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Girls Around Me Has Been Yanked From The App Store

44 points by tilt 15y ago

zobzu 15y ago
cause yeh, you get removed if you bring bad publicity. does not matter that anyone can do this on their own, and that what should be limited at the source... nonono, the source generates way too much money & power. Just kill and blame the little guy for doing what the big guys are doing.
- jws 15y ago
  The app did not function as advertised. That is grounds for removal. (Their API access was cut off by foursquare.)
  - 27182818284 15y ago
    "The app did not function as advertised." Intentionally vague such that Apple or whatever company implementing similar language can cut off access to something when PR goes bad.
    - jbri 15y ago
      Foursquare cut off the app's API access. The app literally didn't work when it was removed.
- nextparadigms 15y ago
  This is what I don't get. Are the new Apple policies just for show, if they can kill at will any app they want if it brings bad publicity? In the end the fundamental thinking behind the App Store is still "we won't allow what we don't like".
  - BHSPitMonkey 15y ago
    As jws replied above you, the app no longer works because Foursquare revoked their API access (as it was in violation of their own terms).
- SODaniel 15y ago
  21st century democracy. The ones who have the money, make the rules.
  - bhb916 15y ago
    No, dude, that's just democracy.
    - ceol 15y ago
      Yeah, I'm pretty sure the ones with money have always made the rules.
      - philwelch 15y ago
        Not true. It used to be the ones who made the rules took the money.
        cabalamat 15y ago
        Both have been true (and still are to some extent), creating a self-perpetuating oligarchy.
malkia 15y ago
Time for "Fools around me" - tick tock
- seconded 15y ago
  seconded
- BHSPitMonkey 15y ago
  They should spin this off into a "Stalkers Around Me" app, displaying location data from the users who installed "Girls Around Me".
  - malkia 15y ago
    "Zombies around me" and also "Memes around me" - as in stalking memes.
  - anonymoushn 15y ago
    "Users of This App Around Me" won't need to use Foursquare.
    - glogla 15y ago
      And that might also be useful app, if you're into this sort of thing. Like 'HW users who want to advertise to other HW users they might want to grab a beer around me'. Getting the privacy right is tricky, though.
kalleboo 15y ago
Ironically, that Cult of Mac article has an apptap ad for Girls Around Me…
guynamedloren 15y ago
Would love to hear the 'Girls Around Me' developers chime in on this.. I never used the app, but it certainly seemed popular (though maybe I'm wrong?). I wonder if they're going to try to revamp and revive it.
nchuhoai 15y ago
While I think it is morally wrong, what specific policies have they violated? The quote in cult-of-mac was rather vague and from what I have gathered from this issue is that they access purely public data?
- TazeTSchnitzel 15y ago
  Apple considers it in bad taste... if they feel an App will harm the App Store's reputation or is not good for consumers they can pull it.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
f4stjack 15y ago
This is just a palliative cure. The genie is already out of the box and you just can't put it in. The problem lies with our habit of giving away personal information like cotton candy. Combine it with lax security/privacy measures and this is what you get.
rbarooah 15y ago
There are a bunch of comments here expressing outrage at the seeming arbitrary decision of Apple to pull this app. Whilst others have correctly pointed out that the app no longer works because FourSquare has cut off API access, Apple's policies do essentially allow them to remove apps that they consider to be in bad taste or against the interests of consumers without having a guideline in place in advance. They explicitly say that the app store guidelines are open to being changed, and that they think developers should know where to draw the line, even if it's not in already in the rules. Compliance with the stated rules isn't a guarantee of anything. They really just help people to avoid repeating things that have caused rejections in the past.
- jinushaun 15y ago
  The real question is whether the infamous App Store approval process was supposed to "catch" something like this in the first place?
  - rbarooah 15y ago
    We know by now that the approval process doesn't catch everything that later turns out to be a problem. Apple makes no secret of this.
paulhauggis 15y ago
This is what happens when you sell your software on a site run by a dictator (or in this case, Apple): they make all the rules..and there's not much you can do when you get kicked for violating one. This is why I've started to shy away from third-party marketplaces and sites. Unless you own your own site (and are getting a significant portion of your clients from this site), you don't really have full control over your business. Even when you have your own site, Google has a similar type of control over you.

