Apple Balks, Finally Relents, At Possible User Queries of Dictionary App

Geoffrey.landis writes with a snippet from CNET reporting another example of offputting treatment at Apple's App Store: "'In this case, it's a dictionary app called Ninjawords (so called because ninjas are 'smart, accurate, and really fast') that was rejected three times over the course of two months, mostly because 'objectionable' words could be looked up and found in the dictionary's search function, Gruber reported.' PCWorld also reports the story." Note that the app was eventually approved, but only after a few go-rounds and changes.

Comments

Re:What is the solution ?

[Anonymous Coward]

the iPhone **has** parental controls for applications, Apple is just playing nanny for the parents that don't care to use the tools available to assist with their parenting.

Re:What is the solution ?

[tacarat]

There are task forces underway to not only do that, but ensure every home has a large print bible with big pictures of a non-Jewish Jesus. They'll also take any footwear the females may have and ensure all stoves have clocks over them.

Apple has done this before

[retsyx]

I am the author of the until recently reasonably successful application Dictionary. Apple required censorship to allow Dictionary to be posted. This was back in December 2008. The full text of the rejection notice was:

"Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple's reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users."

The screenshot provided with the rejection notice should the same type of words as in the OP. Again, words you had to search for to find.

More recently, Apple decided that because Dictionary provides uncensored access to Wikipedia, it must carry a 17+ rating. The text in this case was:

"Dictionary allows unfiltered access to Wikipedia, which includes frequent mature or suggestive themes. Applications must be rated accordingly for the highest level of content that the user is able to access."

As an app developer, this kind of behavior on Apple's part is very frustrating. Apple have fallen off their rocker, IMO.

Re:Good to see

[maxume]

Read every banned book? What a terrible idea, I'm sure lots of them were awful (in the sense that they were marginally readable pablum, not in the sense that they are naughty or heretical).

Re:Is this affecting developers?

[mjwx]

orker who, when he found out that I can develop software, agreed to pay for my enrollment in the dev program in exchange for helping him out with some coding. So he bought an enrollment package for me, we filled out the info, and the next day, I got an e-mail from Apple saying that because my application and payment information didn't match up, I had to provide them a notarized copy or a government-issued photograph to prove I am who I claim that I am. I sent them back an e-mail saying that I didn't feel comfortable providing them my personal information,

I'm far from an Apple defender (just modded in an MS thread because I likened Apple to Microsoft and I cant figure out which type of fanboy I pissed off more) but...

If you information does not match the payment information this throws up a whole bunch of red flags about credit card usage. They have to determine that you are, well who you say you are. Look at it from their perspective. This is something all banks enforce so it's not limited to Apple.

I can't help but wonder if Apple keeps jerking developers around like this if eventually they'll give up and move on to another platform.

I mean this in the nicest way but why would Apple care about little developers like you when it can enforce its rules on large development houses like EA with far more efficiency. Yes Apple may very well want to drive away independent developers and this would be suicide because most apple sales are cheap, disposable US$1 programs, most Iphone owners don't want to pay US$10 per program (I wouldn't either so I dont blame them) but why wouldn't apple, control is more important to them then profit or market share.

Apple is customer-focused, and that's great, really, it is.

Apple is control focused and that really really isn't great.

Re:Is this affecting developers?

[ImYourVirus]

Hey when they first came out I really wanted one to like a bunch of other people I knew, then I started learning about the draw back to having one, some of which may seem petty to you but aren't to me, I have lots of people send me picture messages and whatever, nope can't do that they have to 'email' them, well thats a fucking waste of time trying to tell everyone that, I had asked my mom who has one if she got my mms she said no I had to email it, I was like wtf? Pass. Can only use bluetooth with headsets? Pass. Draconian app store? Pass. 500 'updates' a month? Pass. Lastly but not leastly you can't get insurance on them through your provider... Big pass, I mean the entire screen is breakable which can ruin the phone, best policy is better safe than sorry...

There are others but why bore you any longer.

Apple VP Responds...The Rest of the Story....

[Karlt1]

http://daringfireball.net/2009/08/phil_schiller_app_store

Let me start with the most important points - Apple did not censor the content in this developer's application and Apple did not reject this developer's application for including references to common swear words. You accused Apple of both in your story and the fact is that we did neither.

Ninjawords is an application which uses content from the Wiktionary.org online wiki-based dictionary to provide a nice fast dictionary application on the web and on the iPhone. Contrary to what you reported, the Ninjawords application was not rejected in the App Store review process for including common "swear" words. In fact anyone can easily see that Apple has previously approved other dictionary applications in the App Store that include all of the "swear" words that you gave as examples in your story.

The issue that the App Store reviewers did find with the Ninjawords application is that it provided access to other more vulgar terms than those found in traditional and common dictionaries, words that many reasonable people might find upsetting or objectionable. A quick search on Wiktionary.org easily turns up a number of offensive "urban slang" terms that you won't find in popular dictionaries such as one that you referenced, the New Oxford American Dictionary included in Mac OS X. Apple rejected the initial submission of Ninjawords for this reason, provided the Ninjawords developer with information about some of the vulgar terms, and suggested to the developer that they resubmit the application for approval once parental controls were implemented on the iPhone.

The Ninjawords developer then decided to filter some offensive terms in the Ninjawords application and resubmit it for approval for distribution in the App Store before parental controls were implemented. Apple did not ask the developer to censor any content in Ninjawords, the developer decided to do that themselves in order to get to market faster. Even though the developer chose to censor some terms, there still remained enough vulgar terms that it required a parental control rating of 17+.

You are correct that the Ninjawords application should not have needed to be censored while also receiving a 17+ rating, but that was a result of the developers' actions, not Apple's. I believe that the Apple app review team's original recommendation to the developer to submit the Ninjawords application, without censoring it, to the App Store once parental controls was implemented would have been the best course of action for all; Wiktionary.org is an open, ever-changing resource and filtering the content does not seem reasonable or necessary.