Are iPhone app developers getting paid on time from Apple? Not all of them. On this iPhone developer forum, there are numerous threads from developers who are complaining about delays in payments for January and not being paid the amount of money the developers are in fact due from sales. And we’ve received one complaint directly from an iPhone app developer that Apple is late on its payments for January. Apple’s contract, which is embedded below, says that payment will be made to developers within 45 days of the end of the month. That would have been a week ago.
Developers are expressing a number of gripes with Apple that extend beyond just being paid on time. We also hear (and read) that reaching Apple by phone is a complete nightmare. Emails to Apple go unanswered and customer service reps put developers on hold for 30 minutes to an hour and sometimes hang up on callers after they’ve waited to speak to an agent.
Each month Apple sends iPhone app developers a financial report, detailing their sales for the month but in February, Apple sent out this email:
February iTunes Financial Report Update
Due to system enhancements, your February Financial Report(s) will be delivered later than recent months. You should expect to see your February Report(s) available for download on iTunes Connect within the time frame for delivery as provided for in your contract.
We’ve heard from one developer that he’s yet to have received the February report and its nearly April. To make matters worse, another iPhone developer says that even after receiving the report of how much he should be paid, he was grossly underpaid by Apple, by nearly $10,000.
From the looks of the complaints on the forum, there are a number of developers who are frustrated with Apple’s customer service and payment system for iPhone developers. We have contacted Apple for a response and will update this post if we hear back. In the meantime, if you are a developer and have had trouble receiving payment or dealing with Apple, please let us know in comments.
iPhone app contract – Get more Information Technology
Wow this is eye-opening. Most developers doing iPhone stuff are relying on this funding in order to continue their projects. It definitely stinks that payments are being delayed, maybe it should be taken out of AAPL’s 30% for everyday they are late
Actually, Apple stands to make considerable money just holding on to the money for as long as they can. The longer they can hold on to the money, the more they’ll make in interest, and they currently average 45 days on each transaction.
As for reviews, the statistics they cited are pretty unbelievable. From the comment thread here, and my personal contacts, the average acceptance rate is much lower than 96%. I’m collecting stats from developers if you have a moment to answer a few questions:
http://bit.ly/appreviews
http://bit.ly/appresponses (current results)
Rock on Ross, keep fighting the good fight. Can iPhone developers unionize?
Yes, after the success of our first App we went and started 7 more aps – all incredibly brilliant ideas of course… Trouble is our cashflow is now messed up due to Apples late payment!
Listen to why this iPhone developer hasn’t been paid {seesmic_video:{”url_thumbnail”:{”value”:”http://t.seesmic.com/thumbnail/doGd27ssgk_th1.jpg”}”title”:{”value”:”Listen to why this iPhone developer hasn’t been paid ”}”videoUri”:{”value”:”http://www.seesmic.com/video/YDtjoKswAE”}}}
This is not personal to you, but a general thought.. video comments require an extra step and extra time. I’ll skim through almost everyone’s comments (it only takes a second), but have never cared enough to actually hit play. So just type it if you want everyone to pay attention.
I get that, but…
…I only post comments here because I need a place to practice using videos.
…look at how many text comments there are. I have no interest in getting lost in this pile.
…even if you never play my videos, you get to know me because you see my face/office/etc
Thanks for the feedback though. I bet you’re a friend who knows me and is trying to help. I appreciate your input.
I agree. Didn’t watch it. I watched enough video with Obama tonight…
FWIW, Andrew Warner’s videos are usually very helpful. For those who don’t know him, he has a site called Mixergy.com that has lots of podcasts and video interviews of interest to startup execs (he’s a successful startup founder himself). Mixergy.com was recommended to me by a VC-backed founded in SoCal, and I have to say I’ve benefited from it — tips on angel funding, marketing, and everything in between.
(All right, Andrew, now you owe me — I’ll be expecting you to invest in my startup! Just kidding…. )
So, while I’m actually probably in Nicholas’ boat having consumed enough video today myself, FWIW, Andrew’s vids aren’t just random Seesmic-powered rants.
Text comments are good but Andrew’s right about video comments standing out more. Hell, we’re talking about it and you noticed it enough to start this reply branch.
