Rejected Apps

TiPb Presents: iPhone Live! #22 - Objectionable Content!

By Rene Ritchie, Thursday, Aug 6, 2009 a 9:40 am

Join Dieter, Chris, and Rene for iPhone 3.0.1, iProd 1,1 speculation, more App Store craziness, top 5 jailbreak apps, and a dramatic reading! Listen in!

App Store Cracks Down on Copyright, Ejects 900+ Aggregator Apps, Rejects E-Books

By Rene Ritchie, Thursday, Aug 6, 2009 a 6:42 am

A couple new and interesting cases of App Store rejection, including the stripping Perfect Acumen and owner, Khalid Shaik, of their developer account, and ejecting their 900+ application already in the store, and the blanket rejection of E-Books -- both nebulously tied to copyright infringement or the fear thereof.

Details after the break...

App Store Insists Ninjawords iPhone Dictionary Remove "Objectionable" Content, Still Classifies it 17+

By Rene Ritchie, Wednesday, Aug 5, 2009 a 9:10 am

Ninjawords [$1.99 - iTunes link], a delightfully crafted dictionary application, was rejected from the iTunes App Store no less than three times of "objectionable content" and still slapped with a 17+ rating before being approved in mutilated form in just the latest of Apple's stupefying, infuriating, frustrating, and ultimately disappointing blunders that haunt their mobile platform.

AT&T Issues Non-Denial Denial on Denying Google Voice Entry into App Store.

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Aug 3, 2009 a 1:25 pm

AT&T has issued an even more strongly worded statement that at first glance shifts blame for denying Google Voice and Google Voice-related iPhone apps entry into the iTunes App Store, while on second glance looks like that's all it's really aimed at doing -- shifting blame and not actually denying responsibility.

“AT&T does not manage or approve applications for the App Store. We have received the letter and will, of course, respond to it.”

UPDATED: Apple Rejects Removes all Google Voice Apps for iPhone from iTunes App Store

By Jeremy, Tuesday, Jul 28, 2009 a 10:25 am

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DaringFireball claims as source has confirmed that Apple pulled Google Voice apps at the request of AT&T. GigaOm, by contrast, wonders why AT&T would ban Google Voice (and Skype, and SlingBox) on the iPhone and allow them on BlackBerry, for example. We don't know of course, but we guess nothing else scares AT&T like the iPhone -- it's the first multi-million selling consumer smartphone success, people actually use its features, and it hits their balsa-wood network like a freight-train. -Rene

Amazon Spits Delicious Library for iPhone Out of App Store

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jul 7, 2009 a 9:41 pm

Amazon, citing new provisions of their API/data terms of use, informed Delicious Library developer Wil Shipley that if he didn't immediately remove Delicious Library for iPhone from the iTunes App Store, they'd remove his ability to use Amazon APIs and data from all of his products, including the long-standing Delicious Library for Mac.

Just when we thought Apple had a hold on mind-boggling app blocking. Sigh.

TUAW quotes the relevant new passage:

iPhone App Store Just Says No to Nudity -- For Now?

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009 a 9:49 am

Last week the first iPhone (and iPod touch) app to feature nudity was live in the iTunes App Store. Technically, however, it was simply a change in the server behind the app -- the developer added nude images.

Subsequently, however, the app became unavailable. The developer first reported that their own servers couldn't keep up with demand for the newly nudified images, but it turns out Apple laid the hammer down on the "soft-core porn" app:

Apple's Latest App Store Rejection Policy: Because We Said So

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jun 12, 2009 a 2:30 pm

Tim Daley let us know via Twitter that his app, What Would Chuck Do?, was rejected by Apple's iTunes App Store for the most terrifying reason imaginable. Because they said so:

Thank you for submitting WWCD - What Would Chuck Do to the App Store. We've reviewed the Application and, consistent with the criteria considered in our approval process, we have chosen not to publish this application. As you know, Apple reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject an application for any reason.

Regards,

iPhone Developer Program

The Curious Case of iVidCam - Should Two Wrongs Make an Acceptance?

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Jun 8, 2009 a 5:26 am

Short story: GP Apps made iVidCam, a video recording app. Apple rejected it for using undocumented APIs. The developers appealed on the grounds that other camera-related apps also use undocumented APIs and demanded Apple allow it in, and let them sell it for 2 months before Apple released their own video recording functionality, as anticipated for WWDC 2009. Apple thanked them for pointing out other API violators, said they would investigate, and let the rejection stand.

Daring Satire: Excerpts From the Diary of an App Store Reviewer

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, May 29, 2009 a 10:22 am

Daring Fireball has posted a bitingly satirical look at Apple's iPhone App Store review process which, like the best of comedy, is firmly rooted in both tragedy and truth. That Apple hasn't posted clear guidelines for developers is frustrating enough. That they apparently haven't imposed them on their own internal staff raises the flabbergast bar to dizzying new heights.

With 35,000+ apps and a billion downloads Apple is well on their way towards building that next great platform. Until they fix the app approval process, however, that building is a house of cards.

Enough of the choir preaching. Here's Gruber bringing the painful funny: