The number of times I get pinged about an iPhone app getting rejected is almost catching up to the number of times I get pinged for ones accepted. Obviously, it’s a very small percentage that get rejected, but developers are getting increasingly annoyed — and for good reason in some cases. Take one of my favorite apps, Instapaper, for example.
Developer Marco Arment submitted version 1.4 of Instapaper several days ago for approval into the App Store. He’s had several other versions approved in the past, but this one was rejected. Why? Well, he decided to use an small icon within the app that looks like it could be an iPhone. Considering this app has been made for the iPhone, it seems a bit silly that you can’t use its likeness in any way. First of all, icons like this can certainly help user experience. Secondly, the icon in question could almost just as easily be a G1, or any number of other smartphones for that matter.
But this is the same problem that derailed the popular game Pocket God, last week, as Arment writes on his blog. And, apparently, it’s not always enforced. It would seem to be a problem that’s only brought up if the person looking over the app happens to notice it.
The bigger issue is the aspect of timing. When an app is rejected, it basically means it must go back to the back of the line for approval, and this may mean another two weeks of waiting around. For certain time-sensitive apps, this can be a crushing blow. For others, it’s just an extreme annoyance, especially if the change needed is very minor. And, in the case of Instapaper, it means lost sales.
As the App Store continues to grow in popularity, you’d think at some point Apple is going to need to devote a larger team to the approval process, particularly when it comes to relations with developers. While certain big name developers have been known to get special treatment when it comes to approvals (though it’s not exactly like Arment is a no-name developer — he’s also the lead developer for Tumblr), there are many more who feel that Apple could care less when it comes to their apps — which in some cases are now their livlihood.
But it’s baby steps for Apple. Shortly after the App Store first launched last summer, Apple would reject apps and not even tell developers why. Now at least it gives a reason — even if some are kind of silly — and forces developers to get back in line.
Arment is now completely redesigning the offending icon before he resubmits, so that Apple doesn’t have an excuse to reject it again.
What about a wiki for app devs for things that are approved/rejected to cross check against? That way, everyone benefits and stuff can be shared – eg an approved handset icon . . . . Or maybe there’s one that exists already?
Devs would rather bitch?
This is obviously a stupid and annoying practices by Apple. I’m sure it will be changed in the future but in the mean time all that can be done is to just change the icon.
Thank you. What would I do if you weren’t there to state the obvious.
I do think it is Apple right to protect their iPhone trademark. If they did not enforce, later it might being copied to Android, Palm pre, Windows Mobile, etc.
Our latest rejection was for having a screenshot of the iPhone homescreen in a “how to” section of our application. Apparently this violated Apple’s copyright as well.
We previously had 2 other rejections, both of which were also to do with copyright issues for using movie and song clips (which we in fact legally licensed).
I wish they could have told us about the latest issue at the same time they did the others, because all we needed to do was swap out an image. Now its been a week and counting….good think we aren’t in a huge rush
We had one rejected because in the splash screen it said “A iphone app created by [companyname]“.
Your junior high school English teacher would reject it as well.
Just wipe away the tears and continue on, so that you don’t ruin things for the rest of us.
Apple have some realistic and basic rules about their copyrights and they enforce them as often as they see them (just as a cop will pull you over for speeding if he sees you).
A reasonable guess tells you that you’re speeding, so why are developers surprised when the cop pulls them over? Shouldn’t they be more surprised when he misses it? And why are they submitting apps which break those basic copyright rules in the first place?
As far as I understand, a rectangle and a dot inside another rectangle is not copyrighted by Apple.
Well, they were granted a copyright on the SHAPE of the original iPod a while back, so maybe they have…
Apple should shorten its approval process to increase relationship with developers
apple should not be so anal about doing business. what about steve’s health? why did the compnay dismiss it as a flu even thoug it was much worse?
their bad
It would be hilarious if they only corrected one problem at a time, so each one would cost 2 weeks.
Perhaps this is the point of blogs like this, but I’m always amazed at how much you learn about a company’s ethos by their internal policy. Resisting creative development is somewhat inconsistent with their branding.
“It would be hilarious if they only corrected one problem at a time, so each one would cost 2 weeks.”-> Actually, they do correct 1 problem at a time. Mine got rejected for minor problem #1 and it took about 1 1/2 weeks for them to verify and then to report problem #2. So if your app has 4 minor issues and it takes about 1 1/2 weeks per issue. Be prepared to wait for at least 6 weeks as they go through issue 1 by 1. It would be so much better if they go through everything at 1 go.
On my app (mentioned below) they never even ran the app before rejecting it.
