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Apple Introduces App Store Resource Center for iPhone Developers

DrummerB said:
Most of this was already on the Program Portal. So, nothing new, just a redesign of the content and a new URL :(
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Perhaps it is geared to the vocal majority that refuse to read, never mind follow, instructions in the first place. New packaging to improve public opinion? It may work.
 
Good refresh

I think the new website will be very useful actually, especially for new developers. I think many of us have forgotten how tricky it actually was to figure out the steps and hoops required to get our first apps ready for submission to the App Store. We had to figure out how to make them ready for distribution in Xcode, set, SKU, Code Signing Entitlements, Code Signing Identities, how to make and distribute beta versions and how to prepare it for final submission. In retrospect, it may feel like it was like learning how to ride a bicycle but it was far from painless and the documentation was messy, unorganized and often missing. For experienced app developers, the website may not offer anything new but this consolidated site will probably be extremely useful for the newcomers.

My apps were all approved within the 14 days (actually it took exactly 14 days almost every time) so I guess I have so far been among the lucky 96%.
 
Thats a good beginning! :) But the info in the resource center is currently the FAQ from the Dev Center only nicer formatted!
 
Detlev said:
Perhaps it is geared to the vocal majority that refuse to read, never mind follow, instructions in the first place. New packaging to improve public opinion? It may work.
Click to expand...

I think those people who refuse to read some basic step-by-step instructions should not be able to upload an app to the store in first place. Those are the people who don't care reading Apple's (quite well done) API documentations and guide lines and just spam the AppStore with crappy apps patched together from Apple's sample apps.
 
Nothing is really changing with the "approval" process.

Just lip service by Apple.

Nothing is really changing with the "approval" process.

Of course if Apple is looking to hire any new "app approval specialists", I have a degree in chaos theory and can make consistent random arbitrary decisions when given the same inputs. :D
 
Somehow I don't think the problem is lack of general App Store approval process information on how it works. What's needed is better direct feedback from reviewers to developers as each app moves through the approval process.
 
guet said:
Anyone with experience of the approvals process knows it is completely broken - what they need to do is just scrap the whole thing and replace it with an automated service that tests apps load OK, checks for illegal API usage or calls to banned methods, impose a limit on apps submitted per developer account, and devote all the time their team of app reviewers have to investigating any customer complaints on rogue apps.
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Not a chance. An automated system would be much easier to game by rogue developers. They've already missed a few apps that had to be removed from the store later. And with over 70,000 apps in the store, the lengthy approval process isn't holding back the flood at all.
 
I'm hoping these new changes are legitimate. Although Apple has lots of developers clamoring to develop for the store, they need to keep the momentum going. Making the submission process easier to navigate will help.
Sincerely hoping this isn't lip service on Apple's part.
 
insider

commander.data said:
Somehow I don't think the problem is lack of general App Store approval process information on how it works. What's needed is better direct feedback from reviewers to developers as each app moves through the approval process.
Click to expand...

The problem is the submissions outnumber the staff in the hundreds if not thousands. Apple simply can't hire 100's of developers/QA people to look at the applications. Folks over there are working 6 days a week approving apps and there's just not enough resources to provide 1 to 1 feedback. I don't foresee the problem clearing up unless developers simply stop submitting to the store.

You have 1-2 developers leave on a terrible app approval process, there are 10 other developers taking their spots. It sucks, but it's the truth.
 
Cupertino95014 said:
The problem is the submissions outnumber the staff in the hundreds if not thousands. Apple simply can't hire 100's of developers/QA people to look at the applications. Folks over there are working 6 days a week approving apps and there's just not enough resources to provide 1 to 1 feedback. I don't foresee the problem clearing up unless developers simply stop submitting to the store.

You have 1-2 developers leave on a terrible app approval process, there are 10 other developers taking their spots. It sucks, but it's the truth.
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I'm not taking about individual sit down meetings, just more clarity in communication when an app is rejected. I don't remember the specific app, but it's been reported before that there's been apps that were rejected for example with the generic explanation of age concerns. The developer uses a higher rating, resubmits, and is rejected again. Finally the app is accepted after another submission with a 17+ age rating. If Apple just said in the beginning that they rejected the app for age concerns and suggested an appropriate age rating that would have saved both developer time and Apple's own review time from having to deal with an extra submission. It seems to me that if Apple is so concerned about app overload, then taking an extra minute to clarify their rejection reasons saves them significant time in dealing with multiple resubmissions.
 
i totally haven't yet received this email...

