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Apple Disables Promo Codes for App Store Applications with Mature (17+) Ratings

App Rating system: rated FAIL

Apple has to really step back and critically assess its rating system, because right now, it appears to be missing the point - which would be to alert parents to potentially objectionable content.

Example: I recently downloaded an app that provides critical reviews of wines. It was rated 17+ for "frequent reference to alcohol" or some such idiocy.

You might as well rate an anatomy handbook program 17+ because it's got information on human anatomy (I'm shocked!).

While I don't see why a 12 year old would really want a program that contains information on wine, I can't see how it does them ANY harm at all. Hell, if a kid's going to drink, at least let them drink quality products, rather than Boone's Farm or Thunderbird. ;)
 
First, I doubt that this is some kind of intentional or permanent move on Apple's part. Really guys? You think that they want all net-enabled apps to be rated 17+? You think that they don't know the headaches this would cause? Really? I find that kind of thinking to be dumber than your average Palestinian throwing rocks at people armed with automatic rifles.

Second, it's not CENSORSHIP. Censorship is the government forbidding publication of material. Apple is NOT the government. Apple is a private company and the App Store is a private store run according to their rules and at their pleasure.

Apple would fully be within their rights to say, "All apps must say, 'Turds are blue' in order to be published in the App Store." It's their freakin' store, folks! If you don't like it, guess what? Complaining doesn't fix the problem.
 
This has gone too far. "any app that touches the internet". Wow, fail.why doesn't apple just let the devs do what they want to do? A noble goal by apple but it is becoming a real annoyance to those who are actually old enough to use such apps.
 
sadly, this decision is pretty much final, and yes, promo codes are disabled for good for all 17+ apps.

Why? Simple! (if you can understand legal system, that is), liability issue.

Apple does not want to be sued by an angry parent for their kids getting 17+ apps via promo codes. Every time you use a promo codes, parental controls are somehow bypassed, and unfortunately, there is no fix to this bug, what so ever.

This is the only option left by Apple, who put this option as a last resort.
 
I think it's overkill on the censorship to have any app that connects to the internet to be 17+.

Look at it this way, you can get to so much adult material through safari anyway that placing all these restrictions on applications is pointless. Anyone under 17 that wants to find adult things will through safari.

But, then I realize someone made the point that you can block safari from being used on the iphone. Ok, but what parent is going to buy their child an expensive iphone when they aren't going to let them use safari on it? It makes the iphone lose one of its main features. A parent that was that strict with their child I'm sure would just buy them a lesser phone that couldn't access the internet.

Further, any child young enough to not be able to handle seeing some adult material shouldn't have an iphone in the first place. Parents should not be buying their 10 year olds iphones! Wait until they are teenagers and then maybe they can get one, and by that point, I think most reasonable people would agree a modern day teenager can handle seeing some 'adult' material.
 
Every videogame with an online component carries and ESRB disclaimer that the game's rating does not cover online interactions. I don't understand why Apple can't take the same tack with internet-enabled applications?
 
2nd class citizens

This isn't about restrictions to app content. If apple deems the app to be acceptable enough to get into the app store, it shouldn't be saddled with extra punitive restrictions that other acceptable apps don't get.

Cult of Mac wrote a really interesting Q&A yesterday with a developer who spoke candidly about this issue with his "fixed" sex dice app:

http://cultofmac.com/q-a-how-sex-game-apps-get-approved-by-apple
 
alchemistmuffin said:
sadly, this decision is pretty much final, and yes, promo codes are disabled for good for all 17+ apps.

Why? Simple! (if you can understand legal system, that is), liability issue.

Apple does not want to be sued by an angry parent for their kids getting 17+ apps via promo codes. Every time you use a promo codes, parental controls are somehow bypassed, and unfortunately, there is no fix to this bug, what so ever.

This is the only option left by Apple, who put this option as a last resort.
Click to expand...

