Tag Archives: app store

News

Apple blocks Been Choice app

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Just when we thought we had seen the end of in-app advertising, Apple wipes the iStore clear of a host of applications that it deems unsafe and insecure. Been Choice was an in-app blocker that was capable of blocking even Apple’s own ads from within their news feed. Apple blocks Been Choice from the app store as a result of carrying out practices that enabled them to view encrypted traffic. Due to the way that Been Choice routes traffic, Apple was quick to pick up on the fact that the data being transported was also being diverted to an ad-removal server, which in turn left it vulnerable. Apple is not going to let your sensitive data lay around to fall into the wrong hands.

Root Certificates Cause Insecure Traffic

Whilst the motives for this function of the Been Choice app are most likely free from malicious intent, the installing of “root certificates”, as was the case with their app, allows for the viewing of data on a packet to packet level, bypassing any encryption used. Apple holds a sincere commitment to protecting customers’ security online, always looking out for the privacy of their consumers. In this particular case however there was also reference to the damage that in-app ad-blocking will create to steady revenue streams across the world. Safari in-browser ad-blockers were unaffected by the app store clean-up.

Been Choice Back to the Drawing-Board

Been Choice responded on Friday 9th 2015, stating that they would resubmit their application once adapting it remedy complaints from Apple. They are confident that it will meet fully compliance, stating in a Tweet “We will remove ad-blocking for Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Yahoo Finance and Pinterest and resubmit tomorrow to comply”. Apple may have blocked Been Choice for now and details are unclear over the level of ad-blocking functionality that will be provided by Been Choice when it returns, but the trending ad-blocker is definitely not gone for good.

Apps

Why does the App Store continue to reject new apps?

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The App Store houses thousands of applications that can be used on all kinds of Apple devices. In fact, Apple says that there are nearly 1.2 million applications available today. As appealing as the variety is, there are concerns over how some people who make their apps end up getting rejected by Apple. Apple has a number of different reasons for why it refuses some applications.

apple-app-rejection-reasons

The main reason why Apple rejects apps is because the company doesn’t have enough information on those apps. About 14% of apps are rejected due to this reason. This especially comes from when people don’t provide demo usernames and passwords for programs that require people to log in for some reason. Apple needs full access to new apps and if it does not have access to them or information on those programs then it will reject new apps.

In addition, apps that have bugs and errors in them will be rejected. Apple wants to ensure that any app that is uploaded will actually work without any faults.

The user interface is another aspect of apps that Apple looks into. If a person uploads an app that features an interface that is overly convoluted or difficult to manage then that app will be rejected.

The relevance of a description or other pieces of data that relate the app that is being submitted will also be a real factor. If the description, screenshots or other pieces of data are not reflected in the actual project then the app will be rejected. Apple wants to encourage truth in advertising above all else.

The same can be said for fraudulent information and anything that may be poorly represented. If the program is represented in a way that is misleading or incorrect in some form then it will not get into the App Store. Apple only wants to work with those who do business in an honest and trustworthy way.

Anything listed as a “trial,” “demo” or “beta” version will also be rejected. Apple does not want to take in programs that do not appear to be completely finished. The company only wants programs that it knows are accurate and ready for use without creating any future problems.

Finally, all apps with placeholder text will be rejected. Therefore, all app developers must be aware of what they are doing when preparing their work the right way. The standards that Apple has are certainly strict. The reasons for why the company rejects so many apps are important for all who want to send in their own apps to consider.

News

App Store celebrates 5th Anniversary

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The App Store has just celebrated its fifth anniversary. Can you believe it? In some ways, downloading apps has become so commonplace it’s hard to think back to the days before Angry Birds and FourSquare. Yet at the same time, it doesn’t feel like it should be that old.

The App Store was launched on July 10, 2008 and proffered a mere 500 apps. A few of the most notable initial offerings were eBay, Travelocity, Facebook, Yelp, Shazam, Super Monkey Ball and MLB.com.

Five years later, there are probably Mac users who have that many apps on their iPhone 5s! The App Store was immediately popular, with 10 million apps downloaded in just four days. By April 4, 2009, 1 billion had been downloaded and by June 7, 2010, a whopping 5 billion downloads had been completed through the App Store. As on May 16, 2013 there had been more than 50 billion downloads!

Today, there are more than 900,000 apps available; a far cry from those 500 we started off with. With nearly 1 million apps on the market, there’s something for nearly anything you can think of. There are apps to monitor your sleeping patterns, apps that let you simulate making toast, there is even an app that claims it can help you determine whether a watermelon is ripe or not.

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the App Store, Apple has created a special page in the iTunes Store highlighting popular apps and milestones. It’s also offering a selection of popular paid apps for free for the week. They’re good ones, too! For those who want to take advantage of the offer, the gaming apps are Badland, Infinity Blade 2, Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery, Tiny Wings and Where’s My Water? The other apps are Traktor DJ, Over (a photography app), How to Cook Everything, Day One (a journaling app) and Barefoot World Atlas.

It’s incredible to think how quickly technology has developed since Apple released the original iPhone in 2007. In just five short years we’ve gone from the revolutionary first iPhone, which had Safari, html email, YouTube and threaded text messaging to more choices of stunning and useful apps than we can possibly imagine.

In that short period time we’ve upgraded through several versions of the iPhone and also witnessed the initial creation and several generations of the iPad, the iPad Mini and the iPhone 5 with retina display. Accordingly, as mobile technology has developed, apps have too. Today there are versions of apps created specifically for iPads and new Apple devices with retina display.

With rumors swirling about the impending release of an innovative new iPhone and the possibility of Apple “phablets,” what might we see developers release in the App Store between now and 2018? Considering just how quickly mobile technology has developed in the last five years, it’s anyone’s guess. But regardless of what currently unfathomable device Apple releases in the next few years, there is one thing we can be guaranteed of. There (will be) an app for that!