Dear Apple, the App Store policies need work

In only a year of existence the iTunes App Store has garnered tremendous praise as well as plenty of criticism as the central hub and application marketplace for the iPhone and the iPod Touch.  There’s no question that the App Store has been a big success and that applications have been a huge part of why we iPhone users love our Apple-designed and unicorn-blessed mobile devices.  Yet, some of the policies Apple have adopted have given some users and many developers a pause.

There are several contributing factors to frustration among developers and some hurt both developers and users alike.  The biggest issue is Apple’s official and not-so-official rules for what is and isn’t acceptable on Apple’s mobile platform.  We probably all read about the e-book reader Eucalyptus getting rejected from the app store due to the ability to download the Kama Sutra from the public domain repository Project Gutenberg and, while the issue was eventually resolved, it delayed the release of the application until long after the app was originally submitted.  More recently there was a mixup with the GNU user dictionary iPhone app because it contained “urban slang” definitions not appropriate for the iPhone.

Huh? This app just tells you what song is playing...

We’re willing to give them a little slack here–who hasn’t found something on Urban Dictionary that doesn’t raise a few eyebrows?  The larger disconnect is that Apple’s crack reviewer team sent back screenshots of the words “fuck” and “shit”; words deemed acceptable in other dictionary applications on the iPhone.  The real problem here is communication. It is extremely difficult to get any real information from Apple about the reasons an app was rejected.  Riverturn, an OS X and iPhone developer, hit an absolute wall when trying to find out why their previously accepted application VoiceCentral was pulled.  Richard, an Apple representative, had a conversation with Riverturn that included phrases like this: “I can’t go into granular detail,” “I can’t help you with that” and “I am the only one you can speak with on this subject.”

The communication issue is intensified by the fact that no one really knows what many of Apple’s “official” rules are and developers are left to catalog good guesses and guidelines for themselves.  Without clear rules and good communication, iPhone developers have no choice but to pour entire development cycles into applications that could easily be rejected and hope and pray that Apple confers its blessings and turns its malevolent eye on someone else’s application.  This may be acceptable for someone developing an app as a hobby or as a side project but it makes it a very risky proposition for a professional developer or team of developers to invest in this platform to pay the bills for their work.

These policies affect the users because top developers may simply decide that iPhone applications aren’t a viable or sustainable way to make money–the void will be further overwhelmed by the amateur applications and games the Apple App Store is already drowning in.  We believe this is unacceptable behavior on Apple’s part and we decided it was important to let Apple know how we feel about their practices.

I’ve been following the developments of the App Store recently and the incredible lack of communication and cooperation you’ve had with developers in terms of software policies and support.  I am a huge fan of my iPhone and am also usually a fan of Apple which makes it all the more shocking that you are doing so little to encourage the developers pouring their lives into this platform.

As a user I rely heavily on the user generated apps as many as hundreds of times each day. It is the single most important aspect of the iPhone to me and why I recommend it so highly to others.

As a potential developer who has paid to join the Apple Development Program I am much less likely to spend any time developing knowing that not only may my applications not be accepted but I won’t even be told why my apps would unacceptable and that there is virtually no process for an appeal if there is something that might break Apple’s private guidelines.

Your policies in regards to the App Store are terrible and I feel that you will lose many of the most important developers who have helped make the iPhone such an incredible device and service and I worry about the sustainability of mobile applications designed for this device.

Thank you for your time and this incredible device that I can’t imagine living without. I hope that you will consider changing your App Store policies and treating your developers and ultimately your customers with the same respect, care and unwavering commitment to excellence that Apple is so well known for.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Apple probably won’t listen unless an overwhelming number of users also submit feedback expressing our disappointment with how the App Store is run. If you agree we would encourage you to let Apple know via the iPhone Feeback form.  Alternatively, many of us here at Icrontic have adopted the G1 and the Google Android platform as our smart phone of choice and it’s easy to see the appeal of a open platform and app store.