That's a very strong statement. May I ask how you know that "there is no fix to this bug, what so ever"? Anything can be changed; and any bug can be fixed. This is nonsense.
 
justflie said:
This is simply a CYA (Cover Your *ss) move by Apple. Understandable to a degree, but still annoying.
Click to expand...

it's more than understandable to a degree. Did you see the press apple got when that one app with topless photos showed up? It does seem they went a little far with what apps this covers, but I'm not in the least surprised that apple is concerned about how the app store appears.

As far as the cracks about "censorship" go, gimme a break. You can say whatever you want and put it on the internet too. You have no god-given or constitutional right to distribute whatever you like on apple's proprietary platform.
 
Soooo the developers and customers are paying the price (yet again) for Apple's flawed implementation.
Instead of these patchwork kludge (or censoring) solutions, maybe Apple should just fix the implementation. :mad:
 
Good thing I never use the ratings system. It's a feature(?) missing some very important aspects!

The promo code thing sounds easily fixable in 3.1, though.

Meanwhile, I'm never quick enough to snap up a promo code at TouchArcade anyway :eek:

QCassidy352 said:
...
As far as the cracks about "censorship" go, gimme a break. You can say whatever you want and put it on the internet too. You have no god-given or constitutional right to distribute whatever you like on apple's proprietary platform.
Click to expand...

Nor is it smart for Apple to lump "everything on the Internet" into "mature."

But they had to: they HAVE to censor because they promised (optional) censorship as a feature: Parental Controls. Delivering on that feature requires them to block mature content.

Of course, they need to do it in a better way--and I expect they will in future. (Like a switch in Parental Controls to allow/disallow 3rd-party apps to get on the network. Paranoid parents can block Safari but still allow other apps online--if they CHOOSE to trust the apps they've bought. Even MORE paranoid parents can go further and block all 3rd-party apps from network access, with one tap. And a warning can tell them that the app ratings system may be violated if they don't go that extra optional step. Meanwhile the rest of us won't have to face the side-effects. Want to get extra sophisticated? Add a full allow/deny list. Simple enough.)
 
This reminds me of some internet filters out there: like if a high school kid has to do a research paper about breast cancer or someone's trying to find recipes for chicken breasts, the site's blocked, but if you use some weird, obscure reference for someone's naughty parts, it goes straight through. Especially like the difference between www.whitehouse.com & www.whitehouse.gov (the .com one is a porn site while the .gov one is the office website of the WHite House).
 
Excuse me...

Sorry, but all off these parental controls can be turned on and off, regardless of a age limit. I think it's a good "cover your butt move". And those of you "over 17" don't sweat it. Really what app demographic is limited to 13-17 year olds that needs that access?

Granted if it were to block an app like Auroa Feint, then I think they need to review, how each app individually uses an external server...

Any way I think your all over reacting on apple being "big brother"
 
SpinThis! said:
Before everyone gets all huffy and puffy about censorship, this really sounds like a technical programming faux pas than a flat out censorship decision to me. Appears as Apple didn't cover their bases here when they implemented promo codes into the ratings system—let's give them the benefit of the doubt and a little time to sort this out which I'm sure will happen eventually. If you're a developer file a bug report.
Click to expand...

yeah that's the part that makes me upset. There's a bug in the store that when redeeming promo codes the parental restrictions don't apply. So instead of fixing the bug they just don't let you use promo codes on 17+ apps.
 
pdjudd said:
And or course Apple even, without warning provides unlimited access to way worse content than they will ever offer in the store - via Safari.
Click to expand...

I am the tech support for my family, including 2 kids under 12. Their parents don't want them accidentally exposed to 'that stuff'. Which can happen even with Mommy in the room grading papers at her desk. So at her request, I put the kids on a managed account on the family computer where I restrict them to only particular pre approved websites.

Problem solved.

from what I understand, the parental controls on an iphone aren't perfect at this point. and I wouldn't be shocked if they are wiped out should a somewhat savvy child restore the phone to the factory settings.

