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Afghan girls robotics team will compete in the US after all
An all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan that was denied a visa to participate in the First Global Challenge robotics competition will be allowed to enter the US after all. The White House confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reversed the visa denials for the six teen girls, reportedly after President Trump personally intervened.
So it's come to this, Apple?
In olden days, conquering armies would put the bodies or heads of enemies on pikes or town gates or roads to warn the people that revolt would lead to death. It would seem that someone at Apple read a history of these actions and decided to do something similar for apps on the App Store. Marco Arment writes about the rejection of an app by Cromulent Labs (Launcher), and how it was deliberately rejected first to be an example to other developers. You can read the entire story on the blog for Cromulent Labs, but I have to agree with Marco. This is disgusting behavior, and Apple is better than this. It seems like every week the company forgets how much utility Android has, and wants to drag iOS back to an earlier, more restricted day. We reported yesterday about how Apple made Panic pull a big ol' function out of Transmit (which I use and love dearly and unfortunately updated before I realized what had happened -- now I'm just screwed until Apple reconsiders). Just TODAY, Apple is again trolling Agile Tortoise, which makes the amazingly awesome Drafts app. First its widget was rejected because, horror of horrors, it did something useful and allowed input! Now it was rejected again because it "doesn't do enough." If capriciousness were marketable, Apple would easily be twice the size of Exxon Mobil. Last week's rejection? Your Today widget does too much. This week's? Your Today widget doesn't do enough. Seriously. - Greg Pierce (@agiletortoise) December 9, 2014 Why not just be clear with the rules to begin with? How about enforcing them with some semblance of sanity or normalcy? Well, from experience we know Apple has a history of odd, ever-shifting behavior on the App Store. And that's too bad, in the long run. It's also odd for a company made of some of the best engineers in the world. While we may not need 1,000 fart apps, I can't help but thinking of developers who will look to this gigantic market only to say "no, it's just not worth the risk of bringing a world-class, powerful tool to iOS on the off chance Apple gets a bug up its ass and pulls our app from the store." Too bad. I'm losing faith in the company, and I have to think that so are some developers.
Apple reveals the most common reasons that it rejects apps
Apple is such an opaque company that even app developers can be left, out in the cold, wondering why their app was rejected from the app store. Thankfully, the company does have some sympathy for those dejected coders, which is why it's published a list (in full, after the break) of the most common reasons their digital magnum opus failed to pass muster. Thankfully, the biggest reason is simply administrative: if devs fail to provide enough information or a valid demonstration account, then their work will be ignored out of hand. There's no surprises further down the list, either, with most apps getting dumped for buggy code, misleading content or because its name doesn't align with its intended purpose. The only reason that may annoy some is that Apple will turn down an app that doesn't meet its high standards for user interface design -- so you'd better hope that your avant-garde menu items don't alienate Cupertino's QA mavens.
Silicon Knights loses appeal for ruling on lawsuit with Epic Games
A United States Court of Appeals judge has upheld a lower court's decision concerning the legal battle between Silicon Knights and Epic Games. The post-trial motions for the previous ruling ordered Silicon Knights to destroy all unsold copies of their games that used Unreal Engine 3, which included Too Human and X-Men: Destiny. Epic was also awarded more than $9 million in the ruling - $4.45 million for damages, with the rest covering the studio's legal fees and prejudgment interest. The dispute began back in 2007, when Silicon Knights claimed Epic delivered Unreal Engine 3 six months late while withholding a superior version just to be used for Epic's internal projects. Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein described the allegations as "unfounded and without merit," noting Epic's intention to defend themselves. Silicon Knights' ability to pay the sentence is currently uncertain, as the studio followed the initial ruling by laying off "a small number of people." A report from last May also stated that the Silicon Knights offices were empty, with former studio head Denis Dyack gone and involved with a sequel to Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness called Shadow of the Eternals. That project is an effort from Precursor Games and is uninvolved with Silicon Knights, but Precursor noted its team was "taking a break" in September and that the project is on hold after failing to meet funding goals.