Don’t hit play if you don’t want to watch, but why criticize someone who is going above and beyond what most commenters are doing by providing a dynamic, multimedia response that many find entertaining?
Nice job, Andrew. Watched and enjoyed.
It’s only a small number of people have not been paid yet for January. I think most of iPhone developer have been paid. I am very satisfy with Apple Customer Services
70 percent of nothin is nothin
Would it not by possible to launch a ddos attack against a dev by just by having a bunch of friends buy the apps and return them….it would basically bankrupt the dev for sure…
Hey, do some math… Even if the developer sells the app for $3, he will have to back pay about $1 for every refunded app… How many friends do you need to bankrupt the developer ? A 1000 ? Do you have that many “bunch of friends” ?
Think before you speak…
USD payments are going out Monday, March 30th 2009.
http://developer.android.com/
I’ll second that.
android is a joke….has anyone made a dime making money on android?
No, what’s a joke is the fact that Apple wants developers to pay 100% back if a consumer requests a refund, and Apple can keep their 30% commission.
That sir, is a joke.
@Joe
Is it really? Every credit card processor out there keeps your processing fee if you have to do a refund on a charge.
Yes is a joke. And no, not every credit processor keeps the fee after refund. Not even paypal. Even if what you said was true, please, tell me that if apple told the cc companies they needed to make that concession that they would say no and risk losing millions in business.
@Jon
Good for credit card processors Jon. Apparently you haven’t setup a merchant account lately, because generally speaking if you find a CC Processor collecting a 30% fee, then you should shop around more. CC processors collect a 2% – 5% fee if you have pretty good credit, and you may have to pay a monthly fee.
Not the same model, don’t apply it.
If users want a refund, cool. Then refund them the 70% I made and the 30% Apple made.
IF not then Developers, like myself, have to find a way to consume the cost.
And Frankly, that’s just stupid on Apple’s part. As someone else already said, we make thousands every day for them.
Joe is absolutely right here. 30% by it self it’s a “huge” margin.
The alternative is “Cydia” and it’s growing fast.
See also Tim Bray’s “Are you a Sharecropper?”
Don’t disagree, and with every day that Apple waits to approve apps I wonder if there are greener pastures. Frankly, not until Cupcake at least. Hopefully soon, because we need some competition, and it isn’t coming from Palm, Nokia, or RIM.
Google, there are groups of people, say here in Chicago, trying to get information. MoMo in Chicago relaunched, and with little or no contribution from Motorola, somebody has to step up to the plate. We are working on iPhone projects, but anticipate adding a platform.
The good part about Apple is that they made development rational, provided tools, and a store. Prior to this nobody communicated. Apple saves the lack of communication for after you develop!
What do you expect from Apple, or any large company that has to support hundreds of thousands of developers?
Granted, when it comes to paying out, they should be more responsive.
I expect professionalism.
It’s an “enhancement,” see?
I guess thats why they are no longer “Think Different” because they all think the SAME.
And we thought Microsoft was bad all these years.
Well, wake up sheeples.
I like and use the iphone for its ease of use. But I chuckle at this idea of apple-is-sooo-niceeee of a company.
You do have to give credit to Apple though; they were the first company to setup a viable distribution mechanism from developer to consumer, on the mobile platform.
When you say you have to give Apple credit. do you mean for the App store, which is in every way a complete copy of the Danger app distribution for the Sidekick?
No, actually I don’t think you have to give them credit for that. At least as far as I can tell, no one gives Microsoft credit when they copy someone else’s idea on a larger scale, so why should we give Apple credit for scaling up someone else’s idea?
Lee, I would give credit because its so large scale that it has benefited many developers. 800million downloads need credit. Nobody is going to do it. I dont ask every grocery store to be different.
Microsoft copied other people software and asked us to pay. Apple isnt making a lot of money from the apps. Ir rather makes a lot of people money. We have some developers making thousands $. They could not have made it ourside. Customers get so many apps for just $1.
In my opinion, apple is doing to smartphones what microsoft did to computers in the early days.
We need a market to develop for…
We need a market to develop for…
sue sue sue sue sue
Entrepreneurs should certainly understand delayed payments but doesn’t make it right.
