New Website Publicizes iPhone App Rejections
A new website aims to publicize the details surrounding the much-maligned iPhone application review process - Apple's secretive procedures that have been under heavy scrutiny this year, especially since the FCC's involvement regarding Apple's rejection of the Google Voice application. Notable iPhone developers have publically called out the company for this "broken" process and some have even announced their retirement from creating iPhone apps, including Facebook app developer, Joe Hewitt, based on philosophical differences with the perceived tyranny of the Apple gatekeepers.
On the recently launched site, App Rejections, iPhone developer turned blogger Adam Martin, has begun to document individual app rejections in an effort to help the development community understand what they can and cannot expect from the company's stringent, and sometimes seemingly arbitrary, vetting process for new apps.
According to the site's About page, Martin writes that "it's now gone from 'easy' to 'tricky' to avoid getting your app rejected by Apple." And since Apple has refused to document or discuss the matter of application rejections, he was inspired to create this website as a place to collect all the known application rejections.
The App Rejections site itself is in the format of a basic blog. There aren't catchy headlines, images, or accompanying snarky commentary in the individual posts as you would find elsewhere in the tech blogosphere - especially on TechCrunch where documenting high-profile app rejections has become somewhat of a pet project of blogger MJ Siegler. At the most, Adam may inject a few opinions of his own as to how certain things could be improved, but he clearly isn't on any sort of vendetta against the company.
Instead, each post details point-blank exactly why a particular application was rejected, examining information about the APIs used or rules broken in each case. The site also documents when formerly rejected apps finally make it through to the App Store in posts titled "approved" or "overturned," the latter referring to apps whose developers started some sort of appeal process.
Although the site is brand-new, with only two pages of posts so far, it could easily become an invaluable resource for iPhone developers confused by Apple's murky review process which can sometimes lead to apps sitting in limbo for months on end before any word from Apple is had.
Developers looking to have their personal experience documented on the site are advised to contact Martin via his company's Twitter account, @redglassesapps.
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Ha - Snarkiest website award!
Remember back in August when Apple initiated their "crusade" to make app approval better?
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/15/phil-schiller-is-a-man-on-a-mission-to-save-the-app-store/
How's that working out?
Reminder: This is yet another reason to abandon local installs, just use HTML5 web apps in the browser. Try it yourself, mobile version of Gmail in Android's browser, Chrome, is 2x ( 10x? ) better than the local app.
P.S. great find Sara!
Thanks for providing this service. I don't what to gang up on Apple but there process is ridiculous and very unprofessional. Hopefully Apple will start to take action to make Professional developer continue to work with them. If not the quality of the apps will continue to decline.
True! This iphone app rejection website will surely help iphones to develop and maintain their applications at new professional level. I would like to suggest iphones to look out for their rejected apps, so that they can sign their position as standstill in the market.
Well hopefully Apple at least starts giving priority status to developers in good standing for updates of apps with already approved versions. We're hoping App Popular 1.1 gets approved quickly. :)
Nice find!
http://www.freebieshark.com/
Apple has always seemed like such a great company. Practically no viruses. Great usability. All about serving "the people". That's an easy thing to pull off when you have a teeny tiny percent of the market.
Make something that people really start using and you suddenly have to get real. I'm no Microsoft fan, but this point seems obvious:
iPhone is the leader in smart phones just like Microsoft is the leader in PCs. And people are pissed at the leaders for their proprietary B.S. People are pissed because these companies are putting profit ahead of what "the people" want.
Google deals with this kind of thing too--when they get proprietary. The point is, when Google does something completely open-source and "for the people", there are few complaints. As soon as they start imposing rules, "the people" get pissed.
Is there a lesson here? Yes. Please the people. Let them do what they want. If you can manage to make a few bucks along the way, good for you. But don't try to stop the people from getting what they want just so you can make some money.
Google rose to power for its ability to help people and then get out of their way. All companies need to learn that lesson. If you can't make money AND make people happy at the same time, people are gonna get pissed.
We all know AT&T sucks, but we deal with it because the iPhone is so awesome. Imagine the iPhone on a good network. But no, Apple got proprietary. And now Apple is watching Android catch up just like Microsoft is watching Apple and Linux catch up.
Microsoft's biggest threat is those companies trying harder to serve the people (Apple, Linux, Android). Similarly, iPhone's biggest threat is THE SAME THING!
//stepping down from soapbox
I don't understand how Apple approves apps, it must be arbitrary and random at best... Check out: liberymobile.ca - they got 3 funny apps approved with some risque content.
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The monetary easing, with low interest rates and with quantitative easing in Britain and America – these have been the most important thing in giving the world economy a boost.
The monetary easing, with low interest rates and with quantitative easing in Britain and America – these have been the most important thing in giving the world economy a boost.
I don't understand how Apple approves apps, it must be arbitrary and random at best... Check out: liberymobile.ca - they got 3 funny apps approved with some risque content.
They really have an wired way of approving apps.
www.likemyscreenshot.com
I'm glad that there's a watchful eye monitoring those iphone app rejects.
Blech! Ugliest website ever.
I had the same idea over a beer last winter, but you don't see me pulling out an ugly wordpress site do you?
Oy.
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too many apps now aviliable for the new iphone... unbelievable
The monetary easing, with low interest rates and with quantitative easing in Britain and America – these have been the most important thing in giving the world economy a boost.
One of the most frustrating things that can happen to an iphone developer is when your app gets rejected by the app store. Most of the times their explanations are plain ridiculous and really give you no direction on how to solve the problem.