I know that apple made the app store to, among other things, discourage web apps and control an unfair 30% cut of app transactions. Luckily for me, my rev comes from companies that are listed on the app, not users.
However, I want an app that does nothing but immediately open default browser and navigate to my webapp page. There is not even intermediary screen - See app icon/name on phone desktop, click, browser with webapp url launches.
Will this have problems getting approved by apple? If so what are the issues that I need to circumvent/overcome, and suggestions to do so? Thanks.
App Store Review Guidelines, 2.12:
Apps that are not very useful, are simply web sites bundled as apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
You can essentially do this using the apple-mobile-web-app-capable and apple-touch-icon attributes supported by Safari, and you'll save the $99 fee.
Related
We have a mobile site for our existing website. We have just created an iOS application with back and forward buttons along with an activity indicator. Will it be rejected by Apple? If yes, what else we can include to get the app approved for the App Store?
It will be rejected
The App Store submission guidelines say:
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
I've also heard many stories about people who have made 'apps' for their website that might even have features like automatically logging in the user, that Apple still rejected.
I need to build an Store app that can be used to install a few apps that I've developed. I'm planning to do this using in-app purchasing. i.e. the user can purchase the new apps from my store. Is this possible?
No. The iOS security sandbox will prohibit installing any additional apps from your app. Only apps purchased from Apple's iTunes App store can be installed on a customer's device (except for a developers own devices, and a very limited number of beta test users).
You might be able to sell access to web apps, which a user would have to manually clip as web clippings onto their device (they can't be auto installed). But Apple may or may not accept an app which sells those web clippings, so you'd might have to figure out a way to sell them from your web site.
It would ultimately have to link to the app store to do the app downloads. In-app purchasing is just that...in your apps. You can set up a store, but if you want them to be installed as separate apps on the user's phone, you will just have to link to the app store.
Apple most likely won't allow it.
if you are using your "store" app to distribute full apps, instead of just additions to your store app, it DEFINITELY won't pass.
It would be circumventing their distribution system (and 30% cut) and they won't like that very much.
No, your app can't install other apps directly, but you can use an app store url to send your customers to any of your other apps in the app store. There's more info in this SO thread.
It would be a different story if you were working under the enterprise or ad hoc distribution models, in which case you could link to your apps on a web server and install them over the air. But given that you're talking about in-app purchase, it's pretty clear that you're distributing under the standard distribution model.
If your other apps just deliver new content, what you should do is build an universal app that handles all your content and then let the user download new and different content using in-app purchasing. Then you end up with an app similar to iBook, that offers different content, but the same user interface.
One option is to ship your "parent" app with all the content for "children" apps, albeit encrypted. Use in-app purchasing to decrypt "children" content.
Hi can any one suggest me it is possible or not and if possible then how?
The premise is that the user pays for the app via a website and they gets an access code to send to her guests via the website. The user downloads the free app from the iPhone store and enters the code. We're trying to figure out if we can enable each user to customize the app icon so it can appear with a different image or text on the user phone.
You can't. The application's icon (and the application's property list file) is in the application bundle, which cannot be modified.
This would also violate the iOS SDK Terms of Use and the iTunes Store Terms of Service; you cannot have a third-party receive payment to access a free iOS application.
You can customize the iOS icon of a web app clipping, and put the web site to be clipped behind your private paywall. Apple has been reported in the past to accept App store apps that generate URLs to customized clippable web apps. No idea if they currently or will continue to do so.
Icons on App store iOS apps for stock OS devices can only be changed by Apple approving an update.
Evan is right... This goes against so many terms of the iOS SDK.
One thing you could do (but I can't guarantee it will be accepted by Apple) is create a registration system on your website. Then have a login on the App as soon as it loads and check that the user has a valid account which has paid the subscription. You would have to handle all of your payment stuff on the webside though, meaning the app would be useless unless the user has already sorted that out. If you do this, on submission of your app make sure you provide Apple with a demo account username and password!
As for the icon, you can't change it once the App is submitted. It is bundled in with your app binary and there is also a logo included in iTunes connect. You can change them, but only by submitting a new binary.
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