I have three apps in submission right now and none have them have even been opened in 5 weeks! The are online based apps and i can prove they have never been opened once! 96% approved in 1 weel my ass! i dont know a single dev that has ever got anything approved in 1 week!
I still have yet to get my Feb. statement my Jan payment is late and now apple is forcing us to sign new contracts that make us pay the full refund of the purchase even though they only pay out 70%! its now possible for iphone developers to go into DEBT TO APPLE!!!!
this platform is a nightmare!
All three of my apps were approved in exactly 7 days each time. This was spread out over a period of three months – December, January and February. I’ll be submitting my fourth here in a day or two.
Quit your whining and be thankful for the opportunity.
the opportunity to do what? wait in a never ending black hole of a approval process? For some reason I don’t feel this is much of a opportunity…
Clearly you saw an opportunity, otherwise you wouldn’t have spent the time to build the three apps that you did. If it wasn’t “about the money”, then you wouldn’t be complaining about your late January payment.
Duh.
Point is, if you don’t like the platform, then leave. No one is holding a gun to your head telling you that you need to stay and build apps for it.
I’ve heard Android is the up and coming platform. I’m sure you’ll have a better experience there!
So your anecdotal evidence trumps his, and you throw some smug bullshit in there to boot.
Pro comment.
Anonymous Developer,
Thank you for the positive encouragement!! It is good to hear that the approval process is not that long for everyone. I am almost ready to submit my first app. Just a quick question for you. With all the price differences on apps now, what is a good price for a educational quiz in your opinion? I know it is a little off topic but I thought you may have some insight. Thanks!!!
Actually my app was approved within 4 days. I’ve heard the approval process depends on the type of app. For example, games is a hugely popular category and could take longer. My app is a lifestyle app.
@sign new contracts that make us pay the full refund of the purchase even though they only pay out 70%!
Huh? So if they refund a app, you end owing them 30%? That doesn’t sound right… you sure? Any one have details on that one?
Section 6.3 includes this text:
“In the event that Apple refunds any such price to an end-user, You shall reimburse, or grant Apple a credit for, an amount equal to the price for that Licensed Application. Apple will have the right to retain its commission on the sale of that Licensed Application, notwithstanding the refund of the price to the end-user.”
Now that is messed up.
Wow. That’s harsh. How in the world can they justify keeping their commission on something they refund?
If I’m reading that right, this is a potentially huge financial exposure to anyone doing iPhone apps. I’ve been working on one myself (who hasn’t these days!?!?), but that sure makes me re-think charging for any that I release.
I do wonder about the “have the right to retain its commission part”. Maybe they’re not planning on actually doing that, unless someone somehow commits fraud, and that’s a mechanism for them punishing them? Still doesn’t mean they couldn’t all of a sudden decide to enforce that clause…
Somewhere in between you two’s conflicting accounts lies the truth…
I’ve pushed 10 apps through the process now, some multiple times because of updates. All but 2 of them were reviewed in less than 7 days (they weren’t always approved first time though). The other two took much longer: both had periods of 4+ weeks with no response, and one took almost 3 months to get it in the store.
Both were also rejected with inaccurate reasons at least once. An email back to Apple each time cleared that up, and eventually I found that including a more technical description of what the app was doing typed in the box for providing reviewers with full access accounts helped get both through the process.
More transparency would be nice though, and a commitment to respond within a fixed period of time, even if it is just a message explaining the reason for the delay.
Documentation, Documentation, Documentation.
For many years I was in charge of document control at a couple of companies. My biggest headache was dealing with “lack of documentation” and “inaccurate documentation”
I had a sign in my office:
“Everything cometh to who he waiteth, except Documentation”
Just a comment.
We’re waiting over 4 now. It is frustrating to say the least, but I also need new computers, so essentially Apple is screwing themselves…
Anonymous, SFTU. Thanks.
No one is a darling when it comes to money.
Apple is on dangeorus waters, if they keep up with this attitude
Apple should take a note from Google here, with Google Checkout developers can have payouts direct deposited into their bank accounts within two days after an application is charged.
C’mon guys! Give Apple a break. You really think Apple short on money to paid to developers??? I prefer to think in the system enhancements stuff. Right, it’s a lack of respect, but well, maybe they are stuck in Excel
Fanboy Alert. Taking a weak shot at MS while excusing Apple behavior, quite a double standard.
if Apple is not short of money perhaps they can hire some support staff to answer the phone…
I’m an iPhone developer.
