Removal of AppGratis signals start of Apple crackdown on App Store
The ouster of AppGratis from the App Store is reportedly the first in a coming crackdown on application discovery services in Apple's App Store that violate the company's rules.
Apple's plans to tighten up enforcement of App Store rules were revealed on Wednesday by AllThingsD, which characterized the removal of AppGratis as a "first step" in a "broader enforcement" effort. AppGratis was simply the first high-profile casualty in the company's apparently impending efforts to curb developers paying for exposure.
"I'm told that Apple feels these apps threaten the legitimacy of the App Store charts by providing a way for developers to spend their way to a high ranking," author John Paczkowski wrote. He added: "The company also worries that such apps undermine the integrity of the App Store by cluttering it with alternative storefronts."
The CEO of AppGratis revealed on Tuesday that he is in "total disbelief" over the fact that Apple removed his service from the App Store. The banishment came because the discovery software violated two App Store regulations: one blocking apps that promote other apps in a manner similar to the App Store, and another forbidding apps using push notifications to send advertising, promotions, or direct marketing of any kind.
AppGratis was pulled last weekend in response to the newly revised App Store rules, which did not align with the AppGratis promotion model. Apple reportedly took issue with the fact that the service appeared to favor developers who could pay for exposure of their applications.
Now it appears that AppGratis was just the beginning, as other app discovery services may soon be removed from the App Store. Sources told Paczkowski that AppGratis won't be returning to the App Store in its current form under Apple's rules, suggesting the software is "almost certainly finished as an iOS app."
Apple's plans to tighten up enforcement of App Store rules were revealed on Wednesday by AllThingsD, which characterized the removal of AppGratis as a "first step" in a "broader enforcement" effort. AppGratis was simply the first high-profile casualty in the company's apparently impending efforts to curb developers paying for exposure.
"I'm told that Apple feels these apps threaten the legitimacy of the App Store charts by providing a way for developers to spend their way to a high ranking," author John Paczkowski wrote. He added: "The company also worries that such apps undermine the integrity of the App Store by cluttering it with alternative storefronts."
The CEO of AppGratis revealed on Tuesday that he is in "total disbelief" over the fact that Apple removed his service from the App Store. The banishment came because the discovery software violated two App Store regulations: one blocking apps that promote other apps in a manner similar to the App Store, and another forbidding apps using push notifications to send advertising, promotions, or direct marketing of any kind.
AppGratis was pulled last weekend in response to the newly revised App Store rules, which did not align with the AppGratis promotion model. Apple reportedly took issue with the fact that the service appeared to favor developers who could pay for exposure of their applications.
Now it appears that AppGratis was just the beginning, as other app discovery services may soon be removed from the App Store. Sources told Paczkowski that AppGratis won't be returning to the App Store in its current form under Apple's rules, suggesting the software is "almost certainly finished as an iOS app."
Comments
No one want store with in store....Good jobs apple
The problems with the iTunes store in general is that it is a lot less useful, especially as compared to Amazon's examples when reviewing books. Apple needs to expand quality reviews of books, and apps. The paucity of such information makes shopping on iTunes more like dumpster diving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Selva Raj
No one want store with in store....Good jobs apple
Except Apple....they've been doing store within a store in the real world for quite some time now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Selva Raj
No one want store with in store....Good jobs apple
No one but the 45 employees the Company hires and the 12 million people who actively use the app.
Moreover, Apple should have a grandfather clause because the reality is the app has been on the app store since 2008, and the company has invested significant resources in developing the app. Moreover, after extensive discussions, Apple's team approved the app. A fact is Apple's rules are not always black and white. I would be very nervous as a developer to develop for a platform where the rules can be changed at any time, and when the rules are foggy, the company creating rules sides on the side of exclusion.
Here is the developers perspective. http://appgratis.com/blog/2013/04/09/appgratis-pulled-from-the-app-store-heres-the-full-story/
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
This is like Inception. Does AppGratis show up in AppGratis?¡
Yes, but if you download it from within itself the new copy runs 20 times slower.
I've actually experienced something like that on my iMac. I have VM Fusion and installed XenServer (which works perfectly fine as a VM), but then load a virtualized OS within the virtualized system of XenServer and it slows down to a crawl. I figured that would happen but I just wanted to see just how bad it would be.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
No one but the 45 employees the Company hires and the 12 million people who actively use the app.
Moreover, Apple should have a grandfather clause because the reality is the app has been on the app store since 2008, and the company has invested significant resources in developing the app. Moreover, after extensive discussions, Apple's team approved the app. A fact is Apple's rules are not always black and white. I would be very nervous as a developer to develop for a platform where the rules can be changed at any time, and when the rules are foggy, the company creating rules sides on the side of exclusion.
