iTunes Connect
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Apple is now accepting iPad app submissions
Simulator-only apps developed with the iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 5 can be submitted as of today for initial review. Upload your apps by 5pm, Saturday, March 27th, and the App review team will e-mail you with submission feedback about the readiness of your application for App Store distribution. You will also receive information about submitting your apps for final review, before the iPad ships and (for most of us) before we even own hardware. If you're thinking about waiting: don't. Apple states that "[o]nly apps submitted for the initial review will be considered for the grand opening of the iPad App Store." An Apple spokesman further confirmed that "[W]e are looking forward to having an amazing line up of apps available when the iPad ships on April 3." The iPad App Store will launch at the same time as the iPad device.
13 new countries added to the App Store
Last week, Apple announced through the iPhone Developer News feed that the iTunes App Store is now supported in 13 additional countries: "You can now distribute your apps to more customers with the addition of App Store support in Armenia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Jordan, Kenya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda." Unless an app has been set to "sell in new territories," developers will need to update their iTunes Connect preferences before their products will be available in the latest batch of added countries. If your apps already have the "sell in new territories" option checked, you're good to go.
Apple's New Year's resolution? Get apps through approval faster
One of the biggest gripes we heard from iPhone developers during 2009 was that it took forever for their apps to make it through the iTunes App Store approval process. Often apps would be disapproved for seemingly illogical reasons after a long wait in the approval queue, and TUAW heard from more than one developer that had just given up. iTunes Connect, the portal through which iPhone developers submit apps and check sales, was down between December 23 - 28, 2009. Since that time, TUAW has received a number of positive emails from iPhone devs that indicate that Apple has resolved to quit holding up apps in 2010. How fast are some apps making it through the process? Take developer Aaron Douglas's free Migraine Diary [iTunes Link]; he submitted it on December 28th at 9 PM CT and received notice of the approval a 4 PM CT on the 31st of December -- that's less than three days. But that's downright slow compared to what Yuri, a developer at Atomic Cactus, experienced: I'm a developer behind Atomic Cactus, we have 3 games currently in the app store, and they all took approximately 2-3 weeks to get approved. Today at 4:00 am I submitted for approval our latest app, which isn't exactly a "fart app" (it's a pretty polished puzzle game with OpenFeint). As of 1:30 pm today, the app is in the app store. That's nine and a half hours, folks! This is a small sampling of the many emails we've received from developers since just after Christmas. Whether this is due to a New Year's resolution, competition from the Android platform, or a new back-end system for processing apps, it's a welcome change for iPhone developers and users alike.
iTunes Connect is still down, was due back today
It looks like the iTunes Connect team is still on "holiday break"; it was scheduled to end today. iTunes Connect is used by developers to manage their apps on the iTunes Store and to check sales of their apps. Developers have been without iTunes Connect since last Wednesday. Those who were hoping to submit new versions or pricing changes will have a lot to catch up on once iTC goes live again, and the App Store reviewers will have a big backlog to go through. Update: iTunes Connect is back up! Developers on Twitter are noting the holiday surge in purchases...
Apple introduces iPhone developer RSS news feed, takes time off from iTunes Connect
Late yesterday, Apple introduced a RSS feed for news from the App Store Resource Center, which was introduced a few months ago, and gives iPhone developers news about what's going on with the App Store for developers. Apple promises to deliver current turnaround time for app reviews (kind of a hot topic), program updates, development and testing techniques, and much more. Add it to your reader of choice. In related news, iTunes Connect will be unavailable from December 23rd to December 28th. You'll remember that Apple did the same thing last year. You'll won't be able to access anything in iTunes Connect in that time, which includes, sales reports, app submission, generating promo codes and more. Hey, even geeks need a holiday break, right? Make sure your pertinent business is concluded before then and enjoy the break!