We had a “banking error” that caused our payment to be delayed until last week… from November’s sales on. Seriously, we had our first app in the store in November and hadn’t received a penny from it until last week.
iTunes Payments is impossible to get a hold of. They barely respond to email and do not have a telephone number.
We actually had to halt development for a couple months because they were holding profits we had assigned to new apps.
I hope they get it fixed soon. It is every bit as bad as people are saying.
Also, anyone saying “just be glad Apple is giving you this opportunity” has obviously never had to put payroll on their credit card while waiting on Apple to do what they promised.
A lot of devs leave apple for this reason….its a sweatshop in there…
I once sent them a question about European VAT taxes on my app sales and they never answered. I wrote them several months ago.
They have 0 customer support for devs… they literally never reply to customer support emails.
For any dev support, requires a hefty 1k a year subscription…
All of this is true. Apple is an absolute nightmare to deal with. I have one of the top selling apps in the store, but still can never communicate with them and their reporting system is an absolute joke, it’s so hard to manage and track your sales. I don’t understand why I get the royal treatment when I go to the apple store for support on a product that they made a few hundred dollars on, but get treated like crap when it comes to support for my app that makes them thousands of dollars a month! There is no excuse for this. They should have account reps for dealing with developers who know you and who you can schedule time to talk to and who ANSWER your emails!! Considering how much money they make me, it’s hard to complain though, so most of us just accept it.
No, you don’t have a top selling app in the store. If you did, you wouldn’t have to deal with support like everybody else.
STFU and stop being a storyteller.
Wait a second, if a customer requests a refund for an app, the developer has to refund 100% of the price the customer paid even though they only recieved 70% of that price from apple?
If that’s really true it’s insane.
I’ve had both experiences. The majority of my apps have been approved in less than 7 days. Closer to 4 days really. But I have a handful of apps that are “taking longer than expected” to approve. No issues with payments either. I have always been paid before the end of the month for the previous month. That being said, I haven’t been paid for Feb yet, and it was by best month yet. I could really use that $.
I also have apps that have been waiting 4 weeks in the approval process. Actually one is a update to fix bugs in an already existing app. I’ve received the dreaded “we need more time to review your app” email from Apple, twice for the same app.
I have heard of people getting their apps approved within 7 days but those are most likely one page fart apps. The less your application does the faster it gets approved. Make anything complex and risk getting lost in the black hole that is Apple’s review process.
“The less your application does the faster it gets approved.”
Perhaps but only to a point, go too “lite” on features, even if by design, and it will get rejected for being of “minimal functionality” – even if it is a one page fart app.
That 30% comission withold on refunded items is absolutely insane, it is penalizing only the developer? So Apple is in it for profit sharing but not loss sharing? what kind of partnership is that?
A “partnership” where one party owns the transaction platform and the other pays to develop on it.
I have been waiting since September 2008 for payments from apple!! more then $8000 now. Now they don’t even reply on emails anymore. I’m now in quite big problems because of this, as I have accounting for my company that should be done for 2008 a long time ago! This is really sick!!!
The reason that these developers havent received their payments is due to the fact that they are idiots and didnt set up their banking information correctly. If there is an error, like the wrong routing number or swift code, the payments get sent back and are dispersed a month later, in the next payment cycle. I know this because I am a developer and I monitor all of the forums for financial info. i have recieved all moneys due me… Im not an idiot.
Actually Jesse, they are not idiots.
I have been selling in the app store since last Aug – and have received payments a-ok until Jan. I have not received anything since then (and am def. due some $$ based on my sales reports). This is the point most developers are making in this thread.
I DID receive for august and it’s only US$ I’m missing everything else is OK so far… I think
I’d bet anything that the ‘commission’ that everyone is talking about that Apple retains if there is a refund is actually a credit card processing fee. Most credit cards have a $.20 minimum fee for each transaction. If you refund, that is another fee on top of the original feel. I don’t believe Apple makes a lot of money from the App Store at all. I believe most of it is eaten up in credit card processing fees, storage, bandwidth costs and support staff. They do the App Store to sell more iPhones and iPods.