44 points by tilt 15y ago

zobzu 15y ago

cause yeh, you get removed if you bring bad publicity. does not matter that anyone can do this on their own, and that what should be limited at the source... nonono, the source generates way too much money & power. Just kill and blame the little guy for doing what the big guys are doing.

jws 15y ago
The app did not function as advertised. That is grounds for removal. (Their API access was cut off by foursquare.)
- 27182818284 15y ago
  "The app did not function as advertised." Intentionally vague such that Apple or whatever company implementing similar language can cut off access to something when PR goes bad.
  - jbri 15y ago
    Foursquare cut off the app's API access. The app literally didn't work when it was removed.
nextparadigms 15y ago
This is what I don't get. Are the new Apple policies just for show, if they can kill at will any app they want if it brings bad publicity? In the end the fundamental thinking behind the App Store is still "we won't allow what we don't like".
- BHSPitMonkey 15y ago
  As jws replied above you, the app no longer works because Foursquare revoked their API access (as it was in violation of their own terms).
SODaniel 15y ago
21st century democracy. The ones who have the money, make the rules.
- bhb916 15y ago
  No, dude, that's just democracy.
  - ceol 15y ago
    Yeah, I'm pretty sure the ones with money have always made the rules.
    - philwelch 15y ago
      Not true. It used to be the ones who made the rules took the money.
      - cabalamat 15y ago
        Both have been true (and still are to some extent), creating a self-perpetuating oligarchy.

malkia 15y ago

Time for "Fools around me" - tick tock

seconded 15y ago
seconded
BHSPitMonkey 15y ago
They should spin this off into a "Stalkers Around Me" app, displaying location data from the users who installed "Girls Around Me".
- malkia 15y ago
  "Zombies around me" and also "Memes around me" - as in stalking memes.
- anonymoushn 15y ago
  "Users of This App Around Me" won't need to use Foursquare.
  - glogla 15y ago
    And that might also be useful app, if you're into this sort of thing. Like 'HW users who want to advertise to other HW users they might want to grab a beer around me'. Getting the privacy right is tricky, though.

kalleboo 15y ago

Ironically, that Cult of Mac article has an apptap ad for Girls Around Me…

guynamedloren 15y ago

Would love to hear the 'Girls Around Me' developers chime in on this.. I never used the app, but it certainly seemed popular (though maybe I'm wrong?). I wonder if they're going to try to revamp and revive it.

nchuhoai 15y ago

While I think it is morally wrong, what specific policies have they violated? The quote in cult-of-mac was rather vague and from what I have gathered from this issue is that they access purely public data?

TazeTSchnitzel 15y ago
Apple considers it in bad taste... if they feel an App will harm the App Store's reputation or is not good for consumers they can pull it.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]

f4stjack 15y ago

This is just a palliative cure. The genie is already out of the box and you just can't put it in. The problem lies with our habit of giving away personal information like cotton candy. Combine it with lax security/privacy measures and this is what you get.

rbarooah 15y ago

There are a bunch of comments here expressing outrage at the seeming arbitrary decision of Apple to pull this app. Whilst others have correctly pointed out that the app no longer works because FourSquare has cut off API access, Apple's policies do essentially allow them to remove apps that they consider to be in bad taste or against the interests of consumers without having a guideline in place in advance. They explicitly say that the app store guidelines are open to being changed, and that they think developers should know where to draw the line, even if it's not in already in the rules. Compliance with the stated rules isn't a guarantee of anything. They really just help people to avoid repeating things that have caused rejections in the past.

jinushaun 15y ago
The real question is whether the infamous App Store approval process was supposed to "catch" something like this in the first place?
- rbarooah 15y ago
  We know by now that the approval process doesn't catch everything that later turns out to be a problem. Apple makes no secret of this.

paulhauggis 15y ago

This is what happens when you sell your software on a site run by a dictator (or in this case, Apple): they make all the rules..and there's not much you can do when you get kicked for violating one. This is why I've started to shy away from third-party marketplaces and sites. Unless you own your own site (and are getting a significant portion of your clients from this site), you don't really have full control over your business. Even when you have your own site, Google has a similar type of control over you.