willzeng did you try to contact support? if the itc content is different from whats shown on the store it sound alike a db bug that should be fixable by apple.
There are now a lot fewer of these apps. Some will sneak through, sure. But for a while there it seemed like we were getting two or three new ones a week. @willzeng: it was me who changed the thread title. It had nothing to do with protecting Apple. I just happen to think you are wrong, and am in the position to do something about it -- one of the few benefits that come from deleting a metric ton of spam from this site every week . As you yourself have stated, having to submit a new binary every time you submit new screenshots is inconvenient. If something is inconvenient, it's less likely that you will do it repetedly and for little purpose. In other words, it raises the cost of the transaction. The idea is to make you do more work. Sure, Apple could take your screenshots, go back to their database, download the previous binary, and make a comparison. But that would defeat the purpose, as it would create more work for Apple and not for you. More work from you means fewer screenshot changes. It's basic economics (which is really basic psychology). BTW, anyone who thinks that you need to be held at gunpoint to be forced to do anything really understands very little about human motivation.
Unfortunately it doesnt just create more work for the developer, it creates more work for Apple. If they simply grabbed an existing binary then they can just look at the screenshots vis a vis the game... and done! But with a new binary they have to go through the entire process of certifying it, and then still do the screenshot comparison after that. And this really comes at little extra time spent to the dev. All he needs to do is build and upload. Apple could simply make the screenshot submission more inconvenient in some other way, without actually increasing their own work. So, yeah, their current process is stupid. I can imagine a situation where a lot of devs decide to upload new screenshots at once, and the whole process of app approval would grind to a standstill as Apple is swamped by new binaries to test.
I don't know how often mistakes are made, but in one of my version releases, Apple somehow changed my first/lead screenshot to a screenshot I never submitted. It went from an image of my main screen to just a picture of my logo. I didnt think too much of it. Sht happens. But I was glad I could change things instantly instead of waiting approximate 7 days to clear the review queue. Apparently I'm a moron because I didn't even realize other apps were putting up fake screenshots after apple approval to generate sales. Need to keep up on my scams more I guess. As a consumer and developer, I think i fall on side of having apple should lock your screenshots in because I'd be pissed about getting scammed even for 99cents out of principle for not getting what I paid. Its also bad for other non-scamming indies because it could scare people away from non AAA-publishers. However, as others have mentioned, maybe there's a better way to accomplish the same buyer/developer 'protections' by altering the amendment process when something goes wrong either by the unintentional accident of apple or the developer (or maybe just apple if you believe developers should be more on top of their submission and shouldnt be afforded any such mistakes) where its not quite as disruptive to developers and previous purchasers.
I tried. They don't even have a dev support phone number but after several rounds of emails, I got called. They said they have no way to change the screenshots except approving a new version. And it is done that way.
I don't need to mention the rare case. To be short, to believe just checking whether the binary matches the screenshots requires uploading a new binary, is stupid. And I won't be a happy customer if I update an app for a new version but finally find nothing changed.
If a dev has been around a while and has released say 10+ apps (legit ones !) then you would hope Apple would give them a faster turnaround. But if a dev releases his first game and then wants to switch round screenshots then yeah be cautious. Its like the forum, in an ideal world any newbies will have to wait a week or two before being able to post links or have links in their signatures (which ideally would help to stop spammers who join up just to spam) I can see both sides of the argument but when there are millions more users than devs then its sensible for Apple to take the approach they have.
I just submitted a new version again, because I felt the overlaid text is too small when viewed in app store on an iPhone. If no new binary is required, the review can be done in seconds: the binary is not changed, and the screenshots are almost same to the previous ones, which are approved already. But now? You can imagine.
Users are busy downloading new versions with nothing changed. For users' sake - why this kind of illogic is mentioned again and again?
Is there any way to add a link/recommendation to a website with screenshots and further information on the game. As it sounds like you just need to submit and hope at this stage. I know it must be annoying. It's like those pesky terrorists ruining our once relaxed airport experiences. So selfish