Same thing is happening, and has been, over at Google. It is almost identical in that you can not reach customer service and there are problems with payment.
Check it out: http://www.goog...43f4b&hl=en
That’s for AdSense though… two different areas, and while similiar, it doesn’t show any issues with the developer side of the android platform.
1) They have violated their own contracts with many developers if not most.
2) They lack professional respect for content providers.
3) They make money the day of the sale and make interest for over 45 days.
4) They lack the professional resources and systems to handle the loads put upon them.
5) They illegally take money out of the content providers. i..e. If payment is made the exchange rate is done on the day of transfer vrs the day of the transaction.
This along with many other issues cries class action lawsuit.
I will be talking to my attorney about looking into this. I think this is the only option to set them straight.
This has nothing to do with the opportunity but the lack of professional systems and processes that Apple has implemented to handle the loads put upon the system. The BAs, DBAs, and System Architects did not design the system correctly and Apple did not hire enough resources to handle the loads.
This is a class action suit if I ever saw one.
Interest? You mean the .5% interest? Yeah, that makes a huge difference!
Holding on to tens of millions of dollars for 45 days can net serious profits on “interest”. Keep in mind that there are much better returns available, in particular if you can positively keep the money tied down for 45 days.
Yes, Apple’s developer web site need to be completely integrated. The way the roles and tools are separated means my partners and I have to scramble to get each others’ help for certain functions, when we should not need to.
Despite the problems with the resources though, the support has been reasonable for us. They do take a week to respond to any query. And they are slightly short with some queries, prompting a detailed follow up. Considering their volume and young age, this is acceptable for now. They have responded to all of our major issues, and we have just begun to work on the Apple platform.
Our programmer found a flaw in the development process, and Apple took an immediate interest in discussing the problem, and they seem very willing to attack it. That was refreshing (take note IBM.)
As for late payment, their long scheduled delay is ridiculous, let alone the late payments that some are receiving. I must agree, why 45+ days Apple? Think of the free interest they are making on those billions! Oops, I answered my own question.
Apple, you must integrate your iPhone developer tools. Do not HIDE some of the functions as this is completely confusing, but GRAY THEM OUT, so at least those without access know what they are and where they reside. Apple, get the guy who masterfully integrated all of the features of your devices, and have him integrate the developer tools in the same manner. The people who created the web sites did it with a typical bureaucratic corporate mentality. Why can only our first registered user be the only legal contact? These things make sense at General Motors, but not at Apple.
As others may said this is not uncommon. Larges companies tend to delay payments to smaller companies that they know depend on their business (in this case access to consumers via the app store). This done (as mentioned by Ross Boucher) so that the large company can gain revenue from interest and if the company is public: manage their revenue/profit/cost to ensure that they make their numbers. There’s the possibility that someone just forgot to do their job. Either way Apple knows that they small devs. have not choice but to wait it out. To sue your revenue source just isn’t an viable option. I’m not saying that this is a good practice. But ladies and gentlemen welcome to the business world — unlike technology intelligence is not always required.
Technically, you can sue the for breach of contract…
@Chris:
Chris an article said they have made more than $300 Million since the opening of the app store. I believe that’s not all going toward credit card transaction fees.
They ARE making money. That’s great. I hope they keep it up.
They ARE experiencing severe growing pains. Remember when Ballmer (CEO Microsoft) made fun of Apple’s iPhone? And said it wouldn’t sell ANY? Last quarter 2008 they sold 5 million, and 22 million iPods.
So everyone needs to understand that even Apple cannot keep up with the massive overload on its resources.
What I’ve seen, however, is a customer rep responding to my problems with the “Codesign Hell”. He stayed with me until I found the problem on the platform and used an article on the internet to solve it.
I’ve seen them reject apps and not say exactly why it was rejected. We have an eagle eye team member who spotted the error.
We have our app available on the app store now (Trisaic). A fun and hard game to play.
I thought the platform for development was done well. One must get used to how its laid out and the sequence of actions to get things running. But all in all you can setup the build process so that you generate your commercial app, then switch the target to the Lite app and it generates symbols your program can use to turn it into a Lite version.
