Facebook app developer rejects App Store, irony ensues
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Nov 12th 2009 11:01AM
posted Nov 12th 2009 11:01AM
We always said that if Apple's arbitrary, inconsistent, and quite frankly baffling approval process didn't get straightened out soon, the defections were going to pick up pace -- and what do we have here? Joe Hewitt, the developer of the well-loved and highly regarded Facebook iPhone app, has flipped the script and rejected the App Store. And, as you'd expect, our man is not mincing his words, stating that his "decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies," and that he's "philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process." While Hewitt can't comment on specific future projects (he's still at Facebook, but the app itself has been handed off to another developer) he has mentioned that he'll be devoting his time to web development for mobile devices. As you know, there is no approval process for the world wide web (which is apparent if you've spent any time on Geocities back in the day). Way to give 'em hell, Joe!
Joe Hewitt made my day.
loved reading every word of that article.
Joe Hewitt is a C-C-C-C-Combo Breaker.
The Zune HD facebook app!!
come on Joe Hewitt make it happen.
This guy deserves the Nobel Peace Prize!
apple tyranny must end.
Maemo welcomes you!
This article is so full of win. Pure internet gold.
Mine too. Now if only other developers would see the light and abandon Apple
Developer sticks it to Steve! UPVOTE PARTY NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
i don't think i've ever seen so many positively rated replies off of a positively rated first post. so.. much.. blue...
BFD. I don't use Facebook, and I doubt I ever will. Facebook is the new AOL.
While I enjoy reading this post... development for the facebook iPhone app will not stop. The article clearly states that a new developer has taken over. Hey Joe, how about bringing some of that mobile facebook app magic to WebOS?
The title should be more like Hilarity ensues !! :P
Man, Engadget used to be the place to go for intelligent discussion about gadgets. Now it's turning into the place where MS Fanboys come to have a Hate-on-Apple-circle-jerks. Pretty pathetic.
Nothing has changed, people. The iPhone still has a Facebook app and most iPhone users still don't care about "openness," whatever that means. This won't change a thing.
@F
Funny you say that as, you are currently reading and commenting on a site affiliated with AOL.
I think Facebook is important to people and their lives much in the same way that AOL used to be. However, I don't really see the similarity otherwise. AOL was a service, but primarily it was kind of a walled garden approach to getting on the internet. It was a connection to the internet and a sort of pseuo-internet service in and of itself. Facebook lives on the internet. It is a service. It does not define how its users use the internet, which AOL was notorious for doing with it's reluctance to let users access the internet without their software. Other dial-up services simply offered a TCP/IP connection.
@Mack
I am an iPhone user and I very much care about "openness". Sadly, what you say is true. Most of them are too ignorant and/or smug to care.
@F
Your comment is close, but I think the iPhone itself has become the new AOL. It's a walled garden that the huddled masses considered synonymous with a larger entity. In AOL's case in the 90's it was "The Internet"; today the iPhone is "Teh Smartphone"
Joe Six Pack, meet Joe Hewitt: The Facebook App developing/ Apple dissident.
Feelings of inadequacy in 5...4...3...2...
ABOUT FREAKING TIME!!!!!!!
Anndaarroid? Por Favor? That's pretty frickin open. Not like Maemo though!
@ Marky b
user F right below you ruined the entire thread. Talk about Combo Breaker!
The only thing holding me back from praising his actions and words is the fact that he could be up in arms about something like Apple won't let them gather data and slap contextual ads all over the place.
I have a hard time thinking of anything else the Facebook app could do that it can't already or that apple would really take issue with.
i guess all this talk of "openness" means you people would prefer unfiltered access to any app you'd like? So that a worm can instantly infect 30 million+ devices? Just like the worm that hit jailbroken australian iPhones? Oops, I guess there's a reason Apple has a review process. Ok, so maybe a few apps don't get through, like VoIP or other heavily data-intensive apps. But you nimrods already bitch about poor AT&T service, so you want to slow it down some more?
You whiney bitches are the overly vocal minority. Whoever said it was right, MOST people don't care about openness - but it's not because we're "ignorant" or "smug" (PS, how cliched is it to call Apple consumers smug? Get a new mantra for christs sake). People don't "care" about openness because the VAST, OVERWHELMING majority of the stuff they want out of their iPhone is readily available. Plus not everybody is a tech geek. Again, you are all the overly vocal minority, so go take your Pre, your Droid, or whatever other failure of an iphone-killer you prefer to use and get on with your lives.
Downrank starts...NOW!
PS - most people read downranked comments out of sheer curiosity to see what was so "offensive." Fading the text does nothing.
