BlueMail restored to Apple's Mac App Store after dispute [u]
Apple has now approved a newly submitted version of BlueMail to the App Store, four months after the developers sued for allegedly removing the app unfairly.
Blix's BlueMail is back on the Mac App Store after eight months
Blix, developer of BlueMail, had filed suit against Apple for allegedly removing the app unfairly, and abusing its market dominance. Apple has now approved a new version of the app.
A revised version of BlueMail has been returned to the Mac App Store, eight months after it was removed by Apple for what were said to be violations of the store's requirements. Blix, the app's developer, has disputed this and maintains that Apple unfairly removed it while also infringing the company's technology.
Specifically, Blix claims that Apple has used its patented technology to power the new "Sign in with Apple" feature. Co-founder Ben Volach, in an email to AppleInsider, said that Apple's restoring the app comes after both the lawsuit and Blix's call out to small developers to join its complaints against the way the App Store is run.
"We're happy that users can once again get BlueMail through the Mac App Store, but we know this isn't the end," wrote Volach. "Our experience has shown that until the app review process includes effective checks and balances, Apple holds too much power over small developers."
One solution could be to include external independent members and observers in Apple's App Review Board," he continued, "just as a public company's Board of Directors represents its shareholders."
Craig Federighi introduces "Sign in with Apple," which Blix says is a reason its BlueMail app was removed
The version of BlueMail now back on the App Store is a new revision that Blix submitted on February 6. Blix says, however, that the update did not change key elements of the app that Apple had disputed, yet it was quickly approved.
A spokesperson for Apple told AppleInsider that the the company has been trying to work with Blix on getting their app restored.
"Blix's mail app is currently available on the iOS App Store and they have a brand new communications app available on the Mac App Store," said the spokesperson. "We have attempted on multiple occasions to assist them in getting their BlueMail app back on the Mac App Store. They have refused our help."
"The App Store has a uniform set of guidelines, equally applicable to all developers, that are meant to protect users," continued the spokesperson. "Blix is proposing to override basic data security protections which can expose users' computers to malware that can harm their Macs and threaten their privacy."
Blix has not confirmed what changes it made to comply with App Store guidelines, but information from Apple suggests that the key update was to do with Gatekeeper. Apple says that Blix did not follow the latest guidelines concerning Gatekeeper until this latest version.
The company's other co-founder, brother Dan Volach, however, believes that the fast approval was instead because of how his company had been reaching out to the public, to developers and to Apple's CEO.
"When we wrote to Tim Cook in November, we heard back in hours," he said. "When we wrote to Apple's developer community, BlueMail was back on the App Store within a week."
Update 12:55 PM Eastern Time: Added details from Apple about the App Store appearance.
Blix's BlueMail is back on the Mac App Store after eight months
Blix, developer of BlueMail, had filed suit against Apple for allegedly removing the app unfairly, and abusing its market dominance. Apple has now approved a new version of the app.
A revised version of BlueMail has been returned to the Mac App Store, eight months after it was removed by Apple for what were said to be violations of the store's requirements. Blix, the app's developer, has disputed this and maintains that Apple unfairly removed it while also infringing the company's technology.
Specifically, Blix claims that Apple has used its patented technology to power the new "Sign in with Apple" feature. Co-founder Ben Volach, in an email to AppleInsider, said that Apple's restoring the app comes after both the lawsuit and Blix's call out to small developers to join its complaints against the way the App Store is run.
"We're happy that users can once again get BlueMail through the Mac App Store, but we know this isn't the end," wrote Volach. "Our experience has shown that until the app review process includes effective checks and balances, Apple holds too much power over small developers."
One solution could be to include external independent members and observers in Apple's App Review Board," he continued, "just as a public company's Board of Directors represents its shareholders."
Craig Federighi introduces "Sign in with Apple," which Blix says is a reason its BlueMail app was removed
The version of BlueMail now back on the App Store is a new revision that Blix submitted on February 6. Blix says, however, that the update did not change key elements of the app that Apple had disputed, yet it was quickly approved.
A spokesperson for Apple told AppleInsider that the the company has been trying to work with Blix on getting their app restored.
"Blix's mail app is currently available on the iOS App Store and they have a brand new communications app available on the Mac App Store," said the spokesperson. "We have attempted on multiple occasions to assist them in getting their BlueMail app back on the Mac App Store. They have refused our help."
"The App Store has a uniform set of guidelines, equally applicable to all developers, that are meant to protect users," continued the spokesperson. "Blix is proposing to override basic data security protections which can expose users' computers to malware that can harm their Macs and threaten their privacy."
Blix has not confirmed what changes it made to comply with App Store guidelines, but information from Apple suggests that the key update was to do with Gatekeeper. Apple says that Blix did not follow the latest guidelines concerning Gatekeeper until this latest version.
The company's other co-founder, brother Dan Volach, however, believes that the fast approval was instead because of how his company had been reaching out to the public, to developers and to Apple's CEO.
"When we wrote to Tim Cook in November, we heard back in hours," he said. "When we wrote to Apple's developer community, BlueMail was back on the App Store within a week."
Update 12:55 PM Eastern Time: Added details from Apple about the App Store appearance.
Comments
And yes, if you want to play in Apple’s arena, then you have to play by Apple’s rules.
Apple kiss@ss?
Take a minute to revisit the commenting guidelines, while you're at it. You're not going to get any more warnings, about anything. If you were a new user, that "kissass" comment would have resulted in a ban.
Thanks for the clarification Mike. I should have recognized it was a "new app" just uploaded rather than reviews of the previous one which had been removed. Makes sense now.
On the other hand, they might be related, in that once Apple implemented Sign In With Apple then there were new rules about how that sort of thing is handled by the OS — workarounds that were once okay were suddenly no longer okay. It may be similar to the kerfuffle over parental-control apps when Apple introduced Screen Time into iOS. The rules changed overnight, which sucked for those developers, but it’s unreasonable for them to expect Apple to provide them with the roadmap for the OS — they just have to adjust, or die.
The whole idea of Sherlocking is interesting — I think often there’s a failure to see the mothership’s point of view — the OS can’t do everything at first — not every feature can be implemented in v1.0. An independent developer focused on one little corner of the OS can refine it and improve it, but ultimately the OS is going to catch up and then the developer has to innovate further, or die. They can’t sit still.
I remember I loved Watson and used it, but I didn’t think that developer had any special right to whatever it was — honestly I can’t remember what Watson did. Whatever it was, it is something that I now utterly take for granted.
The idea that Apple is deliberately putting them under the thumb because of the Sign-in with Apple feature is also tenuous. Sign in with Apple doesn't actually give Apple anything, it's not a revenue service and they're not selling the data. The idea that they need to knock out a competitor is absurd.
It just seems like they're a developer that isn't getting their way, and childishly concocting an imaginary backstory that makes them a victim.
* "niche" is being polite, the campaign is minuscule and made no waves (likely because legit developers saw it for what it was).
This is not the venue to discuss it further. If you really want to talk about it, we can do so in DM.
Apple NEEDS third party developers. The more apps available for their devices, the more devices they sell (SOFTWARE SELLS SYSTEMS!), and they can't write all of the software themselves. They won't keep developers by forcing a situation where the revenue for third parties is relatively low and the risk is relatively high.
This is an epic fail of analogy. You’re saying that being told you have six months to live is equivalent to being told you have to alter the security flow on your app?