4 ms·

Is there any policy to prevent apps displaying ads in the touch bar?

gcr 10y ago
Yes. From the API docs: """There is no need, and no API, for your app to know whether or not there is a Touch Bar available. Whether your app is running on a machine that supports the Touch Bar or not, your app’s onscreen user interface (UI) appears and behaves the same way. The Touch Bar dims automatically and wakes when the user touches it. Do not show alerts in the Touch Bar, and do not use the Touch Bar for widgets."""
- dahdum 10y ago
  Nothing stopping the developer from showing alerts or ads though right? Your app might not know if it's enabled, but then again can just run 100% of the time in case it is.
  - ams6110 10y ago
    I guess Apple not approving your app for the app store mught be a stopper.
    - statictype 10y ago
      Does it only work with App Store Apps?
      - Gaelan 10y ago
        Doubt it. Apple demoed it with Photoshop, and I doubt PS is going on the App Store any time soon.
- cyrus_ 10y ago
  Unless the OS is rendering the bar off-screen even when there isn't a hardware bar, you could trivially determine whether there is a bar by having the code that controls the bar set a flag / send a message.
  - colejohnson66 10y ago
    I sounds to me that it works like an interface. You call function `doFoo()` and if there's a foobar, the OS does foo. If there isn't a foobar, the method does nothing (but both return STATUS_FOO_SUCCESS). For the touch bar, you aren't doing the actual rendering; the OS is. Only the OS knows if there's a touch bar, so without a kext or something, it seems there's no way for you to know if the touch bar exists.
    - dom0 10y ago
      Rendering and uploading something (or sending some messages to the touch bar controller; or queuing messages to the touch bar) probably takes a tiny bit longer than if(!touchbar) return MAKE_SUCCESS_GREAT_AGAIN; But then again maybe the user space component just doesn't have that conditional.
ramenmeal 10y ago
This got me thinking, does Apple screen apps as vigorously in the macOS Appstore?
- charlesdm 10y ago
  Similar review process
  - imron 10y ago
    But, you can also release your own apps from your website so unlike iOS it's trivial to release and distribute an app that avoids the app store.
    - whywhywhywhy 10y ago
      Just means they can't use certain OS X tech like iCloud
mrsteveman1 10y ago
It's a very tiny space but I wouldn't be surprised to see someone try sticking ads there. However, it sounds like in the absence of private framework usage, the only way for your app to show anything in the bar at all is for it to be in the foreground. So it would seem like less of an issue than even showing ads on the main screen, where any app can technically create windows that float over all the others and can't be moved by the user.

gcr 10y ago

Yes. From the API docs: """There is no need, and no API, for your app to know whether or not there is a Touch Bar available. Whether your app is running on a machine that supports the Touch Bar or not, your app’s onscreen user interface (UI) appears and behaves the same way. The Touch Bar dims automatically and wakes when the user touches it. Do not show alerts in the Touch Bar, and do not use the Touch Bar for widgets."""

dahdum 10y ago
Nothing stopping the developer from showing alerts or ads though right? Your app might not know if it's enabled, but then again can just run 100% of the time in case it is.
- ams6110 10y ago
  I guess Apple not approving your app for the app store mught be a stopper.
  - statictype 10y ago
    Does it only work with App Store Apps?
    - Gaelan 10y ago
      Doubt it. Apple demoed it with Photoshop, and I doubt PS is going on the App Store any time soon.
cyrus_ 10y ago
Unless the OS is rendering the bar off-screen even when there isn't a hardware bar, you could trivially determine whether there is a bar by having the code that controls the bar set a flag / send a message.
- colejohnson66 10y ago
  I sounds to me that it works like an interface. You call function `doFoo()` and if there's a foobar, the OS does foo. If there isn't a foobar, the method does nothing (but both return STATUS_FOO_SUCCESS). For the touch bar, you aren't doing the actual rendering; the OS is. Only the OS knows if there's a touch bar, so without a kext or something, it seems there's no way for you to know if the touch bar exists.
  - dom0 10y ago
    Rendering and uploading something (or sending some messages to the touch bar controller; or queuing messages to the touch bar) probably takes a tiny bit longer than if(!touchbar) return MAKE_SUCCESS_GREAT_AGAIN; But then again maybe the user space component just doesn't have that conditional.

ramenmeal 10y ago

This got me thinking, does Apple screen apps as vigorously in the macOS Appstore?

charlesdm 10y ago
Similar review process
- imron 10y ago
  But, you can also release your own apps from your website so unlike iOS it's trivial to release and distribute an app that avoids the app store.
  - whywhywhywhy 10y ago
    Just means they can't use certain OS X tech like iCloud

mrsteveman1 10y ago

It's a very tiny space but I wouldn't be surprised to see someone try sticking ads there. However, it sounds like in the absence of private framework usage, the only way for your app to show anything in the bar at all is for it to be in the foreground. So it would seem like less of an issue than even showing ads on the main screen, where any app can technically create windows that float over all the others and can't be moved by the user.