iTunes Connect gets a face-lift
Apple quietly tweaked the interface of iTunes Connect for App Store developers today, changing the way applications are listed. It changed from the list format that was previously used, and now shows a group of five app icons in a row, which gives a more complete look at your apps. Below the icon, it now shows the name of the application and a colored indicator showing the application status. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Apple introduces the App Store Resource Center
As part of Apple's efforts to make the ins-and-outs of the App Store more clear to everyone, Apple has just Introduced the App Store Resource Center. Apple states this new site is "a single destination where you can find everything from how to prepare for submitting your app to managing your app once it been posted to the App Store." Basically, this new site offers an easy way for developers to read over and learn the many different policies and details about the App Store. It covers app submission, the App Store approval process and managing your app details, among other things There's really not much new, but you maybe able to find stuff easier now instead of looking through large PDF App Store guides. If you're one of those developers who feels lost around iTunes Connect, you'll probably want to look over the guides in this new site. Anyways, if you're a registered iPhone developer, check out this new site, you just might learn something, maybe.
Dear Auntie TUAW: How do I deal with an app due for rejection?
Dear Auntie TUAW, I submitted a really simple game to Apple on July 17th, and I'm still waiting for them to review it. A week after that submission, I submitted another new app (a lite version of another app of mine) that had the phrase "Buy the full version for $0.99" and it was rejected only 7 days later because I listed the price (different world currencies pay different amounts). Fair enough. Except that my app that I submitted on July 17th also has the phrase "$0.99" in it (this was submitted before Apple warned all developers to not list costs inside the app). I e-mailed Apple saying "I know you'll reject my app because of this reason. What should I do?" They replied saying "Since your application is under further review, I would recommend letting the special review process finish its path and then if you are rejected for the same reason as [2nd app], you will have to make the changes and then we will expedite your application through the new review process." That was 7 days ago. I know that my app will be rejected. They also know it will be rejected. And yet, it's still "In Review." I know many other developers complain about the review process, and I've not even had to be waiting for as long as some other people, but this process is just a ridiculous one that we all need to jump through. The App Store has been out for over a year now... why haven't they figured this process out by now? Even if it needs to take this long to go through the review process, it'd be nice if they were at least a little more vocal about what is going on and give me a time frame of when it will be completed. Love and Kissies, Your Nephew Ryan Dearest Ryan, I'm so sorry to hear about your App Store review delays. It's just like waiting for my bifocals to be ready at the opticians. I can't see what kind of bad news is on the way to mess up my lawn but I know they're out there and that they'll be here soon. You young whippersnappers! Fortunately, iTunes Connect offers a handy feature that puts you back in control of your situation. (Just as my Remington 870 tactical will help with mine.) Update your app in Xcode, create a new distribution version, and then reject the binary that's currently in review. You'll then be able to upload a new version that doesn't mention any specific prices. (And hopefully doesn't try to upsell you to another product because in-app advertisements for free-to-pay upgrades make Auntie T have to stock up on the Preparation H, if you follow my meaning. It also gives you halitosis, stunts your growth, and decreases your happiness level by 1d5.) Admittedly, rejecting your binary puts you at the back of the review line. At the same time, you know that if you've taken care of any outstanding auto-rejection issues, you'll likely have a 7-14 day approval from the time you reject and then replace the app. Second guessing the review squad and fixing problems proactively sidesteps any known issues and puts you back into control. And don't forget to send the poor review team some virtual cookies. They love that! Love, Auntie TUAW
iTunes Connect now lets developers see crash reports
Apple has offered developers a glimpse as crash reporting since the iPhone 2.0 firmware was released, however, it was a kludge to get users to email you the crash reports from their ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice directory. Apple has a solution that will make this a lot easier.Enter iTunes Connect, where Apple recently added the ability for developers to view crash reports from users. iTunes connect is where developers can manage applications they have on the App Store, check their sales, and get promotional codes for their apps. When you log into iTunes Connect you will be presented with the following information regarding crash logs: Crash logs for applications are now available. To view them, go the Manage Your Applications Module below, click to view the desired application's details, then click View Crash Report.When you navigate to Manage Your Applications > your app details > View Crash Report, you will be presented with a few items that could help you debug apps. Namely, developers can view most frequent crashes, timeouts, and memory usage right from iTunes Connect. You can find out more about crash logs on the iPhone by going to Apple's Developer tech note.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
