Apple Updates App Store Guidelines With Stricter Rules for Low-Quality Apps

[mistymac]

Exactly! I'm paying $100 a year and HOPE people will try my app.. Now I have to worry about Apple deciding to randomly remove it because I don't have a better outlet to promote myself? Seems pretty short sided of them. I'm sure there's more to it than that..

I think realistically though some moderation moves like these would do all potential and current developers a favor by making it less polluted and crowded of a space. Yes that puts the bar higher on your work, but it also could cut down on the hoping part of people trying your app.

 

[needsomecoffee]

There are (according to my search) over 2,250,000 current apps, and according to Tim's recent keynote 1,000 new submissions per hour. Apart from the account the Freemium payments go to, it is hard to imagine something being distinguishable from what is currently available. Those at the top of any list (apart from the giants) are distinguished by how much they paid Apple to get there. Sure "no more flashlights" is enforceable, but 1,000 new apps per hours being compared for similarity against 2,250,000+. Seems hopeless.

 

[knappeduivel]

Imagine a world where you knowingly buy a smartphone whose only path for installing apps is a highly curated App Store, then complaining that the App Store is highly curated.

Buying into a system does not remove your right to complain about it

 

[gank41]

I think realistically though some moderation moves like these would do all potential and current developers a favor by making it less polluted and crowded of a space. Yes that puts the bar higher on your work, but it also could cut down on the hoping part of people trying your app.

What's more frustrating about all of this is how Apple frames the whole developer process... So, now that I'm some new app dev with only a few people having downloading my game, I have to worry about competing with other games that have millions 1000's of installs? You have to start somewhere, right? Pretty short sided to think anyone can just jump into the spotlight like they say..

 

[firewood]

Imagine a world where Apple doesn’t actually get a say about the programs you want to run on your own device.

They don't. I pay the full price (including the $99/annum dev cert), and can install anything I can write or can compile from open source using Xcode.

 

[Squidiey]

already paying 100 a year and cannot publish what I want?

Yeah that’s why I ditched them for Linux and GrapheneOS

 

[turbineseaplane]

do not attract customers

Wow, that's quite a subjective thing.

I'm not sure that's for the benefit of us users. There can be some really niche things that I'm glad exist.

I would never want Apple pulling stuff that isn't making enough money for Apple ... err .. I mean for the developers 😉

 

[turbineseaplane]

If Apple's going to curate, let them curate. There's so much crap in the App Store now, 90% of it would not be missed. Don't just say it, do it.

I'm fine with them curating the Apple App Store all they want.
The problem is their restricting the ability to install things we prefer from elsewhere, or even just self signed.

Make it like macOS.

 

[turbineseaplane]

"Don't submit apps that are indistinguishable from what's already widely available.

By that metric, Apple's own Invites App should be pulled as it was shameless rip off of Partiful.

 

[hans1972]

already paying 100 a year and cannot publish what I want?

Yes, fortunately developers are treated mostly as second class citizens although EU and others want to strengthen their freedom.

 

[lifeinhd]

If your app is of the same quality as your spelling, should I be concerned? Seriously, Apple's goal is to provide a store that sells quality apps. It's not a junk store.

Is your app unique and adds value, or just a means to make yourself money through the selling of imitation?

You always have the Android marketplace to distribute "stuff".

Missing the point. If Apple is going to arbitrarily reject apps on their App Store, they need to offer another mechanism to get apps (including arbitrarily rejected ones) onto the phone. Outside the EU, they do not currently offer this.

 

[hans1972]

Imagine a world where Apple doesn’t actually get a say about the programs you want to run on your own device.

it would be a horrible world. It's like Windows.

Unfortunately, the EU doesn't want closed down, proprietary systems organised as certain petroleums states.

 

[hans1972]

Who determines what constitutes spam? Who asserts that you or Apple should be the sole authority in defining “spam”?

Apple does.

Apple asserts it.

Someone has to do it, and if you have another method which will be much more strict than Apple and kick out hundres of thousands of apps of mediocre quality or just the sheer amount of it, I'm positive.

 

[hans1972]

This is another great reason why iOS needs to be an open platform. Then, they can wall off their own app store all they want. Now, if I build an app, it's up to them to decide if it is meaningfully different? F that!

It's a good thing. We want a closed system, not like Windows where developers and users have so much power.

 

[hans1972]

I'm all for that, but I think this might violate laws like prohibiting developers equal access to an economic market. Also almost all of the existing applications do not have legal protection preventing copying the user interface and main functions. An app to manage your belongings (furniture, etc.) will always be roughly the same, and there is no legal way to prohibit anybody to develop something very similar.

You can develop anything you can, you just can't distribute it through Apple.

 

[Petite messe solennelle]

You can develop anything you can, you just can't distribute it through Apple.

Yes, that is clear. I think – at least in the EU – it could violate the law.

 

[MacrocosmRum]

The old language reads like Steve Jobs wrote it:

the App Store has enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, drinking games, and Kama Sutra apps, etc. already.

 

[fzJNotIBOxgnbqejSeVCvJScL]

leddit losers from /r/apphookup on suicide watch. And nothing of value was lost

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

2/3 of the app store wiped out lol.

As it should be! It's utter trash as it is.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The Mac App Store might as well just close if "low quality Apps" is the new bar.

 

[JosephAW]

First they came for the fart apps. And I said nothing.

One of my first apps was “fatapult”, goofy but fun. 😛

My big gripe about the app store is when a developer discontinues to their account the app disappears from my purchases or am no longer able to install it. Got stung recently when tvOS updated and it offloaded my game apps for space and when it was done updating tried to launch the app and the store said it was no longer available. There’s no way to get that back and is forever lost for my Apple TV. Ugh 😡

 

[JosephAW]

Apps that are only a wrapper around a web site are also low quality. They're not looking into banning those?

Hey, that would be my banking app. 😵

 

[JosephAW]

Would the iOS26 Preview app pass this if it wasn’t from Apple?

Hate how it launches without notice. 😵

 

[fahlman]

Buying into a system does not remove your right to complain about it

Anyone is free to complain about whatever they want, but in this case, the complaint says less about the product and more about the complainer’s inability to make a smart decision based on their own requirements.