AppGratis CEO in 'total disbelief' over rejection since Apple approved app 'a week ago'
The founder AppGratis, which was recently removed from Apple's iOS App Store over alleged rule violations, says he's "in total disbelief" that Apple has removed the app but that the company will continue providing its app discovery service to millions of users in the meantime.
Over this past weekend, Apple pulled AppGratis from the App Store, explaining on Monday that the app discovery software violated two App Store regulations in particular: one banning 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 CEO Simon Dawlat took issue with Apple's process in removing the app in his company's blogon Tuesday, characterizing it as contradictory and confused. AppGratis, Dawlat claims, previously secured approval from Apple App Reviewers, not only for the most recent update to the iPhone version of AppGratis, but also for an iPad version. That iPad version, Dawlat says, was approved less than a week ago, further confusing the app approval process.
AppGratis, Dawlat argues, adds value to Apple's iOS ecosystem. Without apps like it, he says, app discovery on iOS is "fairly broken." Apple's decision to nix the app, then, is hard to understand, from Dawlat's perspective.
AppGratis' April 4 approval for an iPad version of its now-banned app
Dawlat says AppGratis ? which boasts more than 10 million users worldwide ? is less an imitation of the App Store than it is a "media reviewing one Apple product a day like thousands of sites, blogs, and apps." The AppGratis CEO also says that the company secured approval from Apple using this reasoning. The company also, he says, sufficiently demonstrated the complexity on the back-end of AppGratis, avoiding rejection for another regulation that requires that apps be more than "simply websites bundled as apps."
As to the possible abuse of push notifications, Dalwat says AppGratis sends out one notification per day, alerting users when the new day's deal has been posted. Dalwat says that this is an opt-in feature and, further, that this is how Apple recommends developers use its push notification service.
Dalwat says that attempts to talk to Apple app reviewers have been unfruitful, with the reviewer assigned to AppGratis' case saying only that the app violates the rules.
Over this past weekend, Apple pulled AppGratis from the App Store, explaining on Monday that the app discovery software violated two App Store regulations in particular: one banning 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 CEO Simon Dawlat took issue with Apple's process in removing the app in his company's blogon Tuesday, characterizing it as contradictory and confused. AppGratis, Dawlat claims, previously secured approval from Apple App Reviewers, not only for the most recent update to the iPhone version of AppGratis, but also for an iPad version. That iPad version, Dawlat says, was approved less than a week ago, further confusing the app approval process.
AppGratis, Dawlat argues, adds value to Apple's iOS ecosystem. Without apps like it, he says, app discovery on iOS is "fairly broken." Apple's decision to nix the app, then, is hard to understand, from Dawlat's perspective.
AppGratis' April 4 approval for an iPad version of its now-banned app
Dawlat says AppGratis ? which boasts more than 10 million users worldwide ? is less an imitation of the App Store than it is a "media reviewing one Apple product a day like thousands of sites, blogs, and apps." The AppGratis CEO also says that the company secured approval from Apple using this reasoning. The company also, he says, sufficiently demonstrated the complexity on the back-end of AppGratis, avoiding rejection for another regulation that requires that apps be more than "simply websites bundled as apps."
As to the possible abuse of push notifications, Dalwat says AppGratis sends out one notification per day, alerting users when the new day's deal has been posted. Dalwat says that this is an opt-in feature and, further, that this is how Apple recommends developers use its push notification service.
Dalwat says that attempts to talk to Apple app reviewers have been unfruitful, with the reviewer assigned to AppGratis' case saying only that the app violates the rules.
Comments
This app is getting way too much exposure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jd_in_sb
The rules are clear and he clearly broke them. I am in disbelief that he is in disbelief.
I'm in disbelief of your disbelief of his disbelief
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty321
It's truly reprehensible what Apple has done here. This is EXACTLY why there are so many Apple haters out there who will only buy PCs or Android devices. And this isn't new behavior for Apple... Apple has ALWAYS been "developer hostile" from day one of the company's inception.
It's quite simple, either comply with the rules, or get lost. It's not really that hard of a concept to grasp.
If certain developers are not too bright, then they are better off making apps for Android.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty321
It's truly fantastic what Apple has done here. This is EXACTLY why there are so many Apple haters out there who will only buy PCs or Android devices. And this isn't new behavior for Apple... Apple has ALWAYS been "customer focussed" from day one of the company's inception.
Fixed it for ya.
I'm sure he's in "total disbelief", as the app broke multiple appstore guidelines. He's gonna milk the rejection for all its worth by playing the victim, expect sensationalized articles about this on every tech blog in the next week, even though I've ever heard of this app.
He's as much in disbelief as Google is in disbelief that their Google now app got rejected (even though it hasn't been submitted).
Oh come on I totally believe his disbelief and find your disbelief of his disbelief hard to believe!
This guy sounds like a complete fool. I bet he was under the impression that Apple would buy him out someday and roll his app into their efforts to highlight apps in the store or something. Nothing else could explain how bewildered he seems and how terribly disappointed, despite knowing that his app obviously breaks the rules.
His statements are nonsensical. He says that it was approved earlier, even though he knows that this makes no difference to the ultimate rejection. He says that he is using notifications "how Apple tells it's developers to use them" despite admitting that he is sending notifications that are in fact promotions. I mean the entire purpose of his app is promotion (and paid promotion at that). He cites complexity as a reason he is not "just a website" but then mentions how all he really does is send one notification a day about whatever app he's highlighting that day.
In short, his answers and pleadings are all incredulous whinging about things that he isn't even being criticised for, and yet he has no real answer at all to the key complaints actually being levelled against him.
Classic denial.
Officer, I know I was speeding, but I was speeding yesterday and you didn't catch me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty321
It's truly reprehensible what Apple has done here. This is EXACTLY why there are so many Apple haters out there who will only buy PCs or Android devices.
http://www.neowin.net/news/ios-wins-the-os-adoption-war-samsung-wins-the-hardware-war-according-to-report
Let the "hate" continue. Apple obviously knows their biz and knows consumers.
The few Apple "haters" out there who actually *do* hate Apple and can articulate their reasons aren't significant enough to worry about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty321
It's truly reprehensible what Apple has done here. This is EXACTLY why there are so many Apple haters out there who will only buy PCs or Android devices. And this isn't new behavior for Apple... Apple has ALWAYS been "developer hostile" from day one of the company's inception.
Not true. Apple is very developer friendly. Just ask the developers that are making billions more with Apple compared to Android.
Apple has conflicts every now and then with an insignificant number of developers because they have standards. Forcing companies to play by the rules doesn't make them hostile to developers. The NBA has rules for basketball players, but that doesn't make the NBA hostile to basketball players? There is room in this world for different styles. The NBA doesn't allow fighting, but the NHL does. If you want to see a brawl, go see a hockey game. If you want an app store where anything goes, use Android. They both have good and bad and its a good thing we have them both.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
Perhaps Apple didn't do any more than a cursory look at it before now. Doesn't really matter. It apparently doesn't meet the TOS.
Agreed.
The approval process has been streamlined, which means Apple errors on the side of quickly approving apps. It makes perfect sense that something like this might slip through. I see no problem with the developer trying to get it through, but they are bastards for for trying to make Apple look bad just because it was approved and then pulled.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
It's quite simple, either comply with the rules, or get lost. It's not really that hard of a concept to grasp.
If certain developers are not too bright, then they are better off making apps for Android.
More like - one would need to have very little sense of self worth to stick around. That only works until there is somewhere else to go - Anyone that has been in the business for some time can see we all back in 1993... just a matter of time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty321
It's truly reprehensible what Apple has done here. This is EXACTLY why there are so many Apple haters out there who will only buy PCs or Android devices. And this isn't new behavior for Apple... Apple has ALWAYS been "developer hostile" from day one of the company's inception.
Google just did the same thing with Android, clearing out 60,000 apps. http://tinyurl.com/d2nbcxq
Is Google reprehensible too?
He is bewilder by Apple initial approval then disapproval, does he really think Apple actually looks at every submitted app. Initially the first time they probably do, but most likely they have some sort of tool that check their code to make sure it not doing anything bad, and then requires the developer who uploads it to check off acknowledgement that the app complies with Apple's requirements. I bet the guy figure he was pulling a fast one since it was not initial rejected.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
This app is getting way too much exposure.
You mean, like this AI post?