I’ve had a completely non-programmer type download the SDK, load my code directory onto his Mac, Download the certificates, build and load onto his personal iPod Touch. So it’s not difficult.
What becomes difficult is when something goes wrong. You literally have to rip everything apart.
Good luck all.
Cheers.
Some guys from apple clad in black turtlenecks, jeans and new balance sneakers kidnapped me and beat me with my iphone after I complained about my revolutionary iphone app “bukkake madness” not being approved. I asked why they were doing this to me, I tried tweeting my case to all who would listen, but they just attached a longer dongle to my iphone and whipped me more fiercely. Finally, in desperation, I told them if they didn’t stop I’d whine about them on techcrunch. And now, as a result, here I sit with my iphone lodged in my rectum.
Great info from devs, but I really wish they could identify themselves and their apps without risk of violating NDAs. Not all content is equal, not all submission apps are equal. But all of the comments above force us to treat them at face value and equal. I don’t buy it. I wonder if the complaints (and praise) would flow so easily if you had to identify your app along with your comments.
All of the discussed is absolutely true.
I am an apple fan. Have been for years. I have converted several people to macs and iphones etc…..
I have several successful apps in the appstore.
It took several months for apple to sort out my contract initially. I made several calls, sent several emails. All the calls were to no effect and all the emails went unanswered bar the automated kind of answer. Remember we’re talking months here.
Finally I am due profits this month. The sales reports are indeed delayed this month (But not late).
I am just hoping that the reports come and the payments happen and I can perhaps begin to recommend apple products again.
But then probably not.
iPhone is the best but very expensive in my country. iPhone price in Indonesia $800 – $1,000.
Hmm commented: “And we thought Microsoft was bad all these years. Well, wake up sheeples.”
This comment is what Techcrunch is all about. Post an Anti-Apple BS headline, sit back and enjoy the hate (and the clicks) from hundreds of gamer/hater egoists drawn like flies to sh*t.
I’m on of the developers from the iPhoneDevSDK forum thread posted in the article above. Unfortunately I also haven’t been payed for January. I’ve sent multiple emails to ask for a clarification as to why I haven’t been payed, but they just completely ignore me.
I also have 2 apps stuck in the review process for 3+ months now, the whole App-Store review/payment/support system makes me sick by now.
Hopefuly media attention like this is going to wake up Apple and hopefuly they start taking complaints about not getting payed seriously now.
We’re in the same boat. We haven’t received payment since January. I have sent several support emails over the last 3 weeks with not a single response. It’s very frustrating.
Blah blah blah, go develop for Android then you loosers, then you’ll be really rich! rofl
You’re bitching about net 45? Welcome to the real world guys.
I’ve just got into the app store game, and can indeed confirm what a black hole apple is for developers. I can also second what some folks have said – its a shitty black hole to deal with it, but i’d still rather an apple supplied and managed distsribution mechanism, no matter how opaque, over one i couldn’t possibly do myself.
About the refunds – i’m not sure apple is actually keeping the commission. I’ve had a couple refunds and on the sales reports for my 2$ app it says -1.4 on the royalty price, so i’m pretty sure they’re only taking back from me what they would’ve given me for it… i guess i won’t know until i actually get paid, and who the hell knows when thats gonna be
May be worth putting out a really shitty app, getting someone you know to buy it, request a refund, and actually see if you net OWE apple.
I can attest that Apple doesn’t respond to emails. I sent two to tech support after signing up for my developer’s license and paying $99, and still have not received a response to either and it’s been over 3 weeks.
as with most comments, this is anecdotal evidence. my own anecdotal evidence is the opposite. I’ve emailed the Developer Program tech support several times and always got a response (the longest response time took 3 days).
I don’t think this warrants this kind of outcry. Apple’s App Store support team is evidently understaffed given the popularity of the platform, and they are struggling to meet demand. For the payments issue, I’d think that’s probably related to the overhaul of their developer contracts system: http://www.appl...ing_papers.html
but people like to bitch. whadyougonnado?
We are waiting for financial reports, and payments from February still.
THIS ARTICLE NEEDS A DIGG TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE MEDIA/PUBLIC
one note to clarify, if you sell something via paypal, and the buyer gets a refund. The TOTAL amount is taken out, so you end up owing the amount paid plus the paypal fees. Main reason why i don’t take CC via paypal (20 cents + a %).