Although i’m a big apple fan that is very petty. It doesn’t even look like an iphone, but more like the apple newton of the 90’s. http://iamned.com/blog/ recession may be overblown
This seems very bizarre – would they really prefer a ’standard’ headset icon? I agree with mickerlodeon though – I’m sure apple will eventually increase transparency.
Rotten apple at it again. They charge huge royalty fees for companies that use the ‘made of ipod’ seal on iphone accessories. They also restrict developers heavily and they cancelled macworld appearences. kinda an anal way to do business.
How much lower can Apple go. This is really becoming an insult to programmers and software designers alike. I think the selectivity Apple is choosing to go by is just stupid. How does a little rectangle at the bottom of an app threaten their business?
I think that this is pretty absurd. It’s just a rounded rectagular shape with a circle at the bottom of it. It would be worse if it were another device such as a Blackberry or G. But the fact that they have a problem letting a developer use an iPhone looking icon on an iPhone app? Unless they have other reasoning, I think that are going too far in this case.
Want an app with an icon slightly resembling the device your using? There’s NOT an app for that.
Oops, I meant Blackberry or G1.
I still do not get how Apple can get away with their iStore dictatorship. Microsoft would do the same, everybody would be on their back.
Maybe it seems silly to reject it for copyright infringement, but I’d reject that icon because I don’t have a clue what the hell it means. Jiggle the iPhone/iPod Touch up? What?
Apple rejected my app Bailout Bucks because of the dreaded public ridicule reason.
http://thecodis...blic_figures_39
I thought imitation was the greatest form of flattery? I guess not…;(
Is the fuc*in control freak dead yet? we haven’t heard from him since a while.
GOD (Steve) only knows when apple will go all open source on their hardware(especially the carrier UNLOCK) AND Software.
Along with OSX Would love to install android / symbian / linux with a multi boot option so that I can use apple h/w and s/w of my choice.
So many good things can be done by going open source.
Since the declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, we are still SLAVES of Apple and AT & T
Most of Europe & Asia have surged ahead when it comes to Mobile freedom.
WHY THE HELL CAN’T I USE THE OPERATING SYSTEM AND SERVICE PROVIDER THAT I WANT!
No wonder, Nokia (Phones) & Windows(XP OS) are world leaders despite crappy phones and OS!……………………….
First 2 paras in the above post are sarcastic. i typed but the HTML didn’t appear!
yuck again skipped html opening and closing tags!…
“For certain time-sensitive apps, this can be a crushing blow.”
sure it is, especially given that a particular application is fixing some bugs or security loopholes.
Not only the developer, but Apple is at a loss too.
Sometimes I feel like god, days of apple are limited too!
Sometimes you are just high.
Tough if the world doesn’t run as you wish.
Try to get Nokia pop out a Android phone or persuade MS to release its own version of linux…
I’m happy with Apple making choice for me, as long as I’m not forced to use Apple product.
This time it makes a bad decision, I’ll take that in mind when I choose my next smartphone.
My company’s Quick Shot app icon was rejected for the same reason. The icon could have been depicting any of the new touch screen phones on the market. Unfortunately, when Apple says change it, you change it.
Buddy, I feel ur pain.
APPLEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee… DO something about this!
My 2nd iPhone app was rejected twice and resubmitted twice with explanations as to why it functioned why it did. One of the reasons it was rejected because the user couldn’t set the main list view to show the entire list of nearly a quarter of a million results at one time – who’d want to scroll through a list of 250,000 items?
The app was submitted 3 times in total, without any changes from the original binary. On the 3rd attempt, it was accepted!
You can read about it at http://psionmar...app-developers/
“who feel that Apple could care less”
Couldn’t or could not care less.
Could care less is the opposite of what you actually mean.
It funny watching Apple and developer’s going through all this.
Game Development on Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft platforms have had Technical Requirement Checklists for ever. These stipulate what you can and can’t do in your applications. For example, no games are allowed to show a “real” console, and usually you are not allowed to show a controller except under specific circumstances. Also when refering to the platform, the text must take a very specific form e.g. Sony®PlayStation
It sounds to me like Apple need to take a leaf out of the console makers book and get themselves a TRC fast. That way developers know what to expect before they submit.
However, developers need to chill a bit too, this isn’t an open platform you’re developing for, you can’t really expect to do what ever you like.
I don’t know who you are Dave, but very very well said!
Agreed!
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He should make it look like BlackBerry next time.
Oh for cryin out loud… Apple is just getting stupid with this garbage.
Livlihood?
My app was just rejected for the same thing – a likeness of an iPhone inside my app. I searched and came up with this. Glad I’m not alone, but sad we’re all experiencing this.
The worst is that it takes me 5 seconds to fix, and now another two week waiting game.