Apple rejects iPhone app that tracks military drone strikes
Apple has a reputation for sometimes banning apps for reasons that confound developers. The latest App Store rejection story comes from Wired, which talked to developer Josh Begley about his Drones+ app. Drones+ is a simple, but informative app that alerts you when the US military executes a strategic strike using a drone. The information is pulled from a publicly available database maintained by the UK's Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Each strike is logged in the app and marked by a pushpin on a map. Clicking on a pushpin will bring up media reports about the strike. Begley has submitted his app twice this summer to the App Store and was rejected both times. The first time Apple said his app was "not useful or entertaining enough," while the second rejection said the content was "objectionable." Begley is now at an impasse and told Wired that, "If the content is found to be objectionable, and it's literally just an aggregation of news, I don't know how to change that." He may pass on the iOS App Store and port his app to Android, which would be a crying shame.
SnuggleTruck: Rejected app goes cuddly for Apple approval
Imagine you're an iOS game developer, and your new app's theme focuses on smuggling illegal immigrants over the border. It offers a politically charged satiric scenario, one that could possibly offend customers. Apple reviewers consider the game, but they determine that it fails the smell test. Too tasteless -- not gonna make it into the App Store. What do you do? If you're Owlchemy Labs, what you do is this: you redesign your somewhat edgy software to provide exactly the same gameplay, but change the artwork and sounds to provide an even more ironic take on the original. Owlchemy substituted happy zoo animals for the original illegal immigrants. The cuddly creatures "escape from the wilderness for the comfort of a zoo, where they are provided with plenty of food, shelter and state-of-the-art healthcare." Basically, Apple's rejection allowed Owlchemy Labs to provide another layer of metatextual satire on top of the original satiric content. The mind boggles. Nevertheless, Apple happily approved this extremely subversive software now that people had to think before becoming offended. The original SmuggleTruck software is available for sale on both Mac and Windows, and it offers the new SnuggleTruck mode as a built-in extra. SnuggleTruck is now available for sale on iTunes for US$1.99 for the iPhone version and $2.99 for the iPad HD version. A video from the developers that explains the redesign follows after the break. [via Joystiq]
QuickPick update in limbo for Lion similarities
On Wednesday, QuickPick 2.0.3 was apparently ejected from the Mac App Store, according to a tweet from developer Seth Willits. A day later, Seth tweeted that the app is still in the store -- as of this writing that's the case -- but update 2.0.3 had been rejected, increasing his confusion. Additionally, he mentions that an Apple rep told him that QuickPick would be "removed from sale," citing a "confusingly similar" argument. For now, the app is in limbo. QuickPick is a full-screen application and document launcher which offers several features reportedly missing from Apple's app launcher -- as it exists today at least. For example, the app's dedicated preferences can set a global keyboard command or hot corner for activation, while users can identify their own most frequently used items to display and leave icons "scrambled" on screen to suit their own organizational style or lack thereof. Most importantly, QuickPick runs on Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Apple may perceive the app as direct competition to Launchpad, one of Lion's most highly touted new features. If users see low-cost alternatives to a potentially costly Mac OS X upgrade, they may be dissuaded from spending the time and money to make the leap to Lion when it arrives this summer (though one feature vs. all of Lion's improvements decreases this likelihood). Perhaps Apple is simply rejecting the app to prevent confusion in their own marketplace; an argument Willits isn't buying. "QuickPick existed years before Launchpad...[Version] 2.0.2 isn't any different than 2.0.3." Willits continues to plead his case with Apple. In the meantime, for US$10, QuickPick 2.0.2 is still available on the Mac App Store and version 2.0.3 is available through the Araelium Group website. [via MacNN]
Unpleasant Horse rejected by Apple, 4th & Battery appealing
PopCap subsidiary 4th & Battery is so edgy its first game, Unpleasant Horse, has been rejected by Apple. On its official Twitter account, the company stated that the game was rejected for "mature content." Shortly thereafter, 4th & Battery said it was appealing the decision, and promptly deleted its initial Tweet announcing the rejection. A studio rep tried to smooth things over by tweeting: "Anyhoo, we still love Apple. Honest. We even had (and liked!) a Newton back in the day. Hope we get an appropriate rating for the game!" The game was intended to be available for free on iOS devices later this month. We've contacted PopCap for a statement on whether plans have changed, and will update when we hear back. Update: A PopCap representative tells Joystiq that it is "not issuing any statement at this time." We've been told that 4th & Battery may make an official statement soon.
