Quick question. Tried googling and SO and couldnt find anything like this.
Is it allowed to create a gamecenter achievement for things that aren't actually progress in the game? For example can you have an achievement for:
Emailing Me with Feedback
Rating the App on the App Store
Unlocking Levels Through In-App Purchases
Sharing the App on Facebook/Twitter
Completing a Tutorial
Anyone tried to implement any of these? Thanks for any input! I dont want to get rejected because of an achievement!
Regarding the following:
Emailing Me with Feedback
Sharing the App on Facebook/Twitter
Completing a Tutorial
You can absolutely create GameCenter achievements for these. I have done similar things in many games (ie. we always have an achievement for competing the first level (which contains a tutorial) and for sending a "Challenge a Friend" email). Apple has never blinked at it. You're perfectly welcome to make whatever achievements you like, as long as they don't promote behavior that Apple otherwise frowns upon.
Regarding Unlocking Levels Through In-App Purchases, you can, but I would recommend against it. A lot of users take pride in completing every achievement available in a game, and there's a gaming personality that relies heavily on things like this. To prevent these users from earning every achievement without an In-App Purchase alienates a good portion of your userbase, which is no way to get a successful app. But as I said-you can, if you want.
Regarding Rating the App on the App Store, you can sort-of do this. You can have a button that asks the user to rate the app and takes them to the app store, but you can't get any confirmation that they actually did rate the app once they got to that page. So you'd have to just give them the achievement on the honor system, once they clicked the button, and hope they really did rate it. (Just like the "emailing you with feedback" one--you can guarantee they sent an email, but not that it contained anything worth reading (or even that they ended up sending it to YOU!)).
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Everything but "completing a tutorial" could get you rejected from the App Store. Apple frowns on shenanigans like that.
If the tutorial is set up as part of your game (i.e. it's not just a PDF or text file you show) then they should be fine with it.
We are not Apple. Their rules are not explained to us any more than they are to you. If you need more firm answers, you should contact Apple and ask them directly.
Related
we are developing an iPhone app as an extension of a classifieds system (web site). On that web site users can buy (prepaid) credits and use them to boost and promote their ads. Will Apple reject our app if we implement consumption of credits? We are not gonna allow buying the credits, just using them (users will still have to buy credits on the web site).
Only worrying thing I found is item 11.2 in App Store review guidelines:
11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In-App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an App will be
rejected.
Is there a way to contact Apple directly regarding this question?
And a add-on question. I suppose we can implement a payment gateway system like Amazon and Ebay and get a way with buying credits? I don't see any restrictions in guidelines regarding non in-app purchase system.
"In-app purchase" is only required to purchase content or extra-functionality or extra feature or to remove any type of limitations inside the application. To achieve these things you shouldn't use any other external purchase mechanism (per App Store review guidelines ยง11.2).
In your application, the user will only use the available credits which are already bought on your website, so there is not an issue, although you shouldn't provide any type of link to your website inside your application.
Genererally "will Apple reject this if..."-questions can only be answered as such:
Apple does as they like. If they feel this in some way breaks the review guidelines, they will reject it and tell you, but you have no way of knowing for sure until you have submitted the actual app. In your case, I can't see why they would ban it, as you are not able to use real money within the actual app, but as I said, you don't know.
If you want to try to get an answer from Apple, you can try to contact them from this page.
I finally got an answer from Apple. It took a while and it wasn't worth a wait. I think Siba was right, but I'll get back to you after we submit our app just to verify everything.
Apple replied:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us about your app design and concept questions. I understand that you would like to know if you
implement consumption credits into your app would be acceptable for
your app.
While we cannot pre-approve apps, we can address compliance questions
about specific App Store Review Guidelines or sections of the iOS
Developer Program License Agreement (PLA). I understand that this may
be a little frustrating and I apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause, however, we may only answer specific questions concerning the
following resources, unless the app is submitted for review so that we
may test the functionality.
I have developed an app for GMAT exam, My first exam paper is Locked.. I want to Unlock the paper whenever the user gives a review for my app in appstore. Suggest me any tutorials to do that..? When User Click on the Paper It Should Ask to give a review.. If he /she gives review I want to Unlock the Paper.