@Greg.
Yup... downranked... and I agree, I read the down ranked comments to see what morons like you are posting.
Ok, with that being said... I am 100% in agreement that apps that are going to a site for public consumption, require some kind of review. The Apple review process is crap. Check the app for security, check the app for correct memory management, check the app for decent bandwidth usage. When you start checking the app and rejecting it because it doesn't fit in their moral code (or whatever their excuse will be) is wrong.
"You bitches are the overly vocal minority".
That comment makes me laugh out loud, because you sir are one of those bitches.
@F and @Mack: you're both missing the point. this really has nothing to do with facebook. it's about a very well-known dude who made a kick-ass program for apple shunning them because of their inconsistent policies.
side note: "F and Mack" sounds like "effin Mac" which is what we have to say around our 5-yr old instead of "fuckin Mac" which is what we say every time we're on Facebook on the Macbook.
Wow Greg you couldn't be more of an Apple douche. No shit apps need to go through a review process to check for malicious code and what not. But they don't need to go through the review process that Apple puts them through.
For example, Apple prohibits any app that duplicates function on the phone..why?
I HAVE to use Safari? I can't use anything else? That's a bunch of BS, and one of the reasons I won't be getting another iPhone until Apple changes its ways. Didn't Microsoft just go through something in the EU about Windows coming with IE? At least in that case users could install another browser, with the iPhone I'm fucked up the ass with Safari.
Apple may be riding high right now with iPhone sales and what not, but they will soon crash and burn unless they change their ways. Though the iPhone has been out for 2+ years now, Apple is relatively new to the cell phone arena. What they are not doing is realizing that cell phones are gadgets that people get bored with. Cell phones are devices that people like to jump around from one to the other every time they renew their contract. Just because people bought iPhones this time around, does not guarantee in any way that they will continue to buy iPhones when they renew their contract. The way the iPhone and app store is positioned right now, the well that's feeding it is going to dry up in a few years.
app store got ownd, soviet russia style!
In soviet russia, apps reject Apple!
Damn! I'm in love! :)
I'm happy with my N85 and iTouch.
Lets wait for the Photo Quality Results of the HTC HD2, SE Idou, SE X10 (iPhone 4G)
Oh no he didn't.
Yes he did Peter! I just saw it!!!
To Joe Hewitt:
If you are not willing to produce apps for Facebook on iPhone, we've got SEVERAL MILLION UNDERPAID CHINESE EMPLOYEES WHO WILL DO IT FOR US.
Sincerely
APPLE
How's Symbian's app store looking these days? How many developers are developing apps for Symbian?
Yeah, that's what I thought. It's called context, look into it.
@Whitecollarcriminal
Apple does not give 2 shits about the Facebook app. It is a FREE app. For apple all it does is take up disk space and bandwidth and neither of those 2 things puts money into Apples pocket.
The funny thing about your comment, White Collar, is how the Apple fanboys are quck to criticize how other companies like to use the people of a certian country for staffing their call centers. That is horrible. But using the people of another country to staff their developers - hip, hip horay!
About time someone takes a stand
I had said that months ago, that if App developers stop acting like star-struck fanboys because they have an iPhone App, and start realizing that these devices depend on THEM for sales, they could use their leverage to stop nonsense like this from taking place.
Now that some have realized that their is a problem, now they need to port their apps to multiple platforms NOW.
If one company starts to give you flak, then pull the plug on their version of your app and concentrate on the ones that treat you well.
Yeah, you're right. Developers should take a stand against developing for the most popular mobile platform on the planet. That would really serve their own interests the best, wouldn't it? Fight the power! And stay as obscure as possible and don't make any money! Yeah!
You guys did notice the irony in his dislike for Apple's process... even though his app had been immediately approved, right? Did you guys even read what Hewitt said?
"I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process."
Which means he's philosophically opposed to ANY review process. You guys understand that Apple's app store is not the only one with a review process, right? You're so hot to shit on Apple you aren't even paying attention to his reasoning. And this is all DESPITE his app being approved without any issues.
Ask yourself what the app store would be like today without a review process. You think there are useless apps on there NOW? And have you even noticed the lack of malware of any kind? I think Apple has made some stupid review decisions too, but disagreeing with the entire concept of a review process just means he really doesn't have any concept of what would happen without one. Contrary to his misguided beliefs, it wouldn't just be a ton of awesome apps that would show up.
I'm sure his would be great, but it's not him I would be worried about. He's free to do whatever he wants, but he probably should have thought a little harder about his reasoning.
