Apple says new tvOS apps must support Siri remote in updated App Store Review Guidelines
After pushing out new iOS, OS X and watchOS versions on Wednesday, and ahead of next week's fourth-generation Apple TV sales debut, Apple updated its App Store Review Guidelines to reflect changes specific to tvOS, including a requirement that an app's "core functionality" must support Siri remote.
Under a new App Store Review Guideline's Functionality clause, app submissions will be rejected if their core functionality does not work with the upcoming Apple TV's Siri remote, which features touchpad and voice input. An app can, however, provide enhanced functionality in connection with a game controller or other peripheral, Apple says.
The App Store Review Guideline update was spotted by app development agency Shape.
Metadata considerations are also updated to bring upcoming tvOS App Store previews in line with those found on the iOS and OS X serving storefronts. Specifically, if app images destined to appear on the Apple TV home screen's top shelf do not adhere to Apple's 4+ age rating safeguards, the software will be rejected. The new stipulation was tacked on to similar age restrictions covering icons, screenshots and previews.
Aside from additions pertaining to tvOS, App Store review conditions now include references to new and updated human interface guidelines for OS X, Apple TV and Apple Watch.
Finally, Apple notes in the "Purchasing and currencies" section that apps must not charge for access to built-in capabilities provided by watchOS, tvOS or Apple-branded peripherals like iPad Pro's Apple Pencil and Apple Keyboard.
Under a new App Store Review Guideline's Functionality clause, app submissions will be rejected if their core functionality does not work with the upcoming Apple TV's Siri remote, which features touchpad and voice input. An app can, however, provide enhanced functionality in connection with a game controller or other peripheral, Apple says.
The App Store Review Guideline update was spotted by app development agency Shape.
Metadata considerations are also updated to bring upcoming tvOS App Store previews in line with those found on the iOS and OS X serving storefronts. Specifically, if app images destined to appear on the Apple TV home screen's top shelf do not adhere to Apple's 4+ age rating safeguards, the software will be rejected. The new stipulation was tacked on to similar age restrictions covering icons, screenshots and previews.
Aside from additions pertaining to tvOS, App Store review conditions now include references to new and updated human interface guidelines for OS X, Apple TV and Apple Watch.
Finally, Apple notes in the "Purchasing and currencies" section that apps must not charge for access to built-in capabilities provided by watchOS, tvOS or Apple-branded peripherals like iPad Pro's Apple Pencil and Apple Keyboard.
Comments
(At first I thought it meant voice control must be supported... which would be great, but sometimes impossible!)
We knew that games had to support the remote.
Apps supporting the remote wasn't spelled out until now.
How would an app work that didn't support the remote?
Were people seriously considering a keyboard-based app?
So no in-app purchases to access the microphone on the Watch as an app's feature, for example. The app either must have an up-front price for the whole app, or that feature has to be included for free. Same for an iPad Pro app that works with the Apple Pencil, they can't charge an in-app purchase to switch on Pencil functionality as an add-on feature.
How would an app work that didn't support the remote?
Were people seriously considering a keyboard-based app?
As an example, think of something like the Wii Fit. Sure, it uses the standard Wii remote, but it's core functionality also requires the balance board. The balance board doesn't just provide "enhanced functionality". It's an essential component.
Or what if a company such as CompuTrainer wanted to port their software to Apple TV for people to use the with their trainer instead of having to use a PC to run the software. Other than getting the app set up and hitting go, the Apple remote would have little to do with the functionality. In fact, the app would have literally zero functionality if all you had was the Apple remote, let along core functions working.
It's really not that hard to think of potential apps that simply could not have their core functionality work with the Apple remote. So it's really going to depend on how Apple defines core functionality (vs "support the remote" as you phrased it).
I understanding Apple wanting to protect customers from buying an app only to find out that it doesn't work without buying additional accessories, but it seems they are taking protectionism a bit too far, depending on how strict they are with the requirements.
Re the last paragraph, I can see why Apple might want to prevent an App that works with some weird 3rd party accessory without adhering to Apple interface guidelines. That has always been Apple's MO dating back to Mac Paint and Mac Draw etc. Photoshop started out indistingiushable from Mac Paint .... and went downhill from there
Re the last paragraph, I can see why Apple might want to prevent an App that works with some weird 3rd party accessory without adhering to Apple interface guidelines. That has always been Apple's MO dating back to Mac Paint and Mac Draw etc. Photoshop started out indistingiushable from Mac Paint .... and went downhill from there
Apple still has interface guidelines? I thought those were tossed out long ago. LOL
Most games need sticks and buttons. These can be virtualised (badly) on an iPhone or iPad, but on an ATV remote there really is nowhere to go. This artificial limitation from Apple will greatly restrict which games will come to the platform. It's a foolish and shortsighted move, and one which I suspect will change before long. Either that, or if it does remain through sheer pig headedness, then game devs will simply stay away and direct their efforts towards the iPhone and Steam.
I think it was a necessary move because people who buy a product don't want to be pushed into buying accessories for core functionality. The ?TV is being marketed as a gaming box and if developers just all started making games that only worked with the controller, someone buying the box could set it up to find only a handful of games worked with the remote. There are no iOS games that can only work with a controller for the same reason. It wouldn't have had as much of an impact if they'd made the controller slightly differently and could be held as easily in landscape as portrait. But they'd have to change the button icons so they looked ok in landscape like the volume buttons would have to be set in a way that the plus/minus made sense in both orientations and they couldn't use +/- icons as the - would turn vertically, they'd have to just put a symbol like the wifi symbol in the middle of the button so that it pointed up in one orientation and right in the other. The Siri button would have had to be different too e.g circle with a dot in the middle or just have it so that tapping the mic enabled Siri and tapping again submitted the command.
