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Author of f.lux here: After reversing the new APIs in iOS9, it’s really really clear that Apple has added lots of great features to iOS (and the new devices) t
by herf 11y ago
Author of f.lux here:
After reversing the new APIs in iOS9, it’s really really clear that Apple has added lots of great features to iOS (and the new devices) to adjust screen colors. The new models even have RGB color sensing, so they are an ideal platform to build f.lux on. (I was pretty excited about our next version!)
If this were only about reverse-engineering or using LLVM to compile code I wrote, it would be reasonable to fight it. The remarkable thing about their agreement is that it concerns using information that is not provided under the agreement. This is a reasonable term for app store distribution, but it seems unprecedented and heavy-handed for unsigned binaries.
Ultimately, we pulled the app both to show good faith, and also because we were asking hundreds of thousands of people to use Xcode to make accounts and sign our software. When Apple calls up and says they don't want that to happen, it is not really a thing you can fight. It’s their infrastructure, and they can decide how it is used.
We were feeling pretty good about introducing “building stuff in Xcode” to people who’ve never tried it before.
We have been as polite as we can to Apple in hopes that they will open up the platform to developers like us. The demand for f.lux is certainly incredible.
- btreecat 11y agoWhy not just start work on an android version?
- OJFord 11y agoFrom the FAQ [1]: > We have a version internally (it looks beautiful!) > but it requires a very complicated installation > process. We are working to simplify this and ship > f.lux to the Android OS as soon as possible. I'd have thought Android users would generally be more willing to do this "very complicated installation" than iOS users would be to sideload with XCode, but there you go. [1] https://justgetflux.com/faq.html https://justgetflux.com/faq.html
- SamBam 11y agoOn Android we already have dimming/warming apps like Twilight. Why is f.lux any more complicated?
- yohui 11y agoFor reference, the most popular screen dimming/warming apps for Android: - Lux (free/$3.80): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vito.lux https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vito.lux - Twilight (free/$2.99): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux.donate https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid...
- OJFord 11y agoI have no idea. But the developers (of f.lux) seem to claim elsewhere that the existing solutions aren't 'solutions' at all; don't do it properly. I can't speak for the truth of that though. I've used the aptly named "Blue Light Filter" which seems to work fine. CyanogenMod OS bundles something which seems okay too.
- FreakyT 11y agoTwilight and Lux both contain naive implementations using a semitransparent overlay. The result of this that blacks and dark colors end up being brightened instead of left alone, as a proper color-temperature change would do. This looks bad on all screens, but especially so on AMOLED displays that support a true black. Cf.lumen[1] is, I believe, the only Android app that can actually change the color temperature of the screen like f.lux can, but it requires root as well as installation of a special "driver" in order to do so. My guess would be that the "complicated install process" referenced by the f.lux devs is probably similar. [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.lumen&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.l...
- tempestn 11y agoI believe if Lux has root access it changes its behaviour to also change the actual color temp rather than using an overlay.
- rplnt 11y agoIt's integrated in CM. Not flux, but something that works very well (as opposed to twilight for example). Too bad I had to switch to 11. Anyone know of a solution that would work for me?
- OJFord 11y agoI use 'Bluelight Filter' on my Nexus 7. It's.. somehow 'different' to CM's solution (which I have on a Wileyfox Swift) but seems fine. I think you can pay to remove the spammy ads, but it's otherwise free.
- odbol_ 11y agoThere's already an Android version called Twilight and it's awesome.
- rplnt 11y agoApparently that doesn't work. On current androids, you can't have proper "f.lux" without root.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- mmastrac 11y ago> We have been as polite as we can to Apple in hopes that they will open up the platform to developers like us. The demand for f.lux is certainly incredible. This doesn't seem to be a winning strategy with Apple -- they move at whatever pace they want. A better move might be to continue to offer the download and show overwhelming interest in the product, enough that when they shut down the taps the users revolt and force Apple's hand.
- Steko 11y ago> This doesn't seem to be a winning strategy with Apple I'll go one further, it (being polite as possible) is not even what happened. They weren't polite at all, they took a dump in the pool: also because we were asking hundreds of thousands of people to use Xcode to make accounts and sign our software
- lawnchair_larry 11y agoYes it is. There is nothing impolite about that whatsoever.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- rajacombinator 11y agoInviting the wrath of Apple's legal team is definitely not a winning strategy ...
- ryangittins 11y agoThank you for all of your hard work! I have used flux for years now and it's only when I don't have it that I realize how damn well it works.
- increment_i 11y ago>> The demand for f.lux is certainly incredible. I'll say! Is it really hundreds of thousands of people? That's fantastic.