Microsoft removes Imagewind from Marketplace, WP7 gets first bitter taste of rejection
Oh, sure, it was easy to pick on Apple for all those frustrating App Store rejections over the years, but Google's had its own run-ins with apps being pulled under unfortunate circumstances, and now it's time for WP7 users to get a taste. Microsoft has pulled is thinking about pulling Imagewind from the Windows Phone Marketplace, an app that basically pulls random images en masse from the Twitter-stream, splaying them all over your touchscreen. MS indicated that, without some sort of filter to weed out seedy images, the app has to go. Somewhat curiously it's actually been chilling in the Marketplace since March 3rd, and it was only upon reviewing a recent update that someone in Redmond said "Hey, waitaminute!" Imagewind is now gone and honestly we can't say that its rejection is completely arbitrary -- displaying all images the all the time is not necessarily a good thing for sensitive eyes -- but it still stings, doesn't it? Update: We got a note from Roger at Smarty Pants Coding to let us know that he's received a "grace period" for the app. It's still available for download, but it could be a limited time thing... Update 2: Another note from Roger. The stay of execution has been... unstayed. The app is no more. Break out the trumpets.
Apple to require in-app subscriptions for periodicals by March 31st, fine print still a bit fuzzy
We knew The Daily was to be just the first drop what's destined to be a flood of titles with in-app purchases for the iTunes store, but we weren't quite sure how hard Apple would be twisting the faucet -- until now, that is. According to The Wall Street Journal, Cupertino will reject any newspaper or magazine app that doesn't take subscription payments through the iTunes store. It doesn't have to be solely Apple's store -- developers can still sell through websites in addition to the mandated in-app option. (If you recall, this is the same issue that Sony Reader for iOS just faced.) There are a few big questions lingering out there: will the 70 / 30 revenue sharing apply? Does the "rejection" apply to apps already in the store like Amazon's Kindle? You bet your (virtual) bottom dollar we'll be finding out soon enough.
Apple rejects Sony Reader app, really doesn't want you buying content from others (update: Apple says it needs official in-app purchases)
It's been quite a while since Apple's tight reins on the App Store were a subject worth discussing, but they're back in the spotlight now following the company's rejection of Sony's Reader app for iOS. The reasons given to Sony were that Apple will not no longer accept applications that permit in-app purchases of content that don't go through Apple itself, and, moreover, will not tolerate apps that access material purchased through external content stores. So the Sony Reader Store is out -- but wait, doesn't the Kindle app spend its time serving up Kindlebooks? No comment has been offered on the matter from either Apple or Amazon, while Sony's Reader Store page describes the situation as "an impasse" and promises to seek "other avenues to bring the Reader experience to Apple mobile devices." In the mean time, you can get the Reader app for Android or just read your ebooks on a device dedicated to that task. Update: As noted by Harry McCracken over at Technologizer, it has actually been Apple's longstanding policy to forbid in-app purchases -- the Kindle and Nook apps send you to a browser -- so Sony's desire to do so will have been the major cause for the Reader application's rejection. That doesn't invalidate the second concern expressed in the New York Times article, that Apple will no longer tolerate content brought in from external stores, which is a displeasing development, if true. Update 2: Looks like McCracken nailed it -- Apple's come out with a statement pointing out that the App Store guidelines require that apps that allow content purchases must also allow them in-app through Apple's official iTunes-backed system. We can't imagine that Sony is thrilled with the idea of cutting Apple in on Reader content, but if they want to play ball, they should be able to score an approval. Notably, Apple says that they are "now requiring" this even though the guidelines haven't changed, suggesting they're just now getting around to enforcing it; the effect on iOS' Kindle and Nook apps isn't yet known, but we wouldn't be surprised if Apple started nudging them in the direction of pushing updates. More on this situation as we have it.
