Squatting App ID? - app-store

I just registered the app id "com.rovio.angrybirds2" in the provisioning portal of my Apple developer account (out of curiosity). Does this mean that Rovio can't acquire com.rovio.angrybirds2?
Why is this allowed?

When registering an app name, if my memory is right, you have 3 months to upload a binary or the app name will be deleted and free again.
apart from this, Rovio is just a phone call away from deleting your app if you had the chance of submitting it and getting approved by the apple team.
I wouldn't play this, you could get your dev account blocked or suspended, I think it clearly goes against apple policies of app's approval (that you can find in iTunes Connect.
app review resources link
quote : "If you attempt to cheat the system (for example, by trying to trick the review process, steal data from users, copy another developer's work, or manipulate the ratings) your apps will be removed from the store and you will be expelled from the developer program."

Related

pending contract status after i changed my free app to paid app in app store

I had a free app which was released and ready to sale some days back on app store.Now i made it a paid app by setting 0.99 dollars .Now my status is changed to pending contract.What does this status mean?.what is the procedure after that and how much time it will take to get approved again??
Login to itunesconnect.
Goto Contracts,Tax and Banking, there you
can see "iOS Paid Applications" contract.
Add the necessary info
there, then your app will be automatically approved.
From this Apple FAQ :
What happens if I do not renew my iOS Developer Program membership?
Once your membership expires, your apps will no longer be available on
the App Store and you will lose the ability to submit new apps. You
will lose access to pre-release software, the Apple Developer Forums,
Developer Technical Support, and the Certificate Utility. In addition,
your existing iOS Distribution certificates will be revoked and
invalidated. Finally, if you enrolled in the program as a company, you
will lose the ability to manage your development team.
You will, however, retain your status as a Registered Apple Developer
and will have access to free development resources.
In order to conserve your app on the AppStore, you must renew your iOS
Developer Program.
Hope it helps you..
You need to fill information in "Contracts,Tax and Banking" section by login to iTunesConnect. In that, once you fill your banking information then your app will be convert into paid app.
Cheers!
For Paid Application you have to fill up Paid contract first then only the Paid Applications to be allowed on the store.
There is No Other Procedure after changing price tier if your Paid App Contract is already done It will not take much time to change in store sometimes it takes half day or 1 day.
Hope this Helps.

Transferring live iPhone app from existing apple developer account to another account with gap period

We have a live iPhone app on apple store. By mistake initially we gave the wrong company name existing developer account. Now we have created a new apple developer account with correct company name. Now we want to transfer our existing live app from our old account to new account. Is it possible to do it with have a gap period? What i have read is that first i have to remove the app from old account, then i have to submit the app from the new account for approval and after approval it will go live. but this would have a approval gap of 10-15 days. is it possible to without gap period. Can i simply change the name and submit?
Thanks a lot in advance.
What you can do is leave the current app online. Submit the new one to the store and set the option that it should be release not automatically but manually by developer. When the app is approved and ready for sale you can take you old app offline and release the new to the store.
You can change your company name by contacting the Apple Support. This may be much easier then transferring the app to another account.

Can I transfer an app to another account once its up under my account?

We have a company account for the iOS developer program.
One of our clients wants to put the app we developed for them up under their own company name, but they've only just sent off for enrollment and as such they want to put the app up under our name until they get their enrollment though.
Is it possible to "swap" the app to their account once theirs is set up?
Thanks
This issue has come up in the past. I know it used to be that you had to get Apple to do this manually, and it took a long time to boot. I imagine they'd like to improve their process for it, and I'd suggest contacting them to ask where they are at with it.
I wouldn't do it. Apple is really slow answering support question so you can easily loose like few months to transfer the app. But it is doable as stated here: Transferring ownership of an iPhone app on the app store
Just got this email from iTunesConnect!
Apps can now be transferred from one developer to another within
iTunes Connect, for example after an acquisition or when a
distribution deal expires. Transferring the ownership of an app does
not affect the app’s availability on the App Store. All ratings and
reviews will be transferred and your customers will continue to have
access to all available app updates.
To transfer an app, go to the app’s App Summary page in the Manage
Your Applications module on iTunes Connect and click Transfer App.
Make sure that:
Your account is active
You have accepted the most current version of your contracts
Your app has at least one approved version
Your app is in the Ready for Sale, Invalid Binary, Rejected, Developer Rejected, or Developer Removed from Sale state
Any associated In-App Purchases are in the Ready to Submit, Ready for Sale, Rejected, Developer Removed from Sale, or Approved
state
You know the Apple ID of the recipient’s Team Agent and their Team ID.
For more information on app transfer, see the video tutorial on iTunes
Connect. To find answers to common questions about app transfer, see
the FAQ on iTunes Connect.

iPhone/iPad app rejected because of subscription model?

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

Does expiration of iPhone Developer Program put any affect on existing apps on AppStore ?

My iPhone Developer Program has expired and now i am no longer able to access iTunes Portal. And also, one my application on App Sore has started giving the error that "this application is no longer available, ...".
I just want to ask that does expiration of the developer account put any affect on existing apps on App Store or not ?
Right, your apps are no longer available when your membership is expired. But if you sign up again they should come right back.