Apple's App Review Process Now Takes as Little as Two Days

[Jeremy1026]

I'm fine with Apple charging the $100 annual fee for developers that are looking to make money, but I feel like there should be a free option for people who want to just distribute free stuff. IDK how you would make sure it doesn't get flooded with junk and keep the cost of operating it low.

There is your first problem. You open the flood gates by doing this. Also, nothing would stop someone from making an outside advertising deal where something in the app is branded for a fee and distributed under a free account. Sure, its a "free app", but it is still generating income that Apple is now getting no piece of, while still incurring bandwidth costs to host it.

 

[Mascots]

Or Apple should make something more interesting than 3D Touch for us to support.
...

Totally agree with this because the 3D Touch API is pretty gimped when utilizing UIKit.
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There is your first problem. You open the flood gates by doing this. Also, nothing would stop someone from making an outside advertising deal where something in the app is branded for a fee and distributed under a free account. Sure, its a "free app", but it is still generating income that Apple is now getting no piece of, while still incurring bandwidth costs to host it.

And there's already been serious problems with allowing anyone to build to devices (recent malware outbreaks are directly tied to that event, dev forums are in ruin, +). I feel like this would be exponentially bad. $100 is pretty cheap to gain the ability to use the store services, regardless of if you sell or distribute for free.

 

[blackcrayon]

You know what would REALLY help developers? Stop taking a 30% cut and drop it down to 10%. As an indie developer myself, every $ counts, and if you want me to choose iOS over Android every single time, this is one way to do it.

Isn't Google the same though? According to their developer help pages the transaction fees for applications and in-app products is 30% Amazon are the same according to their documentation.

I've never really had an issue with the 30% though to be honest. To get access to over 1 billion potential customers, 30% seems fair.

Apple sets the percentage for the industry, basically. If they set it to 25% (might be a nice gesture), Google and everyone else would immediately follow.

 

[nagromme]

Now, if they would only allow us to have our app star ratings roll over, rather than start all over every time we put out a 0.1 update.

I'd agree--except that's how it originally worked, and developers wanted it to change! Because one bad release (even for factors beyond your control, or a mob action on some forum) could semi-permanently ruin the ratings people see.

As a developer of a low-volume app (which thankfully has never had a problem release) I can imagine that would kill me. So few people bother to rate that it would takes ages for the new good reviews to swamp the short-term spike in bad ones. Especially since people who like an app have little motivation to rate, while complainers do.

Maybe there's some happy medium option? I'd like there to be one.

A much bigger issue I have than the 30% cut is the $100 annual fee.
...
Some people would find their phones slightly more useful if they had the app. But Apple is denying them the ability to have the app at all.

Proposal:

- $99/year fee as a barrier to random shovelware crap spammers. We get enough of that is is—we'd get more if it were free. And think of the flood of ad-supported junk people would try to put out!

- BUT allow current apps to be updated without an ongoing fee. Free "maintenance" membership. Pay again only to release new titles.

 

[TrueBlou]

I'd agree--except that's how it originally worked, and developers wanted it to change! Because one bad release (even for factors beyond your control, or a mob action on some forum) could semi-permanently ruin the ratings people see.

As a developer of a low-volume app (which thankfully has never had a problem release) I can imagine that would kill me. So few people bother to rate that it would takes ages for the new good reviews to swamp the short-term spike in bad ones. Especially since people who like an app have little motivation to rate, while complainers do.

Maybe there's some happy medium option? I'd like there to be one.

It's so very true, you can look through the reviews of the majority of apps, everyone makes mistakes and people seem to think that the reviews are a place to get support or to make developers aware of problems.

Either that or they're happy to whinge when something goes wrong but stay tight lipped when it's all running smoothly.

 

[patent10021]

Totally agree with this because the 3D Touch API is pretty gimped when utilizing UIKit.

Are you saying you prefer using 3rd party dependencies for implementing 3D Touch? Any recommendations?

 

[Mascots]

Are you saying you prefer using 3rd party dependencies for implementing 3D Touch? Any recommendations?

Not other than writing your own. But so far Apple has demonstrated many additional usages of 3D Touch in UIKit - examples are in Maps (force touching PINs generates a different UI than available to developers) and Mail (Swipe side to side for actions). You'll have to roll your own implementation of the Preview API to achieve any one of those.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Isn't Google the same though? According to their developer help pages the transaction fees for applications and in-app products is 30% Amazon are the same according to their documentation.

I've never really had an issue with the 30% though to be honest. To get access to over 1 billion potential customers, 30% seems fair.

It is indeed the same 30% with Google and Amazon

I could've sworn that Google lets you keep the full 100%. I recall that being a big differentiating factor when Android first became a popular platform to develop for.

 

[TrueBlou]

I could've sworn that Google lets you keep the full 100%. I recall that being a big differentiating factor when Android first became a popular platform to develop for.

Well I could be looking in the wrong place, but according to this

For applications and in-app products that you sell on Google Play, the transaction fee is equivalent to 30% of the price.

You receive 70% of the payment. The remaining 30% goes to the distribution partner and operating fees.


Of course it may depend on whom you are using as the transaction provider, I believe you have alternatives with Google.

 

[ipedro]

I'm not one of those calling for Tim Cook's head but I'd rather Phil Shiller as Apple CEO and Tim as COO where his strengths lie. Phil embodies Apple's culture and spirit far more than Tim.

I think that Phil has that same giddiness about Apple that Steve had. That almost teenager-ish excitement about the company and its products is more important to keeping Apple as Apple than a lot of people first realized.

 

[TrueBlou]

I'm not one of those calling for Tim Cook's head but I'd rather Phil Shiller as Apple CEO and Tim as COO where his strengths lie. Phil embodies Apple's culture and spirit far more than Tim.

I think that Phil has that same giddiness about Apple that Steve had. I think that that almost teenager-ish excitement about the company audits products is more important to keeping to Apple as Apple than a lot of people first realized.

Yeah, I mean I've nothing against Tim at all and maybe he's different when we don't see him. But I think you need that element of excitement for the products to push forward the innovation and bring back the wow factor. Rather than just playing it by the numbers.

It's the same in any business. If I didn't like the games I make no one would.

.... Ok, bad example, I'm the only one who likes the games I make, but you know what I mean

 

[Moonjumper]

I'm not one of those calling for Tim Cook's head but I'd rather Phil Shiller as Apple CEO and Tim as COO where his strengths lie. Phil embodies Apple's culture and spirit far more than Tim.

I think that Phil has that same giddiness about Apple that Steve had. That almost teenager-ish excitement about the company and its products is more important to keeping Apple as Apple than a lot of people first realized.

Steve Jobs has been replaced by a group. We only really see that publicly at the shared spotlight at the Apple events. Tim Cook and Phil Schiller and others each bring different things. Phil Schiller comes across brilliantly, but being part of a team allows him to focus on what he is good at. The one that needs adding is the meticulous software person who makes everything consistent and self-explanatory, that is the bit of Apple culture missing.

 

[DaveP]

I could've sworn that Google lets you keep the full 100%. I recall that being a big differentiating factor when Android first became a popular platform to develop for.

Perhaps the confusion lies in the fact that Android apps can be distributed in a variety of ways. If you use the PlayStore, Google gets their 30%. However, I can directly sell someone an APK of an app and keep all the money.

 

[Shirasaki]

Facebook won't like that, a lot of developers seem to release those point releases to hide their one star reviews... like the useless Facebook Messenger app for example..

But it is still viewable from "all versions" right?
Maybe, user just don't want to go through all of them, I mean, one star review.

 

[TrueBlou]

Steve Jobs has been replaced by a group. We only really see that publicly at the shared spotlight at the Apple events. Tim Cook and Phil Schiller and others each bring different things. Phil Schiller comes across brilliantly, but being part of a team allows him to focus on what he is good at. The one that needs adding is the meticulous software person who makes everything consistent and self-explanatory, that is the bit of Apple culture missing.

Let's be honest, what Apple would most benefit from, is Steve. Who's up for a seance?

Seriously though this is for better or worse a different Apple now..... Engaging rant mode....

All the talk of future iPhones giving us things we didn't even know we wanted. Awesome, I look forward to it. In the meantime though, how's about throwing some of that massive stockpile of cash at the things we do want?

Better battery life, anyone else remember when reviews read along the lines of. Great phone, but we only got four days of battery from it so we can't recommend it. Now they get over excited when they get a days worth of moderate use.

And don't give me the, more powerful hardware line. I'm very well aware of what's in there. I'm also very well aware they could damn near double the battery life if they didn't insist on making a size 0 phone I can't bloody hold without a case or it slips out of your hand faster than a bar of soap in a questionable shower block.

While we're at it, how about a screen I can actually see properly in daylight. Again the glass to do it exists, look at high quality framing glass. Damn near invisible. Throw money at that and develop it further.

Oh and how about a screen covering that doesn't scratch if I happen to sneeze near it, that would be nice.

Maybe design a phone that I can lie down flat without it wobbling about like a three legged donkey if I want to touch the screen when it's on my desk.

And here's a crazy thought, now bear with me this ones cutting edge. Maybe some sort of system where you could add more storage of you run out of space? It could use some sort of small card that could somehow hold information on it. I don't know if such a thing could be invented, but just imagine.


Oh and most importantly do something like you used to do to me every year. Make me go, oohhhhh, I must have the new iPhone. Because you've stopped doing that to me and I don't like it.


I could rant on and on and on. But that's all this is just a rant for the sake of a rant

 

[patent10021]

Not other than writing your own. But so far Apple has demonstrated many additional usages of 3D Touch in UIKit - examples are in Maps (force touching PINs generates a different UI than available to developers) and Mail (Swipe side to side for actions). You'll have to roll your own implementation of the Preview API to achieve any one of those.

Well I'm sure they will be public soon as always happens. Could also use a private framework as it will probably slip through the cracks since it's so minute. Those APIs will probably public after the upcoming event.

 

[jjxtra]

I want it to deploy to app store as I type my code, then I will be impressed.

 

[satchmo]

Faster approval and more apps that are impossible to find.
There needs to be a better way to list, rank and organize the millions of apps in the store.

 

[SHNXX]

it still took me a week last time.
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Faster approval and more apps that are impossible to find.
There needs to be a better way to list, rank and organize the millions of apps in the store.

Something simple, like sort by X would be useful here.
Amazon does just fine with that. Why not apple?

 

[Shirasaki]

Maybe, because human brain now does not have enough potential to store and organise PB level data, so we don't know how to do it in digital world.
But for app review, I would prefer Apple automatically removing those Random and meaningless reviews from store. This is extremely common in Chinese store.

 

[weup togo]

Phil Schiller has since day one of the App Store been in the direct management chain for every aspect of policies, review, and approval. The recently announced change was in effect a demotion, handing the reins of all of marketing to others. He will retire soon, which is a shame. He's one of the only execs left who ran things just like SJ.

 

[9052042]

You know what would REALLY help developers? Stop taking a 30% cut and drop it down to 10%. As an indie developer myself, every $ counts, and if you want me to choose iOS over Android every single time, this is one way to do it.

HA, thats exactly what I said. Checkout the open letter I wrote. I attribute some of the App Store improvements to it.

https://medium.com/ios-os-x-develop...-my-letter-to-tim-cook-5746c7ada28#.w88p781we

 

[kaolin]

It's not that sudden of a change, but I'm loving it. It's been under 4 days since February according to the site. And under 8 days for most of a year. Though in my head it's still 2 weeks. :heh:
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It's the same in any business. If I didn't like the games I make no one would..... Ok, bad example, I'm the only one who likes the games I make, but you know what I mean

Ha! SO much, this.

 

[coolfactor]

You know what would REALLY help developers? Stop taking a 30% cut and drop it down to 10%. As an indie developer myself, every $ counts, and if you want me to choose iOS over Android every single time, this is one way to do it.

Heck, why not make it free?

Don't bite the hand the feeds you.

 

[tyr2]

Just had an update approved in 24 hours. That's pretty awesome. I'd be encouraged to release more frequently if, as discussed above, they would do something about the review system. I'm not sure what should be done but at the moment it actively discourages me from pushing out a minor bug update if there are some decent reviews for the current version since it only causes sales to drop.

At the very least a way to reply to reviews is really needed, I have often added features / fixed bugs based on review feedback, it'd be nice to be able to respond to the review to indicate that.