Why did criminals force Apple to set up a policy that's inconvenient to me?

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by willzeng, Mar 14, 2013.

  1. When you want to update your screenshots, you have to submit a new binary and go under "new version review" process.

    Is it stupid? I was suffered, especially they got my screenshots wrong and I have to do it again. (Make a new version, increase version number, submit and wait.)

    How's the effect? When you update your screenshots, customer reviews for current version lost. And people tends to re-download the app and find nothing is changed. It's a waste of traffic and call for angry users. Even Apple want the changing of the pictures to be reviewed everytime, they can make another process, different only in that you don't need to upload a new binary and get the version number increased.
     
  2. Please refer to my app, the first screenshot is same to the third. (I don't know how they achieved this. I double checked before submission. And what kind of "review" they are doing when even duplicated screenshots are not spotted?)
     
  3. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    Think its good Apple are strict over this

    The reason they changed this was people were uploading some terrible app, and then later changing the screenshots to look like some stunning FPS game (which wasnt checked by Apple), people would then buy it expecting these stunning screens and instead get the original terrible game.

    It was all a scam so Apple have stopped that loophole.

    Granted there may simply be mistakes with the wrong screenshot uploaded (surely double check !) but overall i think this is good for consumers, stops the scam apps and their screenshots
     
  4. Eli

    Eli ᕕ┌◕ᗜ◕┐ᕗ
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold

    I'm really glad that Apple locked this down as well.
     
  5. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    Again think of the many many people who lose money due to scam apps where they would simply get their rubbish game approved and then fraudently upload some stunning screenshots which were fake just to get sales.

    Now Apple seem to be more strict over the way devs can change screenshots which is good. Surely the number of people who were fooled and lost money to fake apps is much higher than a few devs who didnt check what screenshot they uploaded.
     
  6. Agree 100%

    Just check your screenshots, no biggie.
     
  7. iqSoup

    iqSoup Well-Known Member

    Aug 22, 2012
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    I certainly don't mind Apple reviewing screenshots. Assuming only spam or scams are going to get rejected who really cares. But I agree with the OP's sentiment--why does Apple require you to submit a new binary and increase the version number??? What a nightmare! Can't they just approve the screenshots separately and let you keep the same binary, version number, and current set of reviews.

    The amount of hoops Apple required devs to jump through was annoying before--this just adds another truckload of straw to the camel's back. We all owe Apple a lot--we'd still be playing black and white Palm Pilot games if it wasn't for them--but come on guys! The iPhone is this beautiful, streamlined, futuristic product and yet the dev side of the app store (and kinda just the App Store in general) is a stuck in the stone age. Apple desperately needs to streamline the testing/submission/approval process for devs--its a nightmare and the whole screen shot approval garbage just makes it worse.
     
  8. squarezero

    squarezero Moderator
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    It's a ton better than on the console side, where you may literally be charged thousands of dollars to submit a critical bug fix (see Fez).

    Why ask for another binary? Because (1) Apple doesn't want developers to be submitting a ton of screenshot updates, which could easily become a nightmare; and (2) they want to compare the binary to the screenshots every time.

    Here at TA we stopped putting dated content on thread titles because it became burdensome to handle a constant stream of developer requests to make changes. Would it be better for developers to change thread titles any time they want? Sure, but it's thoroughly impractical. Agree or disagree, Apple almost always does things for a reason.
     
  9. lumarama

    lumarama Well-Known Member

    #9 lumarama, Mar 14, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2013
    I absolutely agree with squarezero. Just look - you have noticed that uploading new screenshots isn't simple and quick. Right? It is also not quick for apple to review your updated screenshots. Even if Apple won't force you to upload the new binary. Reviewer doesn't remember your game. So he has to run it again to check with the new screenshots. This is additional load to Apple's review team. And Apple wants you to be resposible and be serious about screenshots. So to stop stream of unessesary screenshot updates - they make it not too simple for developers also - this makes us understand the importance of double-checking everything before submitting for review.
     
  10. You didn't get my point. Both lock down and forced review are OK. But why uploading a new binary? So the version number is forced to increase and lure people to re-download to waste traffic?

    By the way, I see the thread title is changed by someone. I previously refer this policy as "stupid", and I think it's pretty OK for who stupid enough to make the policy. Why the slightest offense to Apple is always put down in the forum? Multiple times. I seriously doubt Apple stuff gets control over the forum, or it's super Apple fans.
     
  11. First, what you want to prevent can TOTALLY be done with another better approach, instead of this stupid policy.

    Second, I double checked before uploading. And when it's "waiting for review", I logged in and checked multiple times, there's no such error, so it's Apple's mistake when it changed the app to "ready for sale". (That's also a stupid mistake, but I just saved it.)
     
  12. I think both reasons are funny. Want to compare the binary to screenshots every time? Fine, go ahead please. I don't even what to comment on this.

    Doesn't what developers to submitting a ton of screenshots? I don't get it, achieve this by requiring a new binary? What's the point?

    If binary is sure to remain unchanged, the review of screenshots can be much faster because you know there's no new tricks dev could bring in, and the process is only to check whether the screenshots match the binary. And if still too many submissions, just keep the review process as long as those of new version release ones.
     
  13. AlienSpace

    AlienSpace Well-Known Member

    May 28, 2010
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    I agree that there's no need to require uploading a new binary, it is stupid. Just check the screenshots against the current binary that's already been approved. Problem solved! If people are changing screenshots too often, then limit how often they can do so. Problem solved! Forcing people to upload a binary with no changes just to upload new screenshots only makes more work for Apple... everybody loses.
     
  14. If everybody loses, we all lose. Stop the madness! ;)
     
  15. Yeah, slow and inconvenient for both sides, and that's why I refer it as stupid. They can tell you it's not easy to update just by keeping the review process as long as new binary ones, OK?

    Want us to understand the importance? Yeah, I understand and double checked, even OK in "waiting for review" phase. Now do they understand the importance? Can I give them a middle finger?

    I think iqSoup is quite clear about the matter. Losing of current reviews, waste of traffics, angry users who re-download apps and find nothing changed... Disasters. Do they understand the importance?

    Imagine the reasons the policy maker might give? How naive. Primary school graduated?
     
  16. Let's have a look at the title:

    Why did criminals force Apple to set up a policy that's inconvenient to me?

    Key word one: inconvenient. Yeah, it's true, inconvenient. I feel inconvenient to put on cloth everyday. I feel inconvenient to type in the words I want to say letter by letter. But why fuss? They have to be done. If they are necessary steps, why fuss? I must be mad when using the word.

    Key word two: force. Yeah, Apple was forced. it didn't have a choice. The criminals wrote down the policy literally and forced Apple to do that. Or they'll shot it in the head. (Does it have a head?)

    Key word three: why did criminals. (Sorry, it's three key words.) Criminals are dangerous, and their behavior is unpredictable. Police officers would speak to them. But am I a police officer? Why would I ask "why" to them? Would they fight back with "none of your business"? Do I look like a criminal-psychologist? I must be out of my mind then.

    Anyway, Apple is innocent. Criminals did that. People who discussed here are interested in criminal behavior only. Apple can never be refered as stupid for a policy, but developers are criminals if they don't use real screenshots. Cheers!
     
  17. Ovogame

    Ovogame Well-Known Member

    Sep 25, 2010
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    I think Apple should allow more freedom to 'senior' devs. By that, I mean if you have been doing business with them for years, had release many good titles and never had been caught doing 'evil' things... then why on earth are you treated the same way as the new kid releasing a crappy app from his parents basement. After a while, devs could be granted a special badge that allow them more freedom from Apple. This badge could be hard to earn but easy to loose. So it would be a win/win for everybody. Apple will spend less $ checking all these apps/update from 'trusted' devs.
     
  18. lumarama

    lumarama Well-Known Member

    #18 lumarama, Mar 15, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2013
    I think your case is exception, weird mistake at some level, so do you expect apple will add additional freedom to devs and additional stream of work to review team - just to be able to resolve such rare case as yours? I think this is indeed stupid - sacrifice review team performance. As I said with new binary or without it - reviewer must run your app to check that new screenshots are according to the content in the binary.

    You are angry and I can understand - it happened to you recently - it will be ok next time. Of course we want more freedom - but apple wants happy customers - also this is good for us - since if customers are happy they buy more apps in the end since they trust in appstore.
     
  19. fpadillao

    fpadillao Member

    Jul 5, 2011
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    This has two the bad and the good thinks. I prefer this setup because it keep out spam/scam developers. App Store is plenty of apps! it's better for good developers, now we got to take care of screenshoots before submit the app (the bad).
     
  20. DemonJim

    DemonJim Well-Known Member

    Nov 19, 2010
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    You can still change all the text metadata at any time - I wonder if Apple ever locks that down too (as the scammers now have to find another way to con people). Hopefully not as it's really handy to be able to tweak the wording, add detail or show info on sales etc.

    I'm guessing all the scam apps that triggered the need to do this all had countless 1-star ratings full of slamming reviews yet still remain on the App Store. Apple only really needs to address this issue - maybe apps that get a lot of predominantly 1-star ratings should be flagged for re-review and even auto-removed from sale (until the dev uploads a new version fixing the issues).
     

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