in review.

No, in account only FSNotes for macOS and iOS. macOS version updates without problems

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#95
post #17

The AppStore experience is miserable. It sucks the life out of you as an independent developer when they reject your app for vague reasons and you know the turn around to get your app reviewed again is going to be another 1-3 days. The quality control is highly variant, sometimes my application goes through intense scrutiny, sometimes it gets rejected purely for user error on their reviewing end and other times it ge…

Google Play is arguably as bad - just in different ways. At least an actual human reviews your apps at Apple, and they do sometimes point out specific-ish information. At Google, since it's all bots, a random algorithm change can remove your app from the store overnight. With Apple, if you get through the review process you're usually safe. Not to mention random bans by association (e.g. if a developer at your compan…

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Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#96
post #79

Each time I've seen this type of article make the news cycle it's as follows: - Apple does X against small / indie developer! I know it makes for a great headline. - Indie developer did no harm, rights a heart tugger of a blog post. - Post reaches front of HN, reddit, etc ... - Further digging shows not only did the indie developer not follow guidelines, they blatantly ignored them. - Indie dev is exposed for not fol…

Each time Apple does some mistake the fanboys defend Apple and accuse the legitimate customer, then when Apple is forced to admit the mistake same fanboys praise Apple.

Some recent examples:

- the keyboard issues, when first reports appeared people were accused they were using them wrong, eating and drinking while typing

- the videos with the Macbook catching fire, people were accusing that person that it was fake or he used it wrong

I would conclude that Apple can make mistakes and I would stop accusing people of using things wrong.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#97
post #91

basically this: "You broke a rule. We won't tell you what rule, or how you broke it. But we're going to punish you for it."

They don't know and can't really tell. ML fraud/flagging systems are opaque and non-interpretable. They can also change with each re-training that might happen daily.

Which is why ML flagging fundamentally shouldn't be used for some unreviewed or non-reversible judgments.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#98
post #39
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I don't get it. Why hand years of your life over to a bunch of greasy shysters? I'm looking forward to the day these oversized bully companies become irrelevant. That day will come. The amount of innovation and progress they're holding back from humanity is criminal. Can't last.

To be fair they bring a boatloads of innovation. It is how said innovations are being used. As for "their day will come": so far I only see the opposite. That "your life as a service" pattern spreads like a cancer. Not sure why people are buying into it.

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Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#99
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't know and can't really tell. ML fraud/flagging systems are opaque and non-interpretable. They can also change with each re-training that might happen daily.

Which is why ML flagging fundamentally shouldn't be used for some unreviewed or non-reversible judgments.

I can understand that the choice is more like:

1) auto-review with false positives/negatives

2) no review at all

Frankly, I don't have a solution outside an unrealistic one hiring external experts reviewing each submission which would probably deplete the pool of developers all around the world.

Re: How Apple Kills Indie Developers

#100
post #83
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"why everyone does not make their own souffles" - I am not only developer. I am also a customer. And I avoid those McDonalds of the Internet like a plague. Not always successful but mostly.

I think you are underselling yourself. Your knowledge in this area exceeds well over 90% of the market. For most people, effectively (as in, in practice) you have two choices - use FAANG services or don't use the internet. Also, and I don't know this, but if I were to look at your service stack, are you telling me I could not find ANY google/amazon/cloudflare service or something that significantly relied on on them?…

I sure use FAANG where it is irreplaceable. As developer I use Azure, Github, etc for example for my consulting gigs where clients demand it. Also guilty using Amazon, Netflix personally. Network card that I buy from Amazon is not any different from the one I get in my local computer store. But I also have my own products. And for those you will not find any trace of FAANG in there. I just do not need their "added value" and them squeezing my you know what. Just to give you an idea: my so called smartphone has offline GPS program, cycling computer and obviously voice calls and camera. Texting is disabled and no data plan. Yes I do understand that I have more knowledge than many people (former scientist), still that ready submission to anything attitude that I see more and more is definitely different from something that I saw for example 20 years ago
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