"Yeah, you're right. Developers should take a stand against developing for the most popular mobile platform on the planet."
He's not developing for Symbian.
How's Symbian's app store looking these days? How many developers are developing apps for Symbian?
Yeah, that's what I thought. It's called context, look into it.
^ See Frank; I told you that copy and paste feature would work.
Frank: ...yeah, yeah..
@Jack
Great job at twisting his words to your own wrongful interpretation. He doesn't say that is opposed to ANY review process, he's opposed specifically at APPLE's review process. Other platforms have a review process basically check to see if the app has any malicious code or will break the phone, while Apple has an mysterious set of rules that they refuse to make public so that people can follow them. If you want to see the way to handle a rejected app, check out how Palm handled one of theirs:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/10/palm-responds-to-nanplayer-rejection-we-are-happy-for-it-to-co/
Jeff, I'd love for you to explain how I'm "twisting his words" when I'm responding to a DIRECT QUOTE. Please explain that. In case you're not convinced, here are some more DIRECT QUOTES.
"I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer."
As I pointed out, Apple is not the only company that uses a review process. He just doesn't like review processes at all.
"The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer."
In other words, he doesn't like review processes. Not just Apple's - anybody's. WebOS has a review process too, if you want your app to show up in their catalog. And it's not like Android is as open as they'd like you to believe either, remember this?:
http://www.itworld.com/mobile-amp-wireless/65504/google-bans-tethering-app-android-market
It's right there in their TOS. If you violate it, your app is removed. How "open" is that? Note that he's not going to any other phone to develop, he's going back to the web. There's probably a reason for that.
He doesn't like review processes, or apparently anybody telling him that he can't do anything he wants. He's a crybaby.
“the review process needs to be eliminated completely.”
Does that sounds like somebody who's perfectly fine with review processes from other companies, like Palm?
@Jack
Actually Symbian has the biggest development community on the planet and don't pad their numbers with people who just downloaded the SKU to get the iPhone OS 3.0 Beta either. As for apps, Symbian has had them for years and as a result there's been a lot of weeding. Apple are yet to do this.
@ Jack
Seeing as how you absolutely looooove using direct quotes, show me a direct quote where Joe says "I don't like any review process".
Yeah, you can't, because that's not at all what he said. Jeff W got it right in his post, so I don't feel the need to repeat it.
@Jack:
can you get any more of Steve's dick in your mouth?
F dat, he's an idiot
-1, cause you're an idiot.
Well, at least he got the fantastic current (3.0 OS) version out first ;-)
Oh, I hope there's an app for that!
Nice work, now try to work on integrating facebook chat into android now, or just devoloping more apps period. The facebook iphone app was done very well.
Yeah. I hate going to my FB when I come home seeing I got mass missed chats. Ugh.
Someone needs to make a better FB app for Android. Or update the current.
Yes, please come and show some love to the Android FB app. I just got a Motorola Droid and I have to say that it's FB app is an abomination.
Yeah! Although I don't use Facebook, I admire him for stickin' it to the man!
a real fart in the face, eh bill? :)
Can't fart? There's an app for that.
No really...
@ fanman
literal lol.
@Skyblaze
I thought it was more like a dutch oven.
(Look it up in urban dictionary if you don't know what it means)
@ bill cant fart
urtryingtohard fail.
well, the current version far surpasses any other platform's application... so we'll be ok for a year or two regardless :-P
Hopefully this will spark Apple to review their Approval system once and for all.
Most likely, their own review process will be rejected by their own review process, and in the process, will divide by zero and end the world.
...which will occur on Dec 21 2012
ugh. but 2 years is so far away..
@marky-b- Which must make the 3+ years till the end of world an even longer time.
We all know the world will be ended with a multi-touch gesture
I love it!
yeah right in their a$$
"web apps suck!, we want a true SDK so we can make some real apps. we don't care how you do it, just get it to us NOW!"
"the SDK rules suck! we want it to be different even though we said before we didn't care how you gave it to us."
"web apps rule!"
develop a better app for android!
Yawn.
50 million installed base (and growing) for iPhone OS? If he's interested in making any money, he'll be back.
Errr The App is free. So how could he make money?
You're dumb. That is all.
No shit the Facebook app is free. But he's taking some high road here, which is fine, but any developer looking to make any money can't just ignore the App Store. Not every developer invented Firefox and had his little startup bought by Facebook. Most need to make money.
Are you kidding? Believe it or not, there are ways to make plenty of money out there other than developing apps for the friggin iphone.
Oh GREG... Why?
