I have read on an article that Apple is applying a policy by which an app can't promote selling another apps, but i dont know the exact details of this. What about a DEMO version that haves a link to the store for the full version? can this still be done?.
If anyone haves more precise information on the subject i'll appreciate it.
You are just not allowed to offer services (in app currency or similar) for app downloads.
You won't have a problem with a link to the pro version in a lite version.
You won't have a problem with a "My App Store" link that shows all your apps either.
Don't reward your users for downloading other apps and you should be good.
Related
Can someone provide concrete info on how the app upgrade process works on iOS as far as the developer is concerned? I've been rummaging through Stackoverflow only to find hand-waving explanations and no links to official documentation. Google search results only led to Cisco's IOS and the end-user upgrade process. I'd like to know the following:
How does the App Store know when you've provided a new version? Do I have to implement something in my app, which the App Store pings? Or do I set things up stuff through the Apple Developer website? I've been waiting 2 months for developer approval and have no idea what's going on behind those doors because I get access-denied messages when trying to read official articles.
Is there any Objective-C code I need to write for an upgrade to be possible? Any plist I need to edit?
How is payment affected when version 1 of the app is free, then version 2 is paid or version 1 is paid and version 2 changes its price.
Does Apple allow me to do forced upgrades? All the answers on Stackoverflow have been, "I think this is bad business logic" or "I think Apple forbids this, but I don't have the official documentation to prove it." At a certain point, very old versions will be too time consuming to support. You don't see Microsoft still supporting Windows 95, do you?
You just submit the new version to Apple. When it's approved, it will appear in the App Store.
Same as above, Apple pretty much does it all for you.
If you transition from free to paid, everyone that has downloaded the app for free will not have to pay to upgrade to the paid version.
IIRC you cannot force users to upgrade, but you can display a notification within the app to alert users that an update is available. To implement this, I would just have the app request a file on your server that tells the app what the current version number is. You do not need to support users on old version, if they have problems with an old version, it's fine to tell them to upgrade.
Do I need to create a new app in iTunes connect, for a lite version? I just want to make sure, can't find any articles on it.
If you plan on releasing a full version and a lite version that are separately downloadable from the app store, you will need to create a separate app for each in iTunes connect.
Here are two fantastic links, I used them both with success:
From Full to Lite in Under An Hour by Noel - technical one, describes Xcode project settings, targets and building
The Right Light by Trainyard's developer Matt Rix - much more content and marketing orientated, nonetheless a must read
What are the ramifications of posting an iphone app on both Cydia and iTunes? Does Apple look fondly at that idea? An precedents?
The reason I ask is that I have a very interesting app which might have some parts disallowed by Apple. I still want (some) people to have access to those parts (call it value-added), so I wanted to release the unrated app on cydia. (No it's not porn)
In the SDK Agreement it specifically says that you won't add your application to another store, if you do, Apple can ban your itunesconnect account without warning.
Just prey they don't find your application on Cydia.
I guess you could do your application with a slightly different UI, and without the editor name, they would not have any proof to ban you.
One example that they're probably not enforcing this too strictly, can be found in the Siphon app.
Siphon is a popular, open source VoIP app, that the developer has been trying to get in the app store for forever. They haven't accepted the app, but the availability of the app in the official app-store was never mentioned, and they haven't banned his account either.
I want to create two version apps: lite and pro.
I look through purchase in app guide , but it is not allowed to change the lite version code to add functionality. you can just pop up an store UI to link the user to pro version, right?
But in this way, we can do it ourself, we copy the link of pro version in the appstore ,then pop up a dialog guide the user to app store?
I know that purchase in app can download new resource to the app,I may miss something about adding new function to the app?
thanks for your guys!
What programming language is this in? I don't have an 'app store' structure in my language...
As far as I understand, "in app purchases" on iPhone apps are not meant to download new code, but rather to unlock new features in your app. By the way, the iPhone OS does not allow applications to dynamically link and execute code at runtime (security reasons) that is why your application must be shipped with all the features inside, and the "in app purchase" feature will allow you to unlock features paid by the user.
You can, however, enable your application to access new data (for example a new URL or another embedded database) but not new binary code (like plugins or extensions). This new data might unlock more features, after the payment is approved by the App Store.
Given that now you can add "in app purchase" in free apps (this wasn't possible a couple of months ago), you can release a free "lite app" which can be upgraded with options later on. Which defeats the purpose of having a separate lite app with a link to the paying "pro app".
I hope this answer helps you!
I made an iPhone application that displays a couple of pictures from the internet
where you can comment on (iPhone sms bubble style )
My app was rejected because of:
We cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store
because it violates section 3.3.3 of
the iPhone SDK Agreement;
"Without Apple's prior written
approval, an Application may not
provide, unlock or enable additional
features or functionality through
distribution mechanisms other than the
iTunes Store."
If you would like to provide an
invitation-only pre-release version of
your application to a group of
friends, then we encourage you to use
the Ad Hoc application distribution
method. Please go to the Distribution
Tab in the iPhone Developer Portal for
complete information on Ad Hoc
distribution.
But what does it mean? I surfed a little on the internet and found out that this covers applications that have similarity to applications by Apple?
Does anyone have experience with that? And know how to solve this issue?
I got official response from apple
The website component of the
application is currently not available
to the general public. If you would
like to provide an invitation-only
pre-release version of your
application to a group of friends,
then we encourage you to use the Ad
Hoc application distribution method.
Please go to the Distribution Tab in
the iPhone Developer Portal for
complete information on Ad Hoc
distribution.
Section 3.3.3
Without Apple’s prior written
approval, an Application may not
provide, unlock or enable additional
features or functionality through
distribution mechanisms other than the
App Store.
That means, for example, that you are not allowed to enable your application to download music or podcast files. Apple wants the owner of iPhones to use iTunes for that purpose.
You seem to violate that section since you're providing content from your site, even if you're downloading only pictures.
See this blog entry about the PodCaster app:
Podcaster quite obviously serves to
unlock a feature using a distribution
mechanism outside the iTunes Store.
This limitation would also include
apps that are designed to install
other apps independent of iTunes (such
as the Cydia jailbreak app - it’s not
in the Apps Store either), or any
other app that distributes song, TV,
or movie downloads or podcasts.
See also this answer here on Stack Overflow: Reasons for rejecting iPhone application by Apple store
Or they believe you used the open SDK to reuse the bubble control from the SMS app.
Can you post a screenshot?