Can I create a company portfolio kind of an app for Apple App Store. I want to create this app as a representation of my company. Like it will contain contents regarding what other apps we have created, a contact page and all the other stuff which a normal Company Website contains.
Plus as far as In-House App Program is concerned, my understanding is that those apps are only viewable to the limited number of users who are chosen. I want to create an app that would display my company's portfolio to any one who comes on App Store and write the name of my company.
Will apple approve this kind of app?
Thanks
If they follow their own guidelines for reviewing, they won't approve it. However, interpretation is obviously flexible or else a lot of existing apps wouldn't be there.
Quote:
2.12 Apps that are not very useful, unique, are simply web sites bundled as Apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
2.13 Apps that are primarily marketing materials or advertisements will be rejected
Related
Imagine that we have bought other application, then transfer it to our accounts in application stores. Seems like it's possible for all 3 major smartphone platforms.
Imagine then that we bought app for great community, not for app features. Could we publish our own app as an update for bought app?
P.S.: we don't consider possible negative reaction from community, only tech and legal possibility. Also we don't consider that at least in Apple App Store publishing absolutely the same app with different bundle id counts like spamming.
For Google Play techincally it is possible to transfer a app from one account to another and yes you can publish other app as the update for the existing one as long as your app has the same package name as the existing one.
http://phandroid.com/2012/06/21/getting-acquired-how-to-transfer-ownership-of-your-android-app-or-game/
I have five iphone apps which have similar interface/functionality but for the use of five different business persons.They are doing same type of business. So the similarity in app. The app will be free to use by public.
Apple says
1. Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or advertising theme will be rejected
2. Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program.
3. Apps that look similar to apps bundled on the iPhone, including the App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore, will be rejected.
Is these guidelines applicable for apps under enterprise app deployment ? Is it possible publish apps under Ad-hoc mode and give link of the app through another website?
if your app is same interface functionality. just add a db to it for different people. No need to publish it more than once. and issue regarding duplication on apstore, they already have billions of apps so no care for what purpose your app is. just differentiate the database as your goal is manage users separately.
I have developed five apps with name of five different football teams. Which shows event schedule of respective team. Apple rejected all of them and giving reason
"Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program"
Now, I have seen following Apps are almost same and available on AppStore
http://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/brookwood-medical-center/id434593012?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/doctors-hospital-of-manteca/id430928072?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/doctors-medical-center-modesto/id447790452?mt=8
Now what is developer spamming? Anybody can explain it?
It is not a technical question, but it is probably related to your code, so :
I think Apple rejects your applications for that reason when you use the same code base (or a close code base) for multiple applications, presented as different apps.
they must be thinking your are creating the same app under different names to gain more visibility in the store.
You should contact them and try to explain your case, or change your apps code and UI significantly enough to prove them these apps are different.
Create one football app and allow the user to buy teams as in app purchases.
Let the user have one team included in the price of the app.
Now, I have seen following Apps are almost same and available on AppStore
This is a common mistake. You can not use the existence of apps in the iOS App Store as any sort of precedent. These apps may have been accepted by accident, or under a previous interpretation of Apple's rules, which will not apply to your submissions.
Go by the current interpretation of the App store guidelines.
Maybe sell your apps to the respective teams so that you won't be submitting multiple apps, or running into any trademark licensing problems.
"Developer spamming" as explained by App Store Review Guidelines:
Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps
will be removed from the iOS Developer Program
I'm going to develop an iPhone app, and want to make sure what I want to do is possible, and will be approved by Apple.
I'm going to create an app that will be fully branded on per submission basis. I want to have one app per customer (our customers are companies) with their logo, skin, etc.
This apps will be downloaded and installed by the employees of each one of our customers.
In other words, we would use the same base code (logic doesn't change), but will brand it for each customer. Something similar to what Magento (http://www.magentocommerce.com/product/mobile) does, they created an Ecommerce mobile app, and they brand it to their customer, but the app logic remains the same.
Would Apple consider this as duplicate apps? what is the best way to do it?
Thanks in advance.
I would have said "no problem" until I read:
This apps will be downloaded and
installed by the employees of each one
of our customers
It sounds like what your creating is (a set of) private applications, which are intended to be targeted only to specific users - i.e. employees of the company.
Apple has a separate "enterprise" development program geared towards this - allowing developers to deploy programs for their own company - and do it outside of the App Store.
If your program is very specific towards the companies, Apple may make you do this - rather than putting the Apps up for general consumption on the App store.
See here for more details:
http://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/
Also:
If your application is really intended for a wider audience, and your could in-fact sell/distribute it a such - you could "skin" the app dynamically. For example, on first-time launch, when you "register" with some "service" - based upon your email address it could download the appropriate skinning graphics.
I can say I know of several companies built on this strategy. The code doesn't change one iota from app to app, only images and names change and they continue to bring in revenue.
EDIT: Note this is against apple policy and if they find out they have been known to ban accounts. They consider it spamming and prefer that you sell one app that provides in app purchases. Directly from their feedback on a particular group of app submissions:
Thank you for submitting your
Photography apps to the App Store.
We've completed the review of your
apps, however, we are unable to post
them to the App Store because they
provide the same feature set and
simply vary the content. Apps that
replicate functionality with different
content create clutter in the App
Store, hindering users' ability to
find apps, and do not comply with the
App Store Review Guidelines
https://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval/guidelines.html:
2.20 Developers 'spamming' the App Store with many versions of
similar apps will be removed from the
iOS Developer Program
You can now use Apple's Volume Purchase Program to release differently branded versions of the same app to different customers. The app can be free or paid. Each customer must have a DUNS number (Dun & Bradstreet). See the FAQ for details.
When a single developer releases multiple apps, do they register the apps under different company names?
What's the most iPhone apps released by a single developer that you know of?
During your submission of the first app in app store, you have to enter your company name. It can be different from the name which is used to create the developer account. Once created, you can not change this company name, that is any future app from that developer account will have that company name.
This was the scenario at least at the start of this year. I don't know whether this policy is changed now (little possibility of changing).
I have at least 200+ apps in the store. Admittedly, most developers would refer to them as Shovelware. However, that is not my intent, and I go to great lengths to prevent that. As far as I know, Apple doesn't have a limit on the number of apps. Note though, that the latest Apple App Approval changes have a clause about developers spamming the store with similar apps. The practice is frowned upon. Also, all of our apps are under one company name.
Hope that helps.