Apollo Pulled From the App Store for Charging for Push Notifications
After a feature-rich update over the weekend, Apollo for Reddit has today been removed from the App Store. Developer Christian Selig took to Reddit to explain that he received an email from the App Store Review team explaining that his app violates App Store Guidelines by offering push notifications as an in-app subscription upgrade.
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What makes Apple’s approval and subsequent rejection puzzling, however, is that Selig worked directly with Apple to ensure the update did not violate the App Store Guidelines. He was originally told by Apple that so long as he bundled realtime push notification support with other features, such as theming and custom app icons, the update would be approved and not in violation of the guidelines.
Even assuming Apple’s decision had been correct, it’s rude to just remove the app from sale before even talking with the developer. It’s not as if the app was hurting anyone.
This is f’ing bullshit trash. The IAP is for server-side push, but even if it wasn’t this is trash.
Apple is policing guys like us for this ticky tap crap when everyone making sustainable money is using scam IAP’s.
You’re allowed to scam people out of $150 with $3/week trick IAP screens that’s only option are “Continue” or “Subscribe” with a tiny X for close in the corner.
But you can’t charge for server-side push. NO!
Friggin YouTube’s premium subscription at $15/week is for BACKGROUND AUDIO. But nooo, that’s not breaking the rules because they are a big company.
If you are a scam app or a big ass company you can break all the rules. This is the ENTIRE POINT of a walled garden.
You have to protect users from the asshats that show up anywhere there is money from scamming people. Nope, not gonna do that, $150/year for weather is FINE. $8/week for live wallpapers is FINE.
We’re too busy over here policing Indie apps.
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Also true #1, if Apollo didn’t have a following - he’d be super screwed. I’ve personally spent MONTHS convincing app review of trivial bullshit.
Also true #2, users are already hesitant to pay for ANYTHING because of sub scams.
Update: got off the phone with the same incredibly nice person who called a few weeks back, and the removal was a mistake that they just corrected. A+ turn around time, and mistakes happen.
This whole thread. It’s frustrating that legitimate apps still run into App Store red tape, yet the obviously scammy apps seem to sail right through. The whole point of having the iOS walled garden is to keep out garbage, yet any given App Store search is filled with it.
Previously: Apple Pulling High-Grossing Scammy Subscription Apps Off the App Store, Rejected From the App Store for Emoji in Screenshot, Out of Touch.
If iOS is the future then this is what I really fear. I’m sure apple can make iOS very capable. But so long as the App Store is the only way to get apps iOS can never be as good as the Mac.