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Apple Bans Android Magazine App From App Store
recoiledsnake writes "Apple dialed its battle with Android up a notch today by banning an Android magazine app from its App Store, leaving no way for users to install the app on iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches without jailbreaking. The reason for rejection, as given by an Apple rep, was: 'You know... your magazine...It's just about Android.... we can't have that in our App Store.' The bi-monthly publication — the Android counterpart to an iPhone magazine Dixon began putting out earlier this year — launched Nov. 11. 'It's funny really because I don't think we would sell many magazines on Android through Apple App Store,' Dixon told Media Watch. 'But the question is where this is going.' This comes on the heels of Jobs lashing out at Android, calling it fragmented, and its patent attacks on Android."
They are refusing to publish a magazine in what they're trying to promote as a publishing platform.
I've started a company dedicated to making unique mobile apps -- the current product has no peer among Android apps because it's literally impossible to do the same thing in the current Android APIs, and so it's iOS-only. Do you think Google will let my company advertise in their conferences and meetings, or include my company's logo among the others they show off when they're advertising Android? Given that Android can't do what my app does, we're not even direct competitors and should therefore be brothers-in-mobile-innovation. Surely, they'd welcome us as an advertiser (if not highlight us among developers) and let us have a presence on the floor of any Android conferences, because to not would be evil or -- according to you -- it'd be lashing out at me in anger. I like Google, so that would be hurtful.
Could you tell us what the functionality is literally impossible in current Android APIs but possible on iOS? Also, you can submit an app to Android market which does nothing but promote your iPhone app. It will get on the Android Market place because there's no approval process. Sure, it may get bad ratings. Even if it's taken off the store, Android users can still download it from your website without jailbreaking their device.
This space for rent.
No one is trying to control what you see on your phone, that is your imagination running away with itself.
Apple is choosing to offer or not offer a product through their own store. I don't see any justification at all for you to force them to do something they don't want to do.
Seeing as how that store is the only way to install third party applications on your phone (outside of hacks), then "controlling what you see on your phone" is EXACTLY what what is happening here.
This is just denial at this point. It'd be as if Steve Jobs was personally running around crazy bashing people's toes with a hammer and your response was "lets not get carried away and say that Steve is going to start bashing toes with a hammer". It's flat out refusal to accept reality.
"People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
Indeed it's longstanding policy.
App rejected for menioning Android in the description (it was an Android Developer Contest finalist). Once that was removed the app got posted.
Even on the app store guidelines it mentions:
"Apps with metadata that mentions the name of any other mobile platform will be rejected." We're guessing this means you can't advertise your app in the App Store by saying it's also available on Android, or has been ported from BlackBerry, or whatever.
So the question is, how was it approved in the first place?
Nope, this is them playing dirty.
Real desperation is banning the CNET / GSMArena / Consumer reports apps if one of them posts a negative review. Oh wait, they did... http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-censoring-discussion-forums-ref-consumer-reports/50597
The only thing I could possibly think of is recording a phone call while it's happening without any stupid speakerphone tricks (this is a problem because of the hardware, not the software, for what it's worth), but Android phones are actually better here because those APIs have the possibility of supporting this, if some phone manufacturer decided it's important. iOS? Oh, only one person makes that hardware, so you're SOL.