[EDIT] after reviewing the "new" resource center, i have to state that there really isn't any new information here. lame.
 
Cupertino95014 said:
...

You have 1-2 developers leave on a terrible app approval process, there are 10 other developers taking their spots. It sucks, but it's the truth.
Click to expand...
That may be so, but when these leaving developers take great/original ideas with them... and you end up with copy cats... that sucks even more.

BTW: Where is this 1-2 number coming from?
 
commander.data said:
I'm not taking about individual sit down meetings, just more clarity in communication when an app is rejected. I don't remember the specific app, but it's been reported before that there's been apps that were rejected for example with the generic explanation of age concerns. The developer uses a higher rating, resubmits, and is rejected again. Finally the app is accepted after another submission with a 17+ age rating. If Apple just said in the beginning that they rejected the app for age concerns and suggested an appropriate age rating that would have saved both developer time and Apple's own review time from having to deal with an extra submission. It seems to me that if Apple is so concerned about app overload, then taking an extra minute to clarify their rejection reasons saves them significant time in dealing with multiple resubmissions.
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Majority of the apps are rejected for

- crashers or major bugs
- sexual content
- duplicated functionality
- copyrighted material
- spam

Of the 10-15% rejected apps, nearly all of them would have made it if they would have read the terms of service in its entirety.

It takes about ~20 minutes to review and approve an app. For rejected apps, it could take anywhere from hours to days to investigate. If a reviewer does 20 apps a day, imagine getting a reject, your processing time drops to approving 5 apps a day while investigating the reject.

The app approval process is far from perfect but with 85-90% approval rate, it's hard to convince management the process isn't working right.
 
I have always suspected that the 100 or so steps, which have to be carefully and completely followed to successfully provision, test, and submit apps, and which were spread among several different documents and web pages all of which had to be found and read, plus the slightly Byzantine filter of the SDK license and App store rules, where Apple's current interpretation also had to be hunted down in various blogs and forums, was part of Apple's IQ test to reduce the percentage of apps in the App store developed by Bozo(tm) developers.

The smart developers seem to have already figured out how to adapt and maneuver most of their apps through the gauntlet.

As an app customer, I'm not sure of the benefit of making the the process any easier for developers who can't read.
 
It looks like apple is learning by stumbling in to lots of problems and then fixing them, but then within that fix comes another array of problems. and all for the sake of protecting the core system. Protecting is good but I guess they are going to contract psychics to be able to think ahead.
 
If this doesn't change the way Apple approves their apps, a least the devs will get feedback. This is a step in the right direction. The old way of contacting Apple was more for consumers, not developers which should be higher on the list since they are who make the iPhone a success.
 
APPLE ONLINE STORE - something is happening

Sorry to interrupt the discussion, but does anybody know, what is happening? Both the US and UK stores are being updated.

iPod Touch with gps and video camera; keyboards with trackpad, perhaps? - I know, it's not gonna happen. It's probably something from the iPod event or some minor computer update. Just dreaming...:rolleyes:
 
APPLE ONLINE STORE - something is happening

Sorry, I forgot this...
 

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RazHyena said:
Umm................ok? The problem developers are having with IS THE ACTUAL APPROVAL PROCESS. This doesn't address it at ALL.

For crying out loud.... :mad:
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this is purely a public relations misdirection away from the major problem plaguing the app store - the approval process.

the app store is saturated with crap thus finding the true gems of programs is near impossible all the while the truly great apps are being rejected.
 
What we really need is a better iTunes Connect. Something that is actually useful. These daily sales text files are a joke. I want to log in and see a big dollar sign next to exactly how much I've made. It sucks that we have to resort to 3rd party solutions just to find out how much we've made in the past 24 hours.
 
I personally didnt see anything that new and improved in the update but I am glad they did it because it show apple is trying to do something to help out customers
 
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