I do understand some of the fuss. after all. if i was a reviewer and got a code and left on my desk where the kids could pick it up and use it . . . So they need to find some way to do their best to ensure against this or they will have rabid hordes of 'must protect the country's children from bad things' folks after them. you know the same ones that want to have all movies over a PG rating declared obscene, want all books that talk about magic, vamps etc burned cause they promote satanism, want sex ed to be a year of "sex before marriage is bad, do NOT ever ever have sex before you are married or you will burn in hell. you will burn in hell if you look at pictures of naked people, you will burn in hell blind if you touch yourself or anyone else in a sexual way before you are married"

labman said:
My Daughter is 13 and I am the one that monitors what she see's & listen's too that's my job! :rolleyes: yes it's nice control for those that can't but to take away it away from everybody bad move! hopefully this is temporary!
Click to expand...

Under they aren't saying your kids can't get those apps or that they are banning the apps. If you want to not use the controls, that is your call. they are there for those that want them.

all this is about is that developers get a certain number of freebies to hand out to drum up reviews and thus hopefully legit buys. like record labels giving singles to radio stations to play. those freebies are what they have cut for the 'adult' rated apps. because for right now, they are bypassing all parental controls. now if they can fix that problem, they will likely give them out again.
 
What's in it for Apple?

I think Apple implements restrictions like this only when it thinks it has to. Obviously, promo codes spur sales, and sales are Apple's goal. This was probably more about complaints they've gotten and maybe some "company image" issues than about wanting to control us. I hope they will find a less blunt approach to this problem, however.
 
I think the posts in this discussion so far can be split in to two categories: those written by angry teenagers, who think Apple are stupid, and those over 20 who think "so what?".

I personally thinks this makes sense, but if I was younger I suspect I'd be a bit miffed. As a parent my perspective is completely changed.
 
Tenebrous said:
Second, it's not CENSORSHIP. Censorship is the government forbidding publication of material. Apple is NOT the government. Apple is a private company and the App Store is a private store run according to their rules and at their pleasure.
Click to expand...
It is censorship but not of the type that would violate someone's civil rights because a corporation is different than the government.


Lethal
 
alchemistmuffin said:
sadly, this decision is pretty much final, and yes, promo codes are disabled for good for all 17+ apps.

Why? Simple! (if you can understand legal system, that is), liability issue.

Apple does not want to be sued by an angry parent for their kids getting 17+ apps via promo codes. Every time you use a promo codes, parental controls are somehow bypassed, and unfortunately, there is no fix to this bug, what so ever.

This is the only option left by Apple, who put this option as a last resort.
Click to expand...

I don't buy this one little bit: Apple don't apply such rules to OSX apps. Neither does any smartphone platform worry about this. Apple are being anal.

If they were worried about this, they'd also be applying censorship to Safari on both devices - touch and iPhone.

Its the parents responsibility to track what their kids use on their iPhone / Touch.
 
I've been affected by this because we can't give out any promo codes for the latest version of [app]CraigsHarvest[/app]. We rated it 17+ in order to allow our users access to personals.
 
Apple's maturity level when it comes to sex is on par with an eight year old.

And marking anything with a browser at 17+ is just utterly stupid.

Phazer
 
adrian.oconnor said:
I think the posts in this discussion so far can be split in to two categories: those written by angry teenagers, who think Apple are stupid, and those over 20 who think "so what?".
Click to expand...

That's a huge and incorrect generalisation. I'm 39, since you ask.

Personally I find apple's policies on this asinine. By forcing everything that accesses the internet to be rated 17+ they're making the age ratings totally pointless - if someone writes a simple kiddies game that happens to have some internet interaction, like high scores, it must now be rated 17+.. this either kills the market for the game stone dead or forces parents to disable parental controls to allow their children to play the game.

What will more likely happen is that developers won't bother rather than market only to the small segment of adults who like playing kids games.

Since both Safari and Mail access the internet regularly, they should also be market 17+ and subject to the same restrictions. The whole damned *phone* should be because someone might phone and say something unapproved by the censorship brigade.

Disabling promo codes is just silly. I means that any app that uses communication - one of the features of the phone FFS - can't be promoted/sent to reviewers/friends for testing/etc. so it'll be released without those features. Everyone gets a worse experience because of a few... and apple are right in the middle of it caving in every time anyone gets a bit offended.
 
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