Apple has for the first time published clear guidelines on what it deems to be acceptable in an iOS app.
Flatulence is most definitely out — “We don’t need any more fart apps” — as are apps of fleeting fancy — “If your app doesn’t do something useful or provide some form of lasting entertainment, it may not be accepted.”
Also likely to be rejected are apps that appear to be “cobbled together in a few days” and apps which Apple considers to have “content or behavior that is over the line” though it doesn’t say where that line has been drawn, only that it will know it when it sees it.
Apple has also codified rules that have been applied in the past but never publicly stated. So apps that create alternate home screen environments or simulate multi-app widget experiences are out, so too apps that alter the functions of standard switches.
Apps that duplicate the functionality of existing apps may also be rejected, particularly if there are already many identical tools. So too will apps that are defamatory or potentially harmful, offensive or mean-spirited, though “professional political satirists and humorists” get an exemption on those last two.
Apple also says that the more developers charge for their apps, the greater will be the scrutiny.
As before, Developers whose apps are rejected can appeal to the review board. Apple warns them not to appeal to the media.
“If you run to the press and trash us, it never helps.”
The guidelines have been published as part of a welcome opening up of the App Store approvals process, which also re-admits apps created with tools other than Apple’s own, including Adobe’s Flash compiler, and drops the ban on third-party in-app advertising from services such as Google’s AdMob.
Both Adobe and Google welcomed the changes.
“We are encouraged to see Apple lift restrictions on its licensing terms, giving developers freedom to choose the tools they use,” Adobe said on its official Twitter feed. The company sais that it will resume development of Packager for iPhone, its software for converting Flash files into iOS apps.
Omar Hamoui, vice president of product management at Google, said that the new terms will benefit everyone in the mobile ad business.
“This is great news for everyone in the mobile community, as we believe that a competitive environment is the best way to drive innovation and growth in mobile advertising. Mobile advertising has already helped to fund tens of thousands of mobile apps across many different platforms and devices, and it will help do the same for many more in the years ahead.”