It was so much better when we just thought of you as just another screen name sitting behind a keyboard somewhere trying to stay abreast of the latest tech news, but now we know that your just a flaming idiot.
Oh Well - What's Done Is Done (-1)
Oh no!! The guy who created the most-downloaded app in the app store, which is FREE and thereby COSTING apple money for every downlaod, tweeted that he's bit grumpy this morning. SJ is shaking in his turtleneck!!
The most current numbers I could find peg total iPhone sales at 33.7 million, and that's not unique consumers. Granted, that is still a lot of phones, but don't make up numbers.
http://www.thestar.com/business/companies/apple/article/724614--apple-passes-nokia-in-handset-sales-race
Gus, you are forgetting that the iPod Touch uses the same OS. Back in April, the iPod Touch was pegged at 13 million units sold, and it is obviously much higher now. So the 50 million quoted above is, if anything, a lowball number at this point.
Anyway, people are missing the key line in this article:
"(he's still at Facebook, but the app itself has been handed off to another developer)"
Nothing changes in the end. Facebook is still developing an app and this guy has been reassigned to something else. In other words, this is a non-story. Call me when someone actually stops developing an app because of the policies. Then we can start celebrating.
Sure, Greg, because all 50 million of those devices are in active service and not old models lining sock drawers once their owners bought the new version.
So someone is still going to develop the app, he still works for Facebook, and the world keeps turning.
Really though - app store silliness aside - good for him and all, but it's not like the app is being pulled and no longer supported because of the App Store "policies." He just doesn't want to deal with it. So what... so someone else will now. It's not like no one has ever dared to be vocal about the app store and their insanity.
This is relevant because this is the first time (I believe) where such a high-profile developer has pulled out of iPhone development and made their reasoning so clear and so public.
I can understand that. But it's not like he's taking his app and going home. The app will still exist and go on to be further developed and through the same App Store crap it always his. This one guy just doesn't want to do it anymore. High profile or not - Apple feels no pain from this. They don't care who develops it. It still sells and makes them money.
Now if they pulled the app or someone like EA stopped making apps because of it - that's news and might make Apple blink.
Your opinion on relevance is noted, but I did find this interesting and wish to allow Engadget to continue making that decision.
You know, on their blog and all.
ack is right. This is not news. The app is still in the store, the app will still be developed and improved. Nothing has changed and this puts no pressure on Apple at all. You want to pressure on Apple? You need big companies like Facebook to pull the app in protest.
It's important to note that part of Mac's relative success is due to it's ability to offer the most commonly used software for office and creative use. It's a great OS, but it's not worth squat if it doesn't satisfy the basic needs of its customers. Alienating developers, either on the Mac or iPhone, is a bad idea, and the sort of thinking that has gotten Apple into hot water in the past. It will ultimately alienate its customer base as well.
Only the most recent update of the facebook app has been somewhat usable... every other version has been buggy, crash-prone and generally frustrating to use.
Too bad we couldn't have gotten a better programmer sooner.
That aside, I do feel for the good app programmers that are frustrated... but only the good ones, not Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadou (Hewitt).
Yeah. It's a shame that the App store approval process sucks so much, but frankly, if FB abandoned the iPhone entirely, I think it would hurt Facebook more than it would hurt Apple.
It'll take another year or two before the consumer smartphone market has enough options that Apple needs to worry about this kind of thing. The Droid is probably the beginning of the end in terms of Apple being able to completely ignore what developers want.
I doubt FB leaving Apple would hurt FB. FB has been on phones many a times. Blackberry publicly puts it out there as a major selling point.
FB has many options. Neither would be hurt. But the fact that he's vocally showing his disdain for the approval policy. Well that will make a small mark to Apple. Not big enough to warrant change mind you, but enough to just look and think for a minute.
Does that mean he's maybe going to build a decent facebook app for Android? Because the current one is pretty awful...
loves it! stick it to the man
Apple still doesn't care.
I can download and use any app I want for my MacBook. I should be able to do the same for the iPhone.
Developers with bollocks big enough to stand up to Apples shit FTW!
Facebook...... do they have that on the interwebs now?
Hooray! But Apple is bullheaded enough to not do anything about this. Unfortunately, I think unless many more developers get on the wagon with him, Apple will just stand their ground. Good or bad, Apple refuses to be bullied.
When Jobs hears about this, I hope he says "iShit my pants!"
Maybe he'll develop a better FB app for the Blackberry platform.
nothing will change. another developer has picked up where he left off. until facebook as a whole boycotts the app store, there will be no clamor. adobe's message about flash is more in tune with what needs to be done to make progress