Skyfire disappears from iTunes App Store due to technical difficulties (update: 'sold out')
Trying to get a copy of the Skyfire browser for your iOS device? You may not have much luck, as the pseudo-Flash-capable browser has just disappeared from iTunes App Stores around the globe, mere hours after its splashy debut. When we try to download it for ourselves in the United States we get the message immediately above, and RazorianFly readers are chiming in with reports that the app is no longer available in Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Spain and the UK. We just pinged Skyfire for comment and they say it's not Apple's fault; demand for a Flash video workaround is apparently so high that the company's having server issues and decided to pull the app rather than introduce new users to a sub-par experience. Skyfire assures us that it's adding servers as quickly as it can, but didn't provide an ETA on when we might see the app once more. Update: While we're not sure how an digital app can be "sold out," that's exactly what the company says happened to its $2.99 browser today -- after quickly becoming the top grossing app in the iTunes App Store, Skyfire is "temporarily not accepting new purchases" and says it will issue Facebook and Twitter status updates when the next batch of licenses is available. In other words, Skyfire's throttling the flow of purchases from now on. PR after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
As Apple relaxes App Store rules, C64 emulator for iOS gets BASIC again
If you weren't already convinced that Apple is seriously easing back on some of its more annoying App Store restrictions with the appearance of titles like GV Voice (a Google Voice client), this news might help. After a wild ride of ping-pong approvals and pulls, Manomio's C64 emulator has reappeared in the Store with its BASIC interpreter fully intact, and available for your coding pleasure. We've tested the software and can confirm that you will indeed be able to revisit your youth (provided your youth took place in the early 80's) via the newest version of the software. Of course, it's not super fun to program using the tiny, virtual C64 keyboard provided onscreen, but couple this with a Bluetooth keyboard of your choosing, and you can pretty much go wild. The emulator is available right this moment for $4.99, and obviously it's a free upgrade for those who've already bought in.
Wi-Fi Sync app rejected by Apple, headed to Cydia for $9.99
Can't say we're surprised to hear that Apple rejected Greg Hughes' Wi-Fi Sync app. You know, the app that allows you to wirelessly sync your iPhone / iPod touch with iTunes without having to USB tether to your computer. Messing with Apple's synchronization technology is a pretty big no-no as demonstrated by Palm's webOS bluff. Here's the rejection as explained by Greg from an unnamed Apple rep over the phone: "While he agreed that the app doesn't technically break the rules, he said that it does encroach upon the boundaries of what they can and cannot allow on their store. He also cited security concerns." So while you won't find it in Apple's App Store, it's available now on Cydia for a cool $9.99. You have jailbroken your device haven't you? Don't make us get all MuscleNerd up in here. Update: An Apple spokeswoman contacted us to clarify that the rejection was the result of security issues and "technical issues including reading and writing outside of the app's container." So there.
Should we continue using an app that Apple has rejected?
It doesn't happen so much anymore, but not too long ago you'd hear about a new offering arriving in the App Store that would stir up a little controversy (the NetShare tethering app springs to mind). They'd enjoy some fanfare and a ton of purchases for a few days before being summarily removed, never to return and often without a thorough explanation from Apple. A relatively small number of users would retain possession of the app and would take a bit of pride in knowing that they were in the right place at just the right time to snag a copy of the app before it was yanked. When I got the email from our very own Mike Rose regarding the release of GV Mobile, I was pretty excited. I'd been wanting to more fully adopt the Google Voice service, but had wanted a more iPhone-ish experience in doing so and GV Mobile seemed to have just what I was jonesing for. I paid the three bucks right then and, like The Giving Tree, was happy. My adoption plan for Google Voice didn't pan out quite like I'd hoped for a while after that. I'd use it occasionally, but I had trouble moving it from the number I gave to sales people to the number I gave to my mother-in-law. But, despite the absence of the app in the App Store, I still had a perfectly working copy of it on my iPhone, ready when I was - or so I thought. A couple of weeks ago, I had decided that it was time to make Google Voice a more central part of my communication workflow. Having not launched GV Mobile in a while, I fired it up to reacquaint myself with the interface, capabilities, etc. Trouble is, I couldn't authenticate with Google. I triple-checked my credentials but the app would just throw an error on launch and that was that. A couple of people on Twitter had mentioned having the same issue and a quick Google search informed me that, sure enough, the app no longer worked. Apparently, Google had modified the Voice API such that authentication now worked differently than it did when GV Mobile was written. Because the app no longer had Apple's seal of approval, I had little recourse because there obviously weren't going to be any updates to the app anytime soon. Which raised the broader question - how heavily should we rely on "orphaned" apps? If they're self-contained (which is to say, they don't rely on any web sites or services to function properly), it probably isn't a big deal, but if you're a heavy Google Voice user and GV Mobile is how you got your work done, is it really a good idea to hang your hopes on an app that will likely never see any type of upgrade or bugfix release? I can confidently say that this little hiccup has seriously cramped my plans for more completely adopting Google Voice. Is the same true for you? Have you experienced this type of dilemma with any other now-missing App Store purchases? Tell us about it in the comments!
