Apple says it will allow developers to challenge the rules of the App Store – diverse
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Apple, which has been the target of intense criticism over its App Store policies and the power the company has taken over developers, says it is establishing a new mechanism to hear complaints from developers who do not agree with application-approval policies.
As part of the 2020 Global Developers Conference, the technology giant announced two changes on Monday that the app review process will take place this summer. At first, Apple said developers would “not be able to appeal a decision about whether they violated any of the guidelines provided in the App Store Review Guidelines, but there will also be a way to challenge the guidelines themselves.”
In a second change, Apple said that for apps already in the App Store, “bug fixes will no longer be delayed due to violations of the guidelines, eliminating legal issues.” Instead, the company said, the developers would “be able to resolve the issue with their next submission.”
How the new policies will be implemented remains to be seen, but Apple is at least trying to show that it is interested in hearing complaints from disgruntled iOS developers.
Apple’s new policies come after the recent release of software developer Basecamp’s Haye, an email application that was initially approved by Apple but later rejected. According to Apple, the Hey app does not offer any way to sign up for its services, so it is not exempt from the Apple rules required to purchase the app (which developers do not want to enable, do not want to avoid paying). Apple value cut 30%). Basecamp modifies the application to include a free signup option for temporary email addresses at a later time ified
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“I really hope Apple is serious about reform,” said David Heinmeier, CTO of Basecamp. Tweets Monday in response to the new policy. “There’s a way forward where Apple goes back to being a friend of developers, not big words. They’re all afraid to speak out.”
The Hey app controversy echoed the experiences of other developers, including Spotify, which filed a formal complaint with the European Union in 2019 about Apple’s App Store practices. Last week, the EU launched an untrustworthy investigation into Apple’s App Store business practices, including the requirements for using the app’s app purchasing system.