I never had this.
When a good faith refund is made, I understand.
When a paypal forced refund is made, you do not pay the fees and paypal refunds its fees too..
Customer service is awful. I had an inquiry in September of 2009, received a response 3 (!!) months later, responded to that myself, then waited another 3 months (seriously) for their next response.
I meant to say september of 2008.
As a consumer of iApps and a supporter of smaller developers (in the tiny ways I can), I am sorry to hear that Apple is putting you guys through this, especially without good guidance on how to get things accomplished. But I do have to relate to you that a refund for an app is not likely, so I would not sweat the load about the possibility of having to pay for a refunded app. If it means anything to you, Apple is not going to give your money back all that easy.
Im pretty sure that they would give a refund, and especially if its a chargeback…they would be way too slow to fight it….
They need to attract more iDiots this way…
I had a US report for Feb’09 today and two Feb’09 payments that look like Euro and Aus$ (tho could be UK£) can’t tell yet.
I got a US report today too… but still no payments. been waiting for it for over 5 months now!!
Apple is amazingly tight-lipped about everything — both good and bad.
We have six applications in the App Store and one was featured in February as “New and Noteworthy” which helped spike our sales. No one from Apple let us know it was going to happen; it just happened.
On the other hand, we notified a technical bug in the system where if you have a SQLite database it doesn’t overwrite the iPhone’s version when a user updates over the air. Apparently, the bug does not happen when the user downloads the update in iTunes.
We called the Developer Connection number and left several messages with them outlining the problem. We sent email and received confirmation. This began in NOVEMBER.
The funny thing is when we pushed an update for our applications in January with a description on how to get around the bug (it was there since November) I received a call from Apple with someone I could not call back saying that the bug fix explanation had to be taken down. I’m happy I had the email showing that the issue was “ticketed” by Apple and a fix was in the works or my apps would not have been approved.
Needless to say we are also experiencing a delay in getting paid for February although we are happy to report that we got our financial statements today, which require a lot of work by developers to make sense of.
Overall, I’m grateful to Apple for the opportunity to be out in front of iPhone/iTouch users with our applications. I’m proud of my team for what they have accomplished. I just wish Apple would give developers the same kind of “Genius Bar” service to partners that they give their customers.
It seems that this article is quit popular with so many people .
ok, here I also have a good share
Tradestead
there are many kinds of cheap and beautiful consumer electronics that I like it very much , I am sure you all will like it too!
The black hole part is what’s really troubling. I had an app rejected for privacy concerns (with a note to please put up a pop-up in the app about sending user data). Did that, submitted, and a week later, they sent me the EXACT SAME MESSAGE. No reference to the fact that I put something or suggestions of how to improve it. Emails went unanswered and calls to ADC are worthless because we’re told they don’t have any contact with the review process. REALLY REALLY frustrating.
I can imagine the frustration if I was an app developer depending on this cash flow. Then again, AAPL is having to deal with a massive influx of developers and I wonder if they were structurally ready for it. I’d be checking This digital security site to cover privacy and online payment concerns.
I am yet another developer that is extremely frustrated with the utter lack of professionalism of the iTunes Connect and Application Review teams.
I’ve had an application in review for 7 months (yes, months, not weeks) and in spite of multiple inquiries, I have not yet received an explanation as to what is holding up its review for so long.
I’m also still waiting for a combined October and November payment that was due on Februrary 15th. The payment is now nearly 2 months overdue and as many developers have already mentioned, iTSPayments simply ignores inquiries regarding the missing and overdue payment.
The iPhone is a great product, the iPhone SDK is a pleasure to use, but the Apple-developer relationship is a diametric opposite experience. It’s horrid…
I insisted after 4 months without payment, this is the answer by some guy in apple:
“Hello
Please stop emailing us. Your 22 emails in the past two days is bordering harassment. We receive a thousand emails a day, and will respond as soon as we can.
Kind regards,
Dean Migchelbrink | iTunes Finance | Apple Inc”
So lets say an young individual developer still in college like myself makes a blockbuster app that generates millions. But then nearly everyone gets bored with it after two months and does the refund. This kid is now hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt? Thats just pure evil.