(It often helps.)
The context is that Steve was still involve with Apple's decision. It is similar to a lot of things at Apple. They were there for a reason but it seems a lot of the context were gone once Steve was not there.
> After spending 19 days to review our submission, causing us to miss a long-planned January 2nd launch date
>2025 will see the best of both worlds (we will still easily install apps, easily see permissions shared etc. - But will also get our freedom back, companies won't have 30% revenue taken, etc.). Optimistic, huh.
The hey calendar without the hey email is a something good for nothing. Dream the fight!
Apple rejected our stand-alone free companion app “because it doesn’t do anything”. That is because users are required to login with an existing account to use the functionality.
This is a ridiculous charge. The App Store is filled with high-profile applications that require an existing service account and simply presents a login screen when first launched. Here are just four:
Not sure if there's something else going on beneath that charge. Maybe DHH needs to take a walk with Tim Cook like the Musk man did.
Having had my own app in the store for > 13 years, and shipping hundreds of other updates for various apps (if you follow any major sports, you likely have some of my code on your phone), Apple provides developers with an option to provide reviewers with details about how to use a test account or another way to access services.
Further, you can ship for approval well ahead of release, and schedule when it goes public in the store. You can even update it before that scheduled release and ship the more refined version on the originally scheduled date.
Sending it off to Apple in the week leading up to Christmas is amateur hour. Anyone that’s been in the app industry knows that Apple (corporate, not stores) basically shuts down the entire week leading up to the holiday.
This is pithy complaining by DHH.
If this review time period caused Hey to miss their launch date, this is a major signal that their developers do not have ANY experience with the iOS App Store.
> That is because users are required to login with an existing account to use the functionality.
Again, this is clearly spelled out in the Apple App Store requirements. You MUST provide credential for reviews, and those credentials must work. Additionaly, if you are pushing users to login through an external provider, providing a "Demo Mode" is an easy way around App Store restrictions.
This entire article reaks of inexperience, which is pretty incredible since Hey has gone through similar in the past[0].
My suggestion, hire software engineers with experience releasing to the app store.
As for review turnaround times, it's been quite awhile since multiple weeks without a response has been normal. In a normal app store submission process, with an app this size, an experienced team can plan to make requested changes with that much lead time before a launch date.
I'm surprised though that they didn't ship this calendar app with a simple calendar you can use without paying. That's how they handled the email app deadlock; there's a temporary random email generator feature that anyone can use, which gives the app the requested out-of-the-box functionality. Seems like the same workaround could have been successful here.
I'm extremely skeptical of this claim. I have apps in the app store that behave exactly as you've described and Apple has not rejected any of our submissions. One app uses a third party login, one uses a first party login. One allows for registration within the app, the other requires registration outside of the app.
>it's been quite awhile since multiple weeks without a response has been normal
You are correct that typically reviews are very fast. That said, we recently had a new version of an app take 2 weeks (14 days) to get reviewed and rejected due to a similar, but different, issue. My guiddance is always submit very early (4+ weeks), especially when you have a launch date with marketing or other real-world tie-ins.
There are easy ways to work around Hey Calendar's rejection, but only if you submit early and are prepared to do the work. Similar to your suggestion, providing a "Demo Mode" where a user can see what the app does without login easily solves the rejection issue. I can say this with confidence as I've done it in the past with an app that is still on the app store.
Maybe you don't have all the information because it is not entirely spelled out in the blog post, they have all the engineers they need because they have experience, they already did everything you said but Apple keeps being Apple, and your advice is not needed ?
That does not scream "they have the experience they need".
While they may not listen, they absolutely need to hear the advice to submit earlier.
>Of course we gave them a login. We’ve been publishing apps on the App Store for over a decade. This was not a low-level mistake. It went all the way to the app review board.
In another response he writes that the reviewers did in fact log in.
I think he should just focus on the discrimination part instead of mentioning about the tax or Apple being a monopoly. I don’t how mentioning those things is going to help him to solve the issue. (Since it is already decided by a judge that Apple doesn’t have a monopoly on the App Store)
For that matter, even supermarkets charge for shelf positioning.
Early adopters tend to explore and self-support more. Late majority need more TLC.
If the government added an additional 50% tax on books that sold over a million copies, it would affect funding for many more authors than the ones with books over the threshold.
What good would that do?
One thing I have found that matters – your app's launch screen had better be as vanilla as possible. If you even hint at conversion, sales, sign-up, etc, you're going to get dinged.
Either way, this has a "smell" to it.
you're planning around the time where most of the people who review these things are going to be taking PTO. as far as I could tell reading the guidelines the only guarantee apple gives you is that they'll get to it as soon as possible
it's also a little funny that DHH is saying that apple exempted them from the rules last time and then a couple paragraphs later is complaining that apple exempts other companies from the rules as well
I agree, the duration of the review is irrelevant to this complaint. I would suggest hiring SWEs/consultants who actually understand the iOS App Review process the next time you want to release an app, since Hey obviously does not understand it.
From Apple's announcement[1]:
> On average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. However, reviews may take a bit longer to complete from December 22 to 27.
From Apple's announcement[1]:
> On average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. However, reviews may take a bit longer to complete from December 22 to 27.
The author wants clear and fair rules so that exemptions are never even needed. I think the article is pretty clear on this.
Getting their exemption was an absolute nightmare for them - It’s certainly not something they are gloating over.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/22/21298552/apple-hey-email-...
That’s also why I asked if there was a better summary available, preferably from a 3rd party.