Calling out apps that break the App Store Review Guidelines and use dark patterns. Receipts + guideline numbers. Tips → DMs open. Not affiliated with Apple.
Joined February 2024
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App Store Police retweeted
How about there is a free market for stores, and they compete for consumers and developers on all facets of services and quality?
This is how every other industry in the world works, except on iOS where there's a store monopoly developers must bow down to for mercy.
When I ran App Review, we talked about charging developers for reviews.
We discussed a few versions: a cap on reviews per app, a VIP fast pass to the front of the queue, and paid expedite. None of it shipped. It would have looked like a money grab, and nobody wanted Apple’s name on that headline.
That was years ago. Since then, three things have changed.
New apps are up 84%. Commission rates are falling in the US, the EU, and China. And Apple has a new CEO who needs to make his mark.
This year Apple has already started terminating developers for submitting too often, and making new developers prove themselves before anyone looks at their app. I think the next step is a price list for review, and I think I know what’s on it.
Steve’s rule was that a human sees every app. I gave the first ground on that rule myself, and I wrote about how in the piece.
phillipshoemaker.substack.co…
App Store Police retweeted
No price information showing on paywall. Is Apple finally starting to detect these scammers? We’ll see.
App Store Police retweeted
How is this allowed @johnternus
We spent $400,000 on the iPhone Duo drop for October/November delivery...
You didn't even need a bot to secure units. I was able to place 12 orders for October 23rd-Nov 9th delivery manually.
Meanwhile, we also had auto checkout running for members who weren't awake for the drop.
Hundreds of dollars in potential profit PER UNIT without even getting out of bed.
@AscendFBA
App Store Police retweeted
cal ai got removed for genuinely illegal web-to-app purchases, then re-added within 24h
most of us small builders are removed for “manipulating apple review” (purposefully broad and non-descriptive) and don’t even get a response from apple within 3 months - where by all our customers have been automatically churned
the game is rigged, but then again - most are
don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Yes. @erbybody had the exact same situation but Apple won't help him because he does not have 50,000 followers
Do not celebrate this dictatorship.
App Store Police retweeted
3.5 years ago I transitioned from being a software engineer to running a mobile gaming company
This is what I wish I knew at the beginning
1. Your players will call you greedy or your company will go out of business.
2. Ads work. As a software engineer, I thought no one clicked on them. I was wrong.
3. Organic content is not king. It’s spray and pray. Social media ads are like a sniper for finding customers. Both are good.
4. You need to earn the right to make a big game. Start with a game that you can make in less than 6 months.
5. You can’t MVP a game. Wait until you have a tight polished core loop to launch.
6. You can’t “fix” a bad game. Make a new one.
7. To make a great game you need someone that is 10x at: game design, coding, and visual design. This is usually 3 people. Partner/hire what you are missing.