App Rejected because of Adcolony feature

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by unexpect3rd, Jun 6, 2014.

  1. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
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    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
    "3.10: Developers who attempt to manipulate or cheat the user reviews or chart ranking in the App Store with fake or paid reviews, or any other inappropriate methods will be removed from the iOS Developer Program
    3.10

    We found that your app, or its metadata, includes features or content that can have an excessive influence in the listing order or ranking on the App Store, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.

    Specifically, we found your app prompts users to watch videos of other apps to gain in-game goods. This excessively influences the App Store. It would be appropriate to remove or revise this information.

    If your iTunes Connect Application State is Rejected, a new binary will be required. Make the desired metadata changes when you upload the new binary.

    Thank you for your commitment to iOS and the App Store. We look forward to your resubmission."


    I assumed this is something new added to the apple agreement very recently as the same game with the same feature was just approved in May (i resubmitted because of some screw up with the IAPs).

    Anyone else with the same rejection? Any advice? I was depending pretty much on this as one of the main monetization, either IAP pay for a bunch of the consumable, or watch a video to get a few...
     
  2. Destined

    Destined Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2013
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    Apple stopped this a while ago and is finally policing it. They have become a lot stricter on ads of late. I have noticed my new submissions I had to check a bunch of boxs on my ads.
     
  3. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    369
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    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
    and I thought I was able to give my players a non-paying alternative to unlocking stuffs and obtaining consumables.

    Even at the last GDC, there were speakers who actually encourage devs to use such a model for monetization, guess I missed the boat again.
     
  4. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    Think that rules out most of the promo code contests here then ! ;)
     
  5. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    369
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    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
    and all those with "Rate my app now" prompts
     
  6. Destined

    Destined Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2013
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    #6 Destined, Jun 6, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2014
    "Specifically, we found your app prompts users to watch videos of other apps to gain in-game goods. This excessively influences the App Store. It would be appropriate to remove or revise this information."

    I don't get how that influences the app store.

    I know they don't like adwalls which encourage you to click them. It seems to me they need a more appropriate clause to reject this.
     
  7. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    369
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    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
  8. Destined

    Destined Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2013
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    Looks interesting, but seems to me that you have to change if you want to put a new version up. You aren't going to win a battle with Apple on this.
     
  9. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    369
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    18
    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
    i went to Adcolony and configured the ad filter to exclude ads for videogames and apps, either the change caused a downtime for my account or the fill rate drop to 0% as no more video ads were shown.

    I'll need to launch it from xcode later to see whats reported in the console log. Ah well.
     
  10. