5 ms·
I wrote the first WiFi stumbler that hit the app store (WiFinder / WiFi Checker). It was probably the first app to use private APIs, as dubious a distinction as
by larsberg 17y ago
I wrote the first WiFi stumbler that hit the app store (WiFinder / WiFi Checker). It was probably the first app to use private APIs, as dubious a distinction as that is.
The reviewers rapidly figured out I was using them, told me about their displeasure, and let me know they'd not be approving any updates. They just only now (more than a year later!) got around to removing the other applications using the same APIs. Until now, they were just denying updates but leaving the applications in the store. And occasionally, a new application using the same APIs would squeak through a foreign app review site (I'm looking at you, Japan!).
Overall, though, at least this is a set of rules they're trying to be clear on and are finally consistently enforcing. If only they had the ability to, oh, I don't know, check if the submissions were linking against dlopen() instead of expecting the reviewers to guess if private APIs are in use! If only we had the technology... owait...
- jluxenberg 17y agoI'm not familiar with development for the iPhone, but the whole public /private API is interesting. Back when Microsoft was getting investigated by the antitrust depth some put forward the argument that MS had internal docs and secret APIs which were not public, and this was considered anticompetitive.
- gte910h 17y agoOnly because they had the windows monopoly though, and were using it to build a monopoly in office apps.
- jcl 17y agoI guess that's a valid defense at the moment I'm curious: Does Apple sell any apps of its own in the App Store? And, if so, do they reject other apps for being similar? (Being able to deny OpenOffice access to the Windows platform because it duplicates functionality in Notepad is the kind of power Microsoft can only dream of...)
- allenbrunson 17y agoapple does indeed sell apps of its own in the store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/texas-holdem/id284602850?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/texas-holdem/id284602850?mt=8 it seems like they are for the most part playing fair: apple's apps don't use private apis, they are required to compete against other apps the same as the rest of us, and so on. if there have been any violations of that "gentleman's agreement," i haven't heard about them, and i pay a lot of attention to the blogosphere on this subject. it seems to be only the apps that are installed by default on the device that get special treatment.