There is not way to detect this, since you do not know who the user is, there is not access to this. So you will not be able to check if the user reviewed your app.
Here is a blog that covers user app rating. http://iostipsntricks.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/how-to-get-people-to-rate-your-ios-app/
He provides links to Appirater which is a free API to handle app ratings etc.
Also, check out this post
Rating and reviews from within an IOS app
From there you could just add your own methods to unlock papers.
I am building an app for a charity and they've requested the ability to receive donations from the app. In reading the app store guidelines I came across this:
21) Charities and contributions Apps
that include the ability to make
donations to recognized charitable
organizations must be free The
collection of donations must be done
via a web site in Safari or an SMS
I can build the solution in Safari, that is not a problem, but I was wondering if anyone knew if apple would accept the application if the web donation form was accessed within the app through a WebView Control. I have seen other apps accept credit card payments within an app using a webview, so is it possible to do the same with charitable donations or is it a requirement that you actually have to use the Safari application and leave the application to make a donation?
Hope this make sense.
We have a similar app (instead.com and the iOS app along with that in the app store) ... We spoke to some apple employees last year at an apple conference and they said we have to go to safari outside of the app. It was tied to liability reasons. Being in a webview inside the native app still gives the perception that it's the app making the donation or handling the donation. It's 2 sides of the same coin. So they told us we had to go outside to safari.
Your interpretation sounds like that's what Apple means. You are supposed to handle it in a browser, not through native code.
You can call them in California and ask for the App Review Department.
I'm not sure which one of these is the corporate office: (408) 996-1010 OR (512) 674-2000
EDIT:
I called Apple and they referred me back to the same vague manual. The fellow there didn't really know. I guess you should go for it and see what they say.
We intend to launch a free iPhone/iPad app on the AppStore.
The content will actually be accessible thanks to a subscription model (login/pwd authentication in iPhone app).
The subscription (about 100$ a month) is handled via a dedicated web server.
If used without subscription, this app will provide minimum value.
Does anyone know if this kind of subscription model can be rejected by Apple ?
I know some apps follow this model, but I'd like to have your thought on this before starting in this direction.
Thanks for your answer.
This is fine AFAIK - As long your app is free and you put in the description that it requires a subscription to whichever service. When you submit the app, you'll need to hand over details to a test account to Apple so that they can test it, but other than that it's no hassle at all.
I know of an app which works just like that on the app store right now - Spotify for iPhone. It's a music playing app which streams music from the web - but you need a Spotify premium account. When you first open the app, you have to sign in, and if you don't have a premium account it just tells you that you're not allowed in!
Javawag
There are plenty of apps which only work if I have an account somewhere, and some for which I have to pay for that account so, without knowing the specifics, there is nothing which immediately rules out your subscription model. There are even Apple apps, iDisk for example, which are useless if you don't have a $100 mobile me subscription.
If there are issues you can look at selling your subscription as an in app purchase (apple will take their 30% which should make them happy) or look at making the app more functional without the subscription.
Either way, when submitting for approval make sure to set up a sample account with a full subscription that the apple testers can use (there is space in the submission for including logins for this kind of thing).
Our app, previously approved, update was just rejected because we sell subscriptions through our website. (We have been doing this for 15 years, without giving Apple 30% of our money.) They are requiring that all subscriptions for iphone/ipad content go through in-app purchasing. I guess we will be looking at building a browser based app instead.
Cheers,
Gerry
A potential customer of mine wants to build an app for the iPhone, which will effectively "reward" the user with points to buy songs at the iTunes Store. Does anyone know if this is possible? If so, could you point out where I might look for how to do so?
Thanks...
I dont think this is possible to do through any api. You could send gift cards... but you probably wont get into the store. Apple does not allow any kind of app that rewards customers with real-world items. I tried to submit a lottery app where buying the app would give you a ticket. It was rejected because Apple has no way to guarantee that you would actually give out any prizes. What if you dont? The only thing you can offer is unlocking features in your app, or digital gifts like stuffed-animal pics and such.