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Apple Reverses Course, Allows Transmit to Reinstate 'Send To' Feature

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Earlier this week, file management app Transmit from developer Panic gained some attention after Apple required the company to remove a key sharing feature that let files be sent to multiple services like Dropbox and iCloud Drive.

Apple's concern was Transmit's ability to send files to iCloud Drive, which it said violated one of the iOS Data Storage Guidelines. Apple asked Panic to remove the feature, but unfortunately, due to an unalterable Share Sheet, sending files to iCloud Drive was tied to sending files to other services, requiring the company to completely remove the feature from the app.

locations_1024.jpg
Unalterable Share Sheet in iOS 8​
​
Shortly after several news sites wrote about the confusing position Panic had been put in with its Transmit app, Apple called the developers and confirmed that the sharing functionality could be reinstated. According to Panic, a new version of Transmit has been submitted to the App Store, which includes a restored "Send To" feature that will once again allow the app to send files to iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and other third-party apps.
Update: late Wednesday we got a nice call from Apple. We have resubmitted Transmit iOS with "Send To" (iCloud Drive et al.) restored. - Panic Inc (@panic) December 11, 2014
Click to expand...
This is the second time that Apple has reversed course on an App Store decision that received significant negative attention in recent months. In late October, Apple told PCalc that it would need to remove its calculator widget from the Notification Center, but a day later, the company changed its mind and opted to allow calculator widgets to remain in the Notification Center.

Apple has a large team of app reviewers and somewhat ambiguous guidelines on several new iOS 8 developer features. This has led to many app use cases that the company did not anticipate causing several contradictory and confusing removal requests in recent months for features that were previously approved. Though PCalc and Transmit have been allowed to retain their functionality, other apps like Neato, Drafts, and Launcher have not been so lucky.

Transmit can be downloaded from the App Store for $9.99. [Direct Link]

Update 1:30 PM PT: Transmit for iOS version 1.1.2 with a reinstated "Send To" feature is now available for download from the App Store.

Article Link: Apple Reverses Course, Allows Transmit to Reinstate 'Send To' Feature
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/12/11/apple-reverses-course-on-transmit/
A

avanpelt

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2010
2,956
3,877
Apple has got to stop these knee-jerk reactions. I can overlook the first time they jump the gun and reverse course. Doing so twice in less than two months, though, is just embarrassing for them.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,122
31,152
JackieInCo said:
These reversals really make Apple look like they have no idea what they are doing.
Click to expand...

Let's see you've got Craig Federighi overseeing iOS engineering, Phil Schiller developer relations and app review/approval and Eddy Cue App Store and app promotion. That mess needs to be sorted out. When Tim Cook did that reorg back in 2012 he attempted to streamline things but this is one area that still needs work. Honestly I don't get why developer relations and app reviews are part of marketing. Seems like that should be part of the software team.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,122
31,152
cmChimera said:
It was probably a mistake in the first place, and now they're fixing it.
Click to expand...

It isn't just one though. Wasn't Pcalc recently rejected and then allowed back? And drafts was rejected because it has buttons. Well Pcalc has buttons, and Craig Federighi showed off an eBay widget where he was bidding on an item right within the widget. Apple needs to stop adding cool functionality and then not allowing developers to run with it. Especially with widgets as they don't just show up. You have to manually add them to notification center. So the people doing this most likely are people who know what they're doing and it won't harm the average iOS user who's not as tech savvy.
 
rGiskard

rGiskard

macrumors 68000
Aug 9, 2012
1,800
955
Rudderless ship in a storm.

Apple's organizational structure may have worked when they were small and guided by Jobs, but now? Botched details throughout the entire range of Apple OSes and software suggests a systemic problem. I hope this is an organizational issue that can be fixed and not a loss of talent which would tend to reinforce itself.
 
A

avanpelt

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2010
2,956
3,877
cmChimera said:
It was probably a mistake in the first place, and now they're fixing it.
Click to expand...

This should only be the kind of mistake Apple makes one time. They've made this mistake twice in less than two months. They need to have consistency with developers or it's going to potentially do serious damage to their platform. Here was Panic's experience:

- Transmit gets submitted to Apple
- Transmit gets approved
- Transmit starts making money
- Transmit gets pulled
- Apple says "Oops"
- Transmit gets submitted to Apple again
- Transmit gets approved again

I'd expect this kind of mistake from an amateur company that doesn't know what they're doing or doesn't have the resources to hire and train qualified individuals to do app QA. Apple certainly has the resources to hire and train qualified individuals to do app QA and they need to get their act together.
 
B

Bob Sanders

macrumors regular
Mar 12, 2011
101
67
Chrjy said:
Nothing like a nice level playing field :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

The functionality was different in each case. Neato should have been banned, a keyboard in a Today view widget is idiotic. Drafts probably should have been allowed because it was small and functional.

The Transmit share sheet ban was always destined to be overturned. It didn't make a bit of sense and the person behind it probably got yelled at by upper management today.
 
jonnyb098

jonnyb098

macrumors 68040
Nov 16, 2010
3,981
5,421
Michigan
How about apple stops reneging on everything with widgets and let it be. They get approved by one committee and then unapproved after the fact. It's a horribly inexcusably disorganized process for 100 billion dollar company.

Hey everyone, here's widgets! Oh wait you can't do that......no no you can't do that either. Well we guess you can do that. If they keep this garbage up developers just will quit developing widgets that are actually useful.

Jesus H.
 
M

macintologist

macrumors 6502a
May 3, 2004
637
877
Meh, the only reason I know about this is because the media jumps on every single small mistake Apple makes. Did this impact my day to day iOS usage? Not at all.
 
N

Nozuka

macrumors 68040
Jul 3, 2012
3,527
5,996
seems like a nice way to promote your app. alot of media attention.

just put something in there, that apple won't see at first and when they take it out of the store you can enjoy the media coverage and rerelease it without whatever was bothering them.

apple doesn't seem to comment on it anyway, so the story is yours to tell.
 
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