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Apple Updates App Store Guidelines, Calls Out 'Creepy' Apps for Exclusion

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple today updated its App Store review guidelines ahead of the launch of iPhone 6 and iOS 8, adding sections for new features such as extensions, HealthKit, HomeKit and TestFlight. Additionally, Apple tweaked its introductory remark to specifically call out "creepy" apps as unwelcome in the App Store.
We have over a million Apps in the App Store. If your App doesn't do something useful, unique or provide some form of lasting entertainment, or if your app is plain creepy, it may not be accepted.
Click to expand...
The new guidelines, primarily in sections 25 through 28, outline what use of the new features would get an app rejected from the App Store. For instance, extensions must provide some functionality and must remain functional without network access. Keyboard extensions can only collect user data for improving the functionality of the keyboard and nothing else.

The sections for both HealthKit and HomeKit include guidelines for user data, with apps using HomeKit not allowed to collect any sort of user data for advertising and data mining while HealthKit is only allowed to collect data with a user's permission. TestFlight guidelines include limitations on distribution and compensation for beta testers.

Additionally, Apple added some notes to its Metadata section for the App Store's new app previews feature, noting that apps may only use video screen captures for previews and that app previews cannot display personal information without permission.

iOS 8 will be included on the iPhone 6 reportedly arriving later this month and likely launch a few days earlier for current devices.

Article Link: Apple Updates App Store Guidelines, Calls Out 'Creepy' Apps for Exclusion
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/02/app-store-guidelines-2014/
S

Sonmi451

Suspended
Aug 28, 2014
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385
Tesla
I wish Apple would enable an age based search tool so I can filter out 80% of the top paid and free apps, and be able to find useful apps. Or maybe a "permanently hide" app feature so it never shows up in any results.

I feel like I used to find cool apps a while back, but not as much anymore. Maybe I need to find some review site or something.
 
P

proline

macrumors 6502a
Nov 18, 2012
630
1
Sonmi451 said:
I wish Apple would enable an age based search tool so I can filter out 80% of the top paid and free apps, and be able to find useful apps. Or maybe a "permanently hide" app feature so it never shows up in any results.

I feel like I used to find cool apps a while back, but not as much anymore. Maybe I need to find some review site or something.
Click to expand...

Correct. Apple can't please everyone. Find a reviewer you like.
 
ranmasaotomes

ranmasaotomes

macrumors newbie
Mar 12, 2008
17
12
Adelaide, Australia
Good Plan

I think its a great idea. How many of the apps that I have recently downloaded that have crashed stating no internet access.

Starting to get annoyed at that part :-S
 
HiRez

HiRez

macrumors 603
Jan 6, 2004
6,250
2,576
Western US
Keyboard extensions can only collect user data for improving the functionality of the keyboard and nothing else.
Click to expand...
How are they going to enforce that though? If a developer wanted to, they could easily set the extension to send innocuous data during test, then start sending other data when deployed. Or encrypt, hide, or obfuscate transmitted data.

I am personally very wary of using any third-party keyboard extensions, it will be hard to trust them.
 
M

myforwik

macrumors member
Jun 30, 2014
92
4
The guidelines for custom keyboards are surprisingly lax. There better be a way to sandbox and disable all network ability for keyboard apps. Otherwise they could log everything you do - like entering usernames and passwords.
 
TouchMint.com

TouchMint.com

macrumors 68000
May 25, 2012
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Sonmi451 said:
I wish Apple would enable an age based search tool so I can filter out 80% of the top paid and free apps, and be able to find useful apps. Or maybe a "permanently hide" app feature so it never shows up in any results.

I feel like I used to find cool apps a while back, but not as much anymore. Maybe I need to find some review site or something.
Click to expand...

I'd be really surprised if they didn't introduce a search filter to filter out iap with all the heat they are getting. Maybe I just wanna see it all burn for those scammy devs ruining the store but yea.
 
powers74

powers74

macrumors 68000
Aug 18, 2008
1,861
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At the bend in the river
Interesting...

MacRumors said:
or if your app is plain creepy, it may not be accepted.
Click to expand...


Well there go all the google and Facebook apps...

I haven't read their examples of creepy yet, but this seems like a bit of a stretch. So creepy games are out? Do Koran and Bible apps get the boot? Who's to say what's creepy? Not sure I'm down for this one... Oh wait, they have me by the balls...:mad:
 
TouchMint.com

TouchMint.com

macrumors 68000
May 25, 2012
1,625
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Phoenix
troop231 said:
Yeah seriously! The resizable iPhone simulators are garbage and impossible to really design around.
Click to expand...

This next month is going to be so stressful getting video previews out and app bundles setup. I really wish they would just say I mean everyone knows they are introducing bigger phones it's not like they are revealing anything the public does not know.
 
Doctor Q

Doctor Q

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 19, 2002
39,782
7,514
Los Angeles
TouchMint.com said:
How about telling us the screen resolutions so we can have our apps ready for the release...
Click to expand...
I'm sure they'll tell you if you and all other developers promise to keep it secret amongst yourselves, so Apple can still surprise customers on September 9.
 
M

myforwik

macrumors member
Jun 30, 2014
92
4
TouchMint.com said:
How about telling us the screen resolutions so we can have our apps ready for the release...
Click to expand...

Especially considering the recent reports of a 3x mode... so now we may need not just new layout, but new graphics. For many sprites I won't even be able to do it, I just assumed 2x was going to be stuck at.
 
nagromme

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
"plain creepy"

Gotta love plain language like that!

myforwik said:
The guidelines for custom keyboards are surprisingly lax. There better be a way to sandbox and disable all network ability for keyboard apps. Otherwise they could log everything you do - like entering usernames and passwords.
Click to expand...

Fear not. It's sandboxed. This is NOT the insecure mess that is Android!

Apple addressed your (perfectly valid) concerns from the very start at WWDC:

1. The default Apple keyboard is the ONLY one that can be used for secure fields (passwords) and appears automatically when needed, even if you normally specify some other keyboard.

2. Third-party keyboards don't have network access at all unless they ask for it, and you choose to opt in. (Similar to when an app wants access to your photos. Some may use predictive cloud AI, for instance--and it's up to you whether to trust that.)
 
jtrauscht

jtrauscht

macrumors regular
Sep 6, 2010
126
83
Nashville, TN
"plain creepy" ... Yeah, that language is pretty vague, but I don't blame them for phrasing it that way. I think if they had to spell it out, it could get pretty wonky. It's not so much "letter of the law" as it is common sense.
 
Alisstar

Alisstar

macrumors 6502
Jul 12, 2008
359
34
Orlando, FL
"Plain creepy" is very subjective. I can think of a few "plain creepy" apps that you or others may think it's plain cool. I feel that type of vagueness doesn't bod well for developers.

Having said that, with over one million apps out there, it's time to start weeding out some of these apps out of the store. Realistically speaking, it would take us probably a lifetime trying to sort through all the apps that are currently in the App Store.
 
T

Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,151
hehe...

U have to wonder who wrote updated these guidelines when someone uses the term 'creepy' or 'unwelcome'

What... it wasn't clear enough before ?

Extensions and Home-kit as well as others new 'features' in IOS 8 and welcome app developers to try and work round the system even more than they could otherwise do previously with lack of features available at the time.

Extensions will be a big one i think that will be 'creepy' for Apple.

All it takes is Apple to go easy for a bit, because their not sure, and its all over. Lets hope the approval is more tough now as their security in iOS already is.
 
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