There was a game ported to iOS recently:
[VIDEO]
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/brothers-a-tale-of-two-sons
https://itunes.apple.com/app/brothers-a-tale-of-two-sons/id1029588869?mt=8
This requires control of two characters simultaneously so minimum control is one directional and one action per character. There is touch direction, gyro/accelerometer direction and two button inputs on the remote but that's not going to be easy to control both together. They could make one character an AI/computer controlled character to support the remote, leaving you to control the other character with just move and tap. Maybe they can virtually split the touch surface in two and use a force touch to activate and hold the action and you'd just hold the controller a bit awkwardly with two thumbs over the touch surface.
I haven't heard them mention the possibility of buying and using multiple controllers for a single box either. This would mean no local multiplayer features like Wii Tennis or perhaps the games will be allowed to include some features that can only work with the controller as long as most of the game works with the remote or requires that multiplayer has an online component for the remote.
If the remote had a touch surface covering the whole front, shoulder buttons on the side and front-facing buttons that had icons that worked in both portrait and landscape, the bundled remote would be capable of almost anything a standard controller is capable of. They can always update the remote in future along with other features like 4K but it's possible that the current version will limit some games. It'll be easier to assess this once we start seeing what games come to the platform and how they adapt to the remote.
I think it was a necessary move because people who buy a product don't want to be pushed into buying accessories for core functionality. The ?TV is being marketed as a gaming box and if developers just all started making games that only worked with the controller, someone buying the box could set it up to find only a handful of games worked with the remote. There are no iOS games that can only work with a controller for the same reason. It wouldn't have had as much of an impact if they'd made the controller slightly differently and could be held as easily in landscape as portrait. But they'd have to change the button icons so they looked ok in landscape like the volume buttons would have to be set in a way that the plus/minus made sense in both orientations and they couldn't use +/- icons as the - would turn vertically, they'd have to just put a symbol like the wifi symbol in the middle of the button so that it pointed up in one orientation and right in the other. The Siri button would have had to be different too e.g circle with a dot in the middle or just have it so that tapping the mic enabled Siri and tapping again submitted the command.
There was a game ported to iOS recently:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/brothers-a-tale-of-two-sons
https://itunes.apple.com/app/brothers-a-tale-of-two-sons/id1029588869?mt=8
This requires control of two characters simultaneously so minimum control is one directional and one action per character. There is touch direction, gyro/accelerometer direction and two button inputs on the remote but that's not going to be easy to control both together. They could make one character an AI/computer controlled character to support the remote, leaving you to control the other character with just move and tap. Maybe they can virtually split the touch surface in two and use a force touch to activate and hold the action and you'd just hold the controller a bit awkwardly with two thumbs over the touch surface.
I haven't heard them mention the possibility of buying and using multiple controllers for a single box either. This would mean no local multiplayer features like Wii Tennis or perhaps the games will be allowed to include some features that can only work with the controller as long as most of the game works with the remote or requires that multiplayer has an online component for the remote.
If the remote had a touch surface covering the whole front, shoulder buttons on the side and front-facing buttons that had icons that worked in both portrait and landscape, the bundled remote would be capable of almost anything a standard controller is capable of. They can always update the remote in future along with other features like 4K but it's possible that the current version will limit some games. It'll be easier to assess this once we start seeing what games come to the platform and how they adapt to the remote.
What you are talking about would require a very significant amount of work from the devs. Why would they do that when they could just port the game to the PS4, Xbox One, Fire TV, or Android TV? It simply won't be worth their time, especially given the tiny numbers these micro consoles manage to shift.
There are some games which would work, albeit very, very, very badly with the siri remote. There also plenty of others which would never work. As a result of Apple's idiotic decision, those games will never be on the platform.
It surely wouldn't have been too difficult to have a controller required banner on games which don't use the remote. They could even through up a warning before the game is purchased and prevent purchases on devices which have not been used with controllers before. There are ways around this without destroying the potential of the device for gaming. As it is, Apple as usual don't understand games or gamers.
Sure but like I say, imagine if they did this on iOS and developers ported a whole bunch of controller games over from consoles and then every time you went to install a game, it wouldn't let you until you went out and bought a controller. Apple has decided that the primary controller on the ?TV is going to be their remote just as touch is on iOS so they need to take steps to ensure developers target that control method as a priority. It's a TV box first and a gaming box second.
One huge potential for TV is the interactive part. With TV talk shows, they can put apps out where people can ask questions at the end of the show and they come through as a voice sample or Siri can perhaps send their voice question as text. They can have TV game shows that incorporate this and the viewers compete for prizes. Channels like QVC won't need you to use the phone.
It's not clear that these guidelines will do this yet. Apple is promoting the 3rd party controllers:
http://www.apple.com/tv/games-and-more/
"For serious gamers, the new Apple TV supports MFi-based controllers that let you run, jump, shoot, kick, throw, punch, or just about any other verb you can imagine."
They obviously realise that both controllers don't offer the same inputs so we'll just have to wait and see how they enforce this. They were demoing a game themselves called Afterpulse around 2 minutes in:
[VIDEO]
That's a first-person shooter. There was a more limited shooter shown before it where holding the play/pause button was run, tapping the pad was jump and aim was moving on the pad. The guidelines will just say that the game has to work with the remote, not that it works well. Some iOS games work badly with touch input. Once the device is on the market for a while, they can get a better of idea of any improvements that are needed.