Apple Removes Wi-Fi Finders From App Store

jasonbrown writes "Apple on Thursday began removing another category of apps from its iPhone App Store. This time, it's not porn, it's Wi-Fi. Apple removed several Wi-Fi apps commonly referred to as stumblers, or apps that seek out available Wi-Fi networks near your location. According to a story on Cult of Mac, apps removed by Apple include WiFi-Where, WiFiFoFum, and yFy Network Finder."

Comments

Really?

[GaryPatterson]

I just ran a search for WiFi in the app store, and plenty of free finders appeared.

Was there something about these specific apps, or is this just about those apps using reserved (ie subject to change) frameworks?

In short - let's not panic just yet, hm?

Re:Really?

[OzPeter]

I just ran a search for WiFi in the app store, and plenty of free finders appeared.

TFA mentioned 3 apps, and gave the reason for one of them as being because they used a private API. Maybe its just a PO'd or two developer beating up a story?

Re:Really?

[anagama]

I read this morning that the ones removed were the ones using private frameworks. Indeed, a quick google: http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/03/05/apple-bans-wifi-hotspot-detecting-apps-from-itunes-iphone-ipod-touch-apps-using-%E2%80%98private-frameworks%E2%80%99-pulled/

It should be said that so far the only Apps to be pulled are those that actively scan for WiFi hotspots and not those that employ a database paired with the iPhone's GPS capabilities

So the ones left are totally lame.

Re:Really?

[clang_jangle]

Looks like you're right. FTFA:

"We received a very unfortunate e-mail today from Apple stating that WiFi-Where has been removed from sale on the App Store for using private frameworks to access wireless information," WiFi Where-maker Three Jacks Software, wrote on its Web site.
There was no explanation as to what Apple meant by "private frameworks." Apple representatives were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNET.
TechCrunch says Tonchidot, a Tokyo-based developer, had its app Sekai Camera removed because of its use of Wi-Fi, too. Sekai Camera uses PlaceEngine as a way to determine a user's location over Wi-Fi.
PlaceEngine developer Koozyt says other apps that use its technology have also been removed, including Yahoo! Maps for the iPhone.

So it looks like this may be about the PlaceEngine framework, not wifi per se. And this is why we need to RTFA, there are just too many false and/or misleading summaries.

Re:Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

The term "Kafkaesque" usually refers to Kafka's "The Trial", where a man is arrested and prosecuted without ever being told what the crime is. Although sometimes it refers to "Metamorphosis", which involves people turning into giant roaches. You make the call.

Re:Really?

[Low Ranked Craig]

Clutter is the wrong word, however, you are correct in that the use of unpublished APIs should be enforced. The problem with the average use is, that if an App uses a private API and that API changes, the user will blame Apple when the next version of iPhone OS breaks the app. Developers should NOT use unpublished APIs in production software.

Doesn't appear to be a moral judgement

[russotto]

It appears Apple's problem with the apps isn't with what they do but with how they do it; namely, using non-public frameworks. There probably isn't a way to do it using public frameworks, though (on Mac OS X, you need to use the private Apple80211.framework, not sure about iPhone OS X).

Re:Why?

[alen]

if it's for using private API's, avoiding the MS bad publicity. everyone worked around MS bugs and Microsoft couldn't make needed changes in their OS's due to developers complaining it was going to cause them to write code. in Vista they had to pull a new anti-virus API because of this.

Apple is just forcing everyone to follow the rules in the developer agreement. last thing Apple wants is to release an iPhone OS update and to have thousands of apps fail due to private API use and then all the devs will complain how it's Apple's fault

As a life long Apple user

[AHuxley]

All I can say is get a real phone with options you like eg android, nokia 9x ect.
Apple makes a great OS, some great hardware.
Just stay away from the DRM junk and itoys.
Or help port a real OS to it.
As amazon showed with 1984, MS with win 7 mobile and now Apple shows, your just a consumer renting space on their their vision of the world.
Time to disconnect Apple and buy or use/write a real mobile OS.

Private Frameworks, people.

[pclminion]

Apple has NEVER permitted the use of private frameworks in iPhone apps. My company had to rewrite an app we were trying to deploy because we were using some undocumented features for still frame capture from the camera device. We almost made it through the authorization process, then Apple shot us down at the last second because of it. We had to wait a few more minor releases before the functionality we needed was exposed through an approved interface. It had nothing to do with our application, but rather, the way it was implemented.

In general, the use of undocumented APIs is frowned upon throughout the industry, as it makes for flaky application and reverse-vendor-lockin, when an extremely popular application relies on undocumented APIs, the APIs change, then people come bitching to the platform manufacturer for "breaking" their applications. There's nothing weird about this, whatsoever. Chill out, folks.

Re:"Kafkaesque" = "boring" as far as I can tell.

[ADRA]

If you refer to his novels, 'Kafkaesque' would most likely denote the endless pain and futility of dealing with an organization where the participant has no idea what hoops to jump through until they are prevented without achieving them.

Kafka used the individual's ignorance of the system as a weapon that is used to dis-empower him. Even the most crazily elaborate set of obstacles can be overcome with planning and diligence if you're aware of them, but in Kafka's novels, there was always a new challenge to overcome whenever the previous one was achieved. This ultimate futility was the driving theme of many of his stories.

Dictionary quote:
adjective
Complex or illogical in a bizarre, surreal, or nightmarish manner.

In either case, the original poster of the phrase miss-appropriated it into their post to express what would be best served just dropping the word and leaving the sentence in tact without "active enforcement of ever-shifting, secret rules against applications" would have served just fine.

Re:"Kafkaesque" = "boring" as far as I can tell.

[falconwolf]

Dictionary quote:
adjective
Complex or illogical in a bizarre, surreal, or nightmarish manner.

Which describes Apple's actions.

Falcon

Re:Why?

[shutdown -p now]

If you want to get a taste of what multi-tasking on a smartphone hardware spec device would be ...

... you can check out any WinMo smartphone from, oh, 5 years ago, which could handle that just fine. Perfectly smooth? No. Working? Yes. Useful? Damn yes.

And today, with all competitors offering perfectly usable multitasking, this argument is dead in its tracks.

Re:walled garden

[Colonel Korn]

Ah yes, greater variety in fart generator applications is really high on my list of features I want from a phone.

Out of curiosity, did Final Fantasy make it to Android?

Yes. Every NES, SNES (I think), and Genesis game is on Android via emulators. Here's a review of a NES emulator: http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/05/26/quick-review-nesoid-nes-emulator-for-android/

I guess it's not legal, but if you're willing to go the emulator route you pay only $2 for thousands of NES games instead of the $9 I just spent on Final Fantasy on the iPhone.