Amid controversy surrounding Apple’s stringent — and notoriously capricious — application of App Store rules, the company on Monday announced a major change to the review process that will allow developers to challenge specific guidelines.
Buried deep in a press release touting new developer technologies, the updated app review process grants developers options to not only appeal deemed violations, but also challenge the guideline or guidelines cited in said rejections.
A second change impacts apps that are already on the App Store, with Apple no longer delaying submitted updates over guideline violations “except for those related to legal issues.” Developers will be able to address issues in a subsequent submission, Apple says.
Apple plans to implement the review process alterations this summer.
The changes could help reconcile a brewing controversy over the review process, Apple’s cut of transactions and its application of App Store guidelines.
Apple’s iron fist App Store policies made headlines last week when the company refused to approve critical updates to the newly released Hey email app because Basecamp, the app’s developer, failed to integrate in-app purchase options for a mandatory $99 per year subscription. Supposedly approved by mistake, Hey was made available for download but required activation to use. That meant users had to subscribe to the service through an outside network — Hey’s website — before the app was made functional.
Basecamp co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson tweeted his concerns over Apple’s decision, sparking a heated debate over App Store fees and general application of developer guidelines. Hey CEO and Basecamp co-founder Jason Fried in a subsequent blog post argued the issue is less about money than it is customer service.
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Mikey Campbell
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Contact Information:
Mikey Campbell
