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Apple Cracking Down on 'Offer Walls' for iOS Apps

I know this might not be popular, but if they reject something it should be the skype app.

Skype has been using its own private API for their backgrounding in iOS since the introduction of this functionality. That results in a huge drain of battery, when you leave skype running in the background. Other Voip app don't have this problem, because they use Apples APIs.

Don't believe me? If you have the skype app installed go to Settings, Notifications and try to find Skype there. All other Voip app will show up there, but skype woun't. Still they are able to send you push notification via their own mechanism.
 
Any app that does this should automatically raise alarm bells, that there can be no other conclusion other than it's a complete piece of crap.

It also occurs that this practice sounds akin to the definition of a pyramid scheme; that is, the de-emphasis on the actual product, and more about recruitment. Or in this case, the primary concern is not about the game/app, it's about promoting the next one, and the next one, and so on.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Apple is only doing this because they don't make money off the offer walls.

Offer walls don't stack that charts any more than an iAd for an App stacks the charts.

The difference is that Apple makes money off the iAd taps.
 
T-Will said:
Apple is only doing this because they don't make money off the offer walls.
Click to expand...

They make money off the app sales. If the apps cost money, then they get money. If they don't, then they don't, and app walls won't change that. What they take in app sales is not altered by the origin of where the click to install it comes from.

T-Will said:
Offer walls don't stack that charts any more than an iAd for an App stacks the charts.
Click to expand...

That's patently ridiculous. Of course they do. Trying to "reward" people for installing apps for the sake of installing apps. The words "gateway drug" come to mind.

T-Will said:
The difference is that Apple makes money off the iAd taps.
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with iAd vs other ad networks. It's to do with socially engineering people to install apps that they otherwise never would.
 
Now all I need is for Apple to removal all ads. Yeah I know, I live in a fantasy land, but its great here :)
 
batchtaster said:
They make money off the app sales. If the apps cost money, then they get money. If they don't, then they don't, and app walls won't change that.



That's patently ridiculous. Of course they do. Trying to "reward" people for installing apps for the sake of installing apps.



This has nothing to do with iAd vs other ad networks. It's to do with socially engineering people to install apps that they otherwise never would.
Click to expand...

I understand your points. But the app walls I've seen have free apps. But I see the point about no "reward" for tapping an iAd. I see app walls as just another way for developers to market their apps, but Apple doesn't like that, so behold the iron fist of Apple.
 
I don't *inherently* mind apps having "offer walls" where they give you in-game upgrades if you download other specific apps, HOWEVER I really dislike the effect that this has on the app store rankings, which fills the "top app" ranking full of junk apps that people downloaded not because they're good apps, but because they got something in return.
 
Dang, now how am I going to buy another ranger for my zoo?

No, seriously. I have an A+ zoo on Tap Zoo becasue of all the free stars I get from the offer walls. :p

I refuse to pay real money for silly games like that.
 
As an iOS developer i think this is the right thing to do.
I don't think that the ratings should be on the number of downloads but on the quality of the app itself.
 
T-Will said:
Apple is only doing this because they don't make money off the offer walls.

Offer walls don't stack that charts any more than an iAd for an App stacks the charts.

The difference is that Apple makes money off the iAd taps.
Click to expand...

You clearly don't understand how many of the offer walls work if you think that.
 
jpg said:
I know this might not be popular, but if they reject something it should be the skype app.

Skype has been using its own private API for their backgrounding in iOS since the introduction of this functionality. That results in a huge drain of battery, when you leave skype running in the background. Other Voip app don't have this problem, because they use Apples APIs.

Don't believe me? If you have the skype app installed go to Settings, Notifications and try to find Skype there. All other Voip app will show up there, but skype woun't. Still they are able to send you push notification via their own mechanism.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty certain you're wrong there. The VOIP backgrounding ability is completely legit. A VOIP app can register a socket with iOS that listens for an event (Skype call etc). When the event occurs, the handler in the Skype app is called and it can generate a local notification with a notification time of now:

Code: 
[application presentLocalNotificationNow:localNotif];

Push notifications require registering with the APNS, which first asks the user for authorisation and then the app appears in the Notifications list in Settings.

Local notifications work differently - they don't require a user's permission and so apps that use them don't appear in the Notifications list.

Nothing dodgy going on here at all most likely, I don't believe Skype are using Push Notifications - they don't need to, they already have the VOIP handler listening in the background on your iPhone.

Full snippet of relevant code:

Listing 2-2 Presenting a local notification immediately while running in the background taken from http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/NetworkingInternet/Conceptual/RemoteNotificationsPG/IPhoneOSClientImp/IPhoneOSClientImp.html%23//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40008194-CH103-SW2
Code: 
- (void)applicationDidEnterBackground:(UIApplication *)application {
    NSLog(@"Application entered background state.");
    // bgTask is instance variable
    NSAssert(self->bgTask == UIInvalidBackgroundTask, nil);
 
    bgTask = [application beginBackgroundTaskWithExpirationHandler: ^{
        dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
            [application endBackgroundTask:self->bgTask];
            self->bgTask = UIInvalidBackgroundTask;
        });
    }];
 
    dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{
        while ([application backgroundTimeRemaining] > 1.0) {
            NSString *friend = [self checkForIncomingChat];
            if (friend) {
                UILocalNotification *localNotif = [[UILocalNotification alloc] init];
                if (localNotif) {
                    localNotif.alertBody = [NSString stringWithFormat:
                        NSLocalizedString(@"%@ has a message for you.", nil), friend];
                    localNotif.alertAction = NSLocalizedString(@"Read Message", nil);
                    localNotif.soundName = @"alarmsound.caf";
                    localNotif.applicationIconBadgeNumber = 1;
                    [application presentLocalNotificationNow:localNotif];
                    [localNotif release];
                    friend = nil;
                    break;
                }
            }
        }
        [application endBackgroundTask:self->bgTask];
        self->bgTask = UIInvalidBackgroundTask;
    });
 
}
 
There's a few high ranking apps that seem to change their games to just promote others. It will affect their business model.
 
I actually like this how it was. Apps like Textfree gave deals to get free minutes for calling for downloading other apps. No one loses here.
 
T-Will said:
Apple is only doing this because they don't make money off the offer walls.

Offer walls don't stack that charts any more than an iAd for an App stacks the charts.

The difference is that Apple makes money off the iAd taps.
Click to expand...
You are 100% correct. Its good to read a post from someone who actually understands how the system works.

Sadly, Apple has cultivated legions of "Yes Men" that blindly jump in with a "me too" response to any post that defends Apple, right or wrong.

Do they EVER think for themselves?
Do they educate themselves on the topic?

It sure doesn't seem like it.
 
I hope Offer Walls are replaced with other free alternatives. I am not going to do any in-app purchases.
 
I'm glad Apple is doing this.

There of course could be some relatively unobtrusive offer walls out there, but the concept was really starting to get abused.

There is a certain shooting game I got tricked into (I won't reference specifically). Basically you are held hostage either by a timer, or by making it almost impossible to obtain additional enough credits from normal play to get to the next level. It was ranked as one of the top games and I really have no idea why. It was halfway fun to play, but because of their ridiculous offer walls I simply deleted the game in frustration. They really appeared to be blatently trying to rip people off.

Here Here Apple!
Z
 
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