Congressional caricatures on the App Store: The nays have it
Let's face it, America: if you're looking for "obscene, pornographic or defamatory" content, you can pretty much count on the US Congress to satisfy your jones. Put those representatives into cartoon bobble-head form, however, and stack them up with contact and district info in a handy-dandy iPhone app... well, that's just not cricket, according to the App Store review team. Cartoonist & MAD magazine contributor Tom Richmond was commissioned to produce said caricatures for the iPhone app in question, and unfortunately they've run afoul of clause 3.3.14 of the developer agreement, the 'Apple's reasonable judgment' rule regarding potentially objectionable content. Richmond is scratching his head trying to figure out what about his caricatures could possibly be considered reasonably offensive, compared to some of the other fine entertainment apps already gracing iPhones worldwide. Still, it's at least consistent with Apple's previous rejections of things that are funny. On some level it's unsurprising that an app filled with congressional bobbleheads is finding it a bit of a slog getting through review; that's a lot of potential angry phone calls for Apple to take. [That's Dennis Kucinich over there.]
Trillian's 75-day limbo: the App Store, Freewill, and the pocket veto
What do United States politics, a Canadian rock song, and a California computer company have in common? Here are some hints: the Pocket Veto, Freewill, and the App Store. When the President of the United States is presented with a bill, she or he has 10 days to sign it, or veto it. If the President does not want to be seen as having acted in favor of or against some particular piece of legislation, he or she can simply put it in a pocket and wait for the clock to expire. Or, as the Canadian rock band Rush once said: "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." Back in late August, Apple claimed not to have rejected the official Google Voice iPhone application. The company claimed it was still "studying" it. Around that same time, Cerulean Studios submitted the amazing-looking Trillian for iPhone instant messaging application. Over two months later, Apple has not taken action on either app. Neither app has (officially) been rejected, but they have not been accepted, either. In the case of the official Google Voice app, it feels very much like Apple has simply "pocketed" the application.
Rejected, 'politically charged' iSinglePayer app gets the green light
True to form, Apple has rethought its strategy on an App Store rejection, and has granted the "politically charged" iSinglePayer rights to terrorize potential buyers with its alarming messages. If you'll recall, the application tackles the hot-button healthcare issue in America by offering spending advice for consumers and a GPS lookup for local Congress members' and their healthcare-related donations. As we mentioned in our original post, it's a pretty tame set of functionality, and certainly nothing that seems outwardly offensive (at least not any more offensive than lots of apps you can purchase). Just as with our previous complaints about Apple's way of doing business, it's not so much the rejections that bother us, but the unclear set of circumstances by which the company arrives at those decisions. Regardless, some firebrand app reviewer has seen fit to allow this townhall-rattling piece of software into the Store, so now you can go see what all the fuss was about for yourself. [Via Daring Fireball]
Google contradicts Apple, states Apple rejected Google Voice
The Google Voice story grows even murkier today as new details arise about its App Store rejection. When the FCC launched an inquiry into the presence of the Google Voice app on the App Store, Apple, AT&T and Google all provided formal response letters. Portions of Google's letter were kept confidential from the public. Today, after several requests, Google finally released their entire FCC letter to the public. In it, Google states that Apple did in fact reject the Google Voice app for the iPhone, and that Phil Shiller met and talked to Alan Eustace at Google about the rejection. Google's letter contradicts what Apple has stated, that they never actually rejected the Google Voice app. Today's news adds another element to the disappointment and confusion over the presence of Google Voice on the iPhone. Apple stated to Engadget that they did not reject Google Voice and that they continue to look into bringing it to the App Store. TUAW has contacted Apple for a further statement about the rejection details. We have not heard anything back yet. [via Engadget]
First Palm App Catalog rejection: NaNplayer
Palm's App Catalog isn't exactly bursting with titles yet, but that isn't stopping the company from rejecting apps -- and the dubious honor of First App Rejected goes to NaNplayer, a music player app. Apparently NaNPlayer made use of an undocumented webOS API call, so it makes sense that Palm wouldn't approve it, but there's a somewhat less-sensible flipside: it was using the same API the built-in music player uses to index files so it could make playlists. That's pretty basic functionality, so we're hoping this all gets resolved with a future webOS update -- and in the meantime, NaNplayer will be released to the burgeoning Pre homebrew community when it's complete.