Here is the developers perspective. http://appgratis.com/blog/2013/04/09/appgratis-pulled-from-the-app-store-heres-the-full-story/
Indeed. If you get into bed with Apple you shouldn't be surprised when they f*ck you.
And they still run their website and still have tons of working copies of the app out there and have had, according to them, millions of downloads and its business as usual.
Source? Because Apple's rather quiet about the process and something tells me that discussions about apps are NOT extensive at all. In fact, based on some of the approval screwups I'd say they simply aren't discussed on the majority of cases.
Also AppGratis may have been in the store since 2008 but its not the exact same version nor are the rules the same. So the notion of grandfathering is rather bunk. Developers sign an agreement that Apple can change the rules and they, as developers, may have to change their apps to fit the new rules and will. If someone can't handle that then they shouldn't be developers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I've actually experienced something like that on my iMac. I have VM Fusion and installed XenServer (which works perfectly fine as a VM), but then load a virtualized OS within the virtualized system of XenServer and it slows down to a crawl. I figured that would happen but I just wanted to see just how bad it would be.
I surprised it worked at all. It's something that should work in theory (Turing machines all the way down, anything can emulate anything) but experience makes me assume in practice there will be some gotcha.
I'm a big fan of XenServer. I figured it would work unless the XenServer install was designed to detect and then quit if it's a VM. I guess they don't think people would do that.
My plan was to get better acquainted with XenServer, not to specifically run VMs within in it. For that it worked very well. For running multiple Windows and Linux VMs in a domain setup using UBER Network Fuser allows for all my VMs to talk to each other.
Have they failed to improve their own? Does one group cracking down on thing not permit another group from improving Apple's own tools?
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Originally Posted by mscientist
Instead of cracking down on app discovery services, Apple would do better to improve its own tools. Clearly there is an unmet need here. Cracking down on 3rd party services while failing to improve their own is just dumb.
Just wait.
Perhaps changes will come with iOS 7... and an new Apple Store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBell
No one but the 45 employees the Company hires and the 12 million people who actively use the app.
Moreover, Apple should have a grandfather clause because the reality is the app has been on the app store since 2008, and the company has invested significant resources in developing the app. Moreover, after extensive discussions, Apple's team approved the app. A fact is Apple's rules are not always black and white. I would be very nervous as a developer to develop for a platform where the rules can be changed at any time, and when the rules are foggy, the company creating rules sides on the side of exclusion.
Here is the developers perspective. http://appgratis.com/blog/2013/04/09/appgratis-pulled-from-the-app-store-heres-the-full-story/
I've turned down jobs that seemed questionable to me. The fact that someone went to work for AppGratis doesn't change the sort of app it was. An app where people pay for special placement and a push notification was playing with fire. AppGratis thought they had found a backdoor way to push ads to people, but Apple caught on. If Apple allowed it, it would have been a slippery slope. If they wind up loosing their job, hopefully they will learn to be more careful about who they work for.
I installed AppGratis for the promise of good, free apps, but rarely found that it delivered. EVERY App of the Week has been superior to anything I saw offered on AppGratis. Eventually, I just stopped checking (though it is still installed). I wonder how many of those 12 millions still care about the app?
There are several apps that track prices and report to you when an app has become free or discounted and those are still present on the App Store. I find those more useful. When Apple starts cracking down on ALL discovery apps, even ones that do not involve some sort of paid placement or other violations of app guidelines, then I'll be more concerned. So far, that's not what has happened.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
Have they failed to improve their own? Does one group cracking down on thing not permit another group from improving Apple's own tools?
Have they failed to improve their own?
In any meaningful way, absolutely.
Does one group cracking down on thing not permit another group from improving Apple's own tools?
No, but it would sure be great if the two groups bothered to talk to each other.
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Originally Posted by Overlord
Just wait.
Perhaps changes will come with iOS 7... and an new Apple Store.
we can hope
Quote:
Originally Posted by mscientist
Instead of cracking down on app discovery services, Apple would do better to improve its own tools. Clearly there is an unmet need here. Cracking down on 3rd party services while failing to improve their own is just dumb.
I agree that Apple needs to improve App Discovery. I don't believe apps where developers pay to have their app promoted is the answer. Apple would have to make a way for promoted apps to be excluded from its general rankings.
That said, some apps just track prices and notify you of discounts. If I understand the issues correctly, that is perfectly fine as long as the price change is detected and no money changes hands. If Apple cracks down on apps that simply track prices, I'll be pretty disgusted. It's a a feature Apple should have built in: a better way to search or browse apps on sale.