- eridius 11y agoI'm rather confused as to why you thought the following: > We understood that the new Xcode signing was designed to allow such use, but Apple has indicated that this should not continue. Where has Apple ever indicated that the new Xcode signing was intended for your use-case? I never saw the download you provided, but I'm assuming you didn't actually release f.lux as open source, but instead just provided essentially a prebuilt download and had Xcode re-sign it. Is that assumption correct? Because that seems to be a pretty blatant violation of the spirit of the developer program, even if it's not explicitly spelled out in the agreement. The new Xcode signing model is intended to allow people to get started with iOS development without paying any money, so they can build and run their own projects on their own devices, and only have to pay for the dev program when they want to start distributing to other people. If you did in fact release f.lux as an open-source project, that would be within both the spirit and the letter of the agreement (I doubt Apple has any problems with people installing open-source apps on their personal devices). But it should be obvious that Apple wants all binary distribution to be done through the app store (or enterprise distribution where applicable). Speaking of enterprise distribution, did you ever investigate that approach? I'm going to guess Apple has some stricter requirements on getting an enterprise developer program account, and I don't know if there's any restrictions in the agreement. But I've never actually looked into it myself so I don't know.
- potatolicious 11y ago> "I'm going to guess Apple has some stricter requirements on getting an enterprise developer program account, and I don't know if there's any restrictions in the agreement." There are. Using enterprise distribution to distribute to the general public is explicitly disallowed for some IMO really good reasons (the ability to call private APIs being a big one). There's some gray area when it comes to using enterprise distribution (e.g., to external testers not otherwise affiliated with your company) and Apple generally doesn't police these, but allowing the general public to install is very, very much against the rules and will get you banned.
- eridius 11y agoI'm not particularly surprised. Actually, I would have been surprised if these restrictions weren't in place. But I figured it was worth looking into.
- lectrick 11y agoHave you considered open-sourcing your code with a license you're comfortable with? http://choosealicense.com/ http://choosealicense.com/ As a developer who suffers from sleep disorders (both sleep apnea as well as general restlessness which is fortunately aided by f.lux!), how do I donate to your project (ideally in bitcoin)?
- slang800 11y agoYou can use [redshift](https://github.com/jonls/redshift https://github.com/jonls/redshift) - it's like f.lux, except it respects your freedom.
- synchronise 11y agoSo what does F.lux do differently to the FOSS solution Redshift? https://github.com/jonls/redshift https://github.com/jonls/redshift
- nunodonato 11y agoRedshift was inspired by F.lux. I actually use Redshift since F.lux is not available in linux, but Redshift has no mobile versions.
- Piskvorrr 11y agoWeird. I distinctly remember installing and using it on my Linux boxes. https://justgetflux.com/linux.html https://justgetflux.com/linux.html
- Cederfjard 11y ago>since F.lux is not available in linux I've run it on my Ubuntu install for quite a while, at least a year I think? Am I missing something? https://justgetflux.com/linux.html https://justgetflux.com/linux.html
- nunodonato 11y agostrange! i was convinced that I started using redshift due to f.lux's inavailability... my bad!
- tripzilch 11y agoWell, Redshift is a lightweight program that also works, and has a simple-to-use shell command. That's attractive to some Linux-users :) And it goes all the way down to 1000K, leaving only the red channel :) Which is not particularly useful, but it does make Redshift literally cooler than F.lux.
- josteink 11y ago> Ultimately, we pulled the app both to show good faith, and also because we were asking hundreds of thousands of people to use Xcode to make accounts and sign our software. When Apple calls up and says they don't want that to happen I called this yesterday[1], and I was told Apple would never do this. Now that they did... Gee, colour me surprised! To be honest I'm a little bit surprised. I assumed it would take more than 24 hours. Good job being the tech kill-joys you always are, Apple. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10552070 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10552070
- barrystaes 11y ago> When Apple calls up and says they don't want that to happen "Please stop doing whatever you want with your device, we like to determine what you can do." Ok, bye.
- seivan 11y agoWhen it breaks they have to deal with it, not the f.lux team. It's the same reason they don't want apps that ask you to throw your phone in the air, or put a bag full of sugar on the screen for weighing purposes. Not justifying anything just explaining their PoV.
- LBarret 11y agoThis is a bit of a strawman argument, F.lux is not in this category of silly apps. F.lux is a reasonable app it has a good track record respecting its users and is requested by many many users. It is about control.
- shiven 11y agoWait! What do you mean "breaks" w.r.t. f.lux? How does f.lux cause any breaks? What has Apple ever had to fix with f.lux sideload installed iPhones? And what if I, the owner of the device, sign-off on the risks? If they have an EULA that covers such things, then why worry?
- 11y ago
- ultimatejman 11y agoNever used Xcode and it was simple to side load onto my iPhone. It's a great app, keep pushing and apple will see sense.
- LeoNatan25 11y agoHave you considered open-sourcing your project?
- dates 11y agoThanks for the awesome software! f.lux was the only reason I jailbroke my phone, over a year ago.... glad to see its possible to install on an iOS device without jailbreak now...even if the install process is circuitous