I'm not sure how to word this correctly, so I'm going to be a little verbose:
I'm tasked with building an app for my company that will just load a mobile website into a barebones browser with no address bar or anything. So basically the app will be just the same as if the user had navigated there in Safari (sans normal browser controls).
My question is: does Apple reject this sort of app because of it just being a wrapper around a mobile site? I'm totally lost on this, as I've never developed for iOS before and have no idea what kinds of roadblocks i might hit.
Apple may reject your app if all it does is wrap a web site in a UIWebView. You need to have more functionality in your app than just loading a web page.
From the app review guidelines for iOS:
4.2 Minimum Functionality
Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website. If your app is not particularly useful, unique, or “app-like,” it doesn’t belong on the App Store. If your App doesn’t provide some sort of lasting entertainment value, it may not be accepted.
You may want to investigate developing your company's app as a mobile web app. There's plenty of information published by Apple (and others) about how to write mobile web apps that function similarly to native iOS apps.
Put some functionality that gives your app look like native application.
Make sure that your description for app is enough for understanding to Apple app tester about you app.
and resend your app to apple store or you can send reply to apple review team about your application.
FWIW a company I worked for put an app through the App Store that was little more than a browser in May 2013.
It probably helped that the website it pointed to had an extremely responsive design, was a media player with play buttons etc. Also played video inline, which you can't do on mobile Safari (because mobile Safari will play the video full screen).
See section 2.12 in App Store Review Guidelines:
Apps that are not very useful, are
simply web sites bundled as apps, or
do not provide any lasting
entertainment value may be rejected
Related
I've created a web application using asp.net. I customized it form mobile(jQuery Mobile) .
I created an iphone application that has a web view that shows the website.
Is this will be applied by Apple to publish this application???
Regards,
Moayyad
If the only purpose of the app is showing the webview with the website, and it does absolutely nothing else, then it will most likely be rejected. However, if showing the website is just a small part of its functionality, and it does some other useful things as well, then using a webview for displaying your own website is OK, as far as I know.
Note, however, that I/we can only make assumptions and guesses. Nobody except Apple knows what exactly will happen to your app - there are numerous cases when an app was rejected for a feature which another approved app had, so there are inconsistencies in the AppStore approval policy of Apple. Don't expect anything.
I don't think so. They prefer use of HTML5 in webapp. Try to review the Apple guidelines for building web app.
Is it possible to create an iPhone app which just redirects the user to my HTML5 mobile website? If it is possible, do you know if Apple can refuse my app? (Maybe it is written somewhere in their Terms & Conditions?)
The aim is to be present on the App Store, but to only have one version of my website to maintain.
If you have a web app, you should make an iOS app that is nothing more than a UIWebView that points to your URL. A lot of apps do this, and in most instances, you really wouldn't know it's not native unless you are a developer. For example, the Discover card app uses this technique. The only caveat is it should be a web app and not just a web site, i.e. it should do something useful and look like a native app instead of just being a web page with general information. Otherwise, you will be subject to this:
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
Yes you CAN create such an application. However, apple WILL reject such an application because of their 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
The key to this would be Not very useful, since all it does is open a web browser and direct to your site.
I have an application using JQtouch and would like it to be on the App Store.
Will my application get rejected from the App Store if all the functionality is done remotely (loading in UIWebView) and I provide no offline functionality?
Thanks.
From the Apple App Approval Guidelines:
12.3: Apps that are simply web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links, may be rejected.
Basically if your app does not add anything to the experience of viewing the website, then you may get rejected.
I have had apps approved in the app store that were just a web view pointed on a JQTouch application. However, I loaded the .html from a local file included in the app. I believe the no "web clippings" clause of section 12.3 in the App Approval guidelines is only meant for clippings of full web sites. Embedding a mobile web application in a local app will likely get accepted.
I don't think this should be a problem. Apple reviewers are probably the most fickle people on the planet, but I can think of several apps that are UIWebView based, and which provide little or no offline functionality.
I have seen few apps having exact same UI when you access the app through stand alone app or through their mobile website. What are the pros and cons of both approaches while developing the app?
Edit - This is a general question. Not necessarily android. Iphone apps are also in similar categories.
If you have a mobile website service that works in a HTML5 browser, that is a good business. But in order to show up in the Markets you need to have a native application as well. So the folks create a native application, that simply loads the website in a webview UI object, as a wrapper for the website.
Take care if you are developping an app that is just a webview displaying a mobile website, because iOS app review team does not always like it.
I reccommand you to read carefully the iOS App Store Review Guidelines. For example:
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
2.17 Apps that browse the web must use the iOS WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript
12.3 Apps that are simply web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links, may be rejected
Hope it helps
I'm working on an eBook app for the iPhone. Given the time it takes for Apple to review and publish updates, I'm considering adding a feature to update the content via my own (Google App Engine-powered) web site.
This would allow me to update the content at will, rather than being at the mercy of the App Store review team. Is Apple likely to reject this kind of behavior in an app? I've asked in the Apple Developer forums, but received no response.
We have developed an application on the App Store that will go our web server and get new content when new content is available and store it on the iPhone. You should not have any problem as long as the content is not offensive. This could lead to your application being removed from the app Store. I've also heard that they may make your app 17+ because of getting content from the web.
You probably received no response because no one knows for sure. Apple has allowed apps that embed webkit before, but it has also rejected them as well.
iphone + web hybrid apps perfectly ok i think, not sure why apple would be concerned.