I don't understand all the debate, dialog and articles on this. The developer is clearly not a native English speaker. He understands it pretty good, but not natively. There are subtle nuances that sometimes fly by not being fully understood. This developer's interpretation of the dialog is only 99% rather than 100%, hence the apparent conflict between him and Apple.
Cut the developer some slack. Cut Apple some slack.
So from that audio recording it seems quite clear this developer didn't do anything wrong and Apple didn't doing anything wrong either. Sure, Apple did not contact his primary account before they cut him off. And if he lost money during that down time, AFTER getting back up and running, he should then take that up with Apple privately.
Fraud is fraud no matter the motive. I guess you flunked your ethics class, huh.
He wasn't asking about the motive but about what would happen to someone who is the victim of the fraud outlined since they didn't commit or were complicit in fraud. I guess you flunked your reading comprehension class, huh.
From what I got in that Apple phone conversation: Apple wants him to say that he f*cked up in giving that other account with his bank info and associated devices to his friend. That's it and everything is cool.
All he kept saying is that he didn't do it. Apple already knows. They want to move past that. Apple is being lenient with him considering the activity the fraudulent account was doing that was benefiting his main account.
There is something fundamentally wrong in the way the App Store terms and conditions are set up. In case of a dispute Apple is judge and involved party and there is no appeal possible. If you are a developer and your income depends on the App Store, any dispute can kill your business without any means to fight back.
Duh.. they own the place.. their place, their rules.. It's not as if they run the place with taxpayer dollars..
Of course they do, but this case just shows how risky the iOS app store business is from a developers point of view. On MacOS you can luckily publish your app outside the app store.
Fraud is fraud no matter the motive. I guess you flunked your ethics class, huh.
He wasn't asking about the motive but about what would happen to someone who is the victim of the fraud outlined since they didn't commit or were complicit in fraud. I guess you flunked your reading comprehension class, huh.
Thank you. That is exaclty what I was asking about (although, it does NOT have a direct relation to the situation that started this thread).
Im dubious about the developer not doing anything wrong. Firstly these linked accounts are -- as the Apple guy said - seen as the same legal entity, and that makes sense.
If there are two people uploading to the same account, with the same certificates and the same bundle URL: ( com.kapelli.* ) thats the same "company" as far as Apple can and should know. They would also have the same certificate.
She does seem to exist but it is odd that he was continuing to keep her account updated. He would be charged every year to stay live on the app store, and obviously she didnt charge to her credit card or that would be on file.
Clearly the developer DID do something wrong. He gave hardware and used his credit card to set up an account for a scammer who was manipulating the App Store. The fact that he was unaware of the activity is no excuse for doing something so bone-headed. His relative also didn't have the decency to tell him he was in trouble with Apple. This developer should not be at odds with Apple. He should be bending over backwards to admit he did a stupid thing and to get their help unlinking their accounts.
Ultimately this is is a good lesson for all developers to be aware of. Shame this guy didn't take the opportunity to learn from his mistakes.
I am not taking an side in this case, because I don't know the details, but as a developer this gives me a bad feeling in my stomach.
There is something fundamentally wrong in the way the App Store terms and conditions are set up. In case of a dispute Apple is judge and involved party and there is no appeal possible. If you are a developer and your income depends on the App Store, any dispute can kill your business without any means to fight back.
Considering how many hundreds of thousands of developers there are, how often do we hear stories like this? —Not much. Don't forget that
Umm... Separate from the app store issue, isn't it a violation of the California wiretapping law to record a phone call without the consent of all parties? Was there consent? Was the Apple representative calling from Cupertino? Just asking questions here...
Umm... Separate from the app store issue, isn't it a violation of the California wiretapping law to record a phone call without the consent of all parties? Was there consent? Was the Apple representative calling from Cupertino? Just asking questions here...
This in no way represents what actually happened, here's a recording where Apple tried to blackmail the developer into forcing him to say that Apple didn't do anything wrong in order to get his Apps restored: https://blog.kapeli.com/dash-and-apple-my-side-of-the-story
Now we get this PR statement directly from an Apple mouthpiece accusing him of being fraudulent when they know and acknowledge that he wasn't behind closed doors. Disappointing behavior on everyone involved.
I listened to the recording and there is no "blackmailing" going on. Apple is basically asking the developer to make a statement that he AND Apple did nothing wrong, which I think is accurate. The developer set his cousin up in the Apple’s Developer Program by letting her use his credit card and test hardware. At that point both developer accounts are linked as far as Apple is concerned, but the developer was not aware of this. Then his cousin did some shady stuff to boost the ratings of her apps. Did he know she was doing shady stuff? Were they working together to do shady stuff? Apple has no way of knowing, so since the accounts are linked, both developers must initially be banned. Once the developer talked with Apple and explained the situation, they agreed to reinstate his account as long as he posted a statement stating that Apple did nothing wrong when they initially banned his account, which was linked to an account that was doing shady stuff. I think that is completely fair. If anything, the developer shouldn't have a gripe with Apple, but instead his cousin, you know, the only person in this situation that actually did something wrong.
Umm... Separate from the app store issue, isn't it a violation of the California wiretapping law to record a phone call without the consent of all parties? Was there consent? Was the Apple representative calling from Cupertino? Just asking questions here...
Umm... Separate from the app store issue, isn't it a violation of the California wiretapping law to record a phone call without the consent of all parties? Was there consent? Was the Apple representative calling from Cupertino? Just asking questions here...
It's a violation of Federal wiretapping laws.
Federal wiretapping law only requires one-party consent. Some states, including California, require all-party consent. But if Mr. Popescu is in Romania as asdasd indicated, California likely lacks jurisdiction in so far as him having recorded the conversation goes.
Umm... Separate from the app store issue, isn't it a violation of the California wiretapping law to record a phone call without the consent of all parties? Was there consent? Was the Apple representative calling from Cupertino? Just asking questions here...
It's a violation of Federal wiretapping laws.
Federal wiretapping law only requires one-party consent. Some states, including California, require all-party consent. But if Mr. Popescu is in Romania as asdasd indicated, California likely lacks jurisdiction in so far as him having recorded the conversation goes.
True. Wouldn't apply to people outside the US. In that case, all conversations originating in other countries coming into the US are recorded by the NSA.
I don't get it... I use the Dash app on both macOS and iOS and it's an absolutely fantastic app. It provides developers with access to API documentation and it covers just about EVERYTHING. It's a wonderful app. If you have the iOS and macOS version you can use the iPad as a second display for your API documentation (Dash Remote). I use Dash daily all day long! I can't imagine the need to fraudulently review it to boost ratings. Also Dash has no competition at all in the macOS / iOS App Stores. Not one. I really think Apple made a large mistake. They claim there are 25 apps by these two accounts and 1,000 plus fake positive and negative reviews on competitors. I don't believe it. It must have been that extra linked account that Kapeli gave someone. Maybe it was hacked.
So if I ever reset my iPad and restore from backup, I will lose Dash on an iOS device. That stinks... Really only developers are going to want to buy this app and I didn't need to read reviews on Apple's website to purchase it. Now I have to convert my license for macOS out of the app store to a direct download. In future I will lose the ability to have the iPad integration as a second screen if I ever replace my iPad or otherwise reset it and restore.
Frankly, Apple's reviews kinda suck anyway. Most of them are worthless opinions that are very uninformed and many times unfair. I typically question the reviewer as being an absolute moron in many cases. I base my opinion on a lot more than end user reviews. I came across Dash from a detailed blog review and it was on sale as well. There is no other offline developer documentation app that comes close. It is fantastic for train and plane rides when I didn't want to use cellular or airplane wifi...
Did the developer do anything wrong? I dunno, maybe he did maybe he didn't. I really don't care I would have paid $70 for this app! He only charges $24.99 for the macOS version. The iOS version will be missed but I will continue to use the macOS version and support the developer.
OK, so the linked account was his cousin and they are both from Romania. The cousin was being very shady apparently. It also seems Apple was working on it for 3+ years so they lost patience and killed both developer App Store accounts. I can see the developer not wanting to blame his relative even if the relative is to blame.
Im dubious about the developer not doing anything wrong. Firstly these linked accounts are -- as the Apple guy said - seen as the same legal entity, and that makes sense.
If there are two people uploading to the same account, with the same certificates and the same bundle URL: ( com.kapelli.* ) thats the same "company" as far as Apple can and should know. They would also have the same certificate.
She does seem to exist but it is odd that he was continuing to keep her account updated. He would be charged every year to stay live on the app store, and obviously she didnt charge to her credit card or that would be on file.
Those are his apps. Someone did some internet sleuthing with the waybackmachine and those apps appear on his website with his name on them. So his story is bogus.
But what to do with all the other shovelware though? Not to worry, it can stay on the other account. Spam some reviews, get some idiots to buy it, easy beer money on the side. Let’s just change the author to “Mihaela” instead.
I just spent about 2 hours talking to Apple about this app... feeling that its not just to pull apps without regard to the consumer. But Apple feels like they can pull any app at any time without need to compensate or otherwise make amends to the consumer. In the end, believe it or not... Apple's iTunes manager "Rob" blocked my account for Fraudulent behaviour. I kid you not! its true as true can be.
For as long as I have been completely and utterly loyal... and I have some amazing well documented interactions... Apple.... is gone!
p.s. I am so very sad... because I was suppose to be buying 5 systems next month... and some accessories... including an iPhone 7+... but now.... how can I do that? not when they treat us like scum?
OK, so the linked account was his cousin and they are both from Romania. The cousin was being very shady apparently. It also seems Apple was working on it for 3+ years so they lost patience and killed both developer App Store accounts. I can see the developer not wanting to blame his relative even if the relative is to blame.
Its fairly dubious at this stage that there was a cousin. It was always doubtful - look at nht's post.
Comments
Cut the developer some slack.
Cut Apple some slack.
So from that audio recording it seems quite clear this developer didn't do anything wrong and Apple didn't doing anything wrong either. Sure, Apple did not contact his primary account before they cut him off. And if he lost money during that down time, AFTER getting back up and running, he should then take that up with Apple privately.
THE END.
It really is that simple.
Apple wants him to say that he f*cked up in giving that other account with his bank info and associated devices to his friend. That's it and everything is cool.
All he kept saying is that he didn't do it. Apple already knows. They want to move past that. Apple is being lenient with him considering the activity the fraudulent account was doing that was benefiting his main account.
If there are two people uploading to the same account, with the same certificates and the same bundle URL: ( com.kapelli.* ) thats the same "company" as far as Apple can and should know. They would also have the same certificate.
Heres a list of apps from that com.kapelli..
https://software.com/publisher/kapeli
His cousin is using the same URL and certificates:
http://appshopper.com/search/?searchdev=603546869&sort=name&dir=asc
She does seem to exist but it is odd that he was continuing to keep her account updated. He would be charged every year to stay live on the app store, and obviously she didnt charge to her credit card or that would be on file.
He gave hardware and used his credit card to set up an account for a scammer who was manipulating the App Store.
The fact that he was unaware of the activity is no excuse for doing something so bone-headed.
His relative also didn't have the decency to tell him he was in trouble with Apple.
This developer should not be at odds with Apple. He should be bending over backwards to admit he did a stupid thing and to get their help unlinking their accounts.
Ultimately this is is a good lesson for all developers to be aware of. Shame this guy didn't take the opportunity to learn from his mistakes.
—Not much.
Don't forget that
So if I ever reset my iPad and restore from backup, I will lose Dash on an iOS device. That stinks... Really only developers are going to want to buy this app and I didn't need to read reviews on Apple's website to purchase it. Now I have to convert my license for macOS out of the app store to a direct download. In future I will lose the ability to have the iPad integration as a second screen if I ever replace my iPad or otherwise reset it and restore.
Frankly, Apple's reviews kinda suck anyway. Most of them are worthless opinions that are very uninformed and many times unfair. I typically question the reviewer as being an absolute moron in many cases. I base my opinion on a lot more than end user reviews. I came across Dash from a detailed blog review and it was on sale as well. There is no other offline developer documentation app that comes close. It is fantastic for train and plane rides when I didn't want to use cellular or airplane wifi...
Did the developer do anything wrong? I dunno, maybe he did maybe he didn't. I really don't care I would have paid $70 for this app! He only charges $24.99 for the macOS version. The iOS version will be missed but I will continue to use the macOS version and support the developer.
Excerpt from frumpsnake from the macrumors forum:
http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-says-1-000-fraudulent-reviews-were-detected-across-two-accounts-owned-by-dash-developer-update-developer-responds.2005850/page-12#post-23708918
For as long as I have been completely and utterly loyal... and I have some amazing well documented interactions... Apple.... is gone!
p.s. I am so very sad... because I was suppose to be buying 5 systems next month... and some accessories... including an iPhone 7+... but now.... how can I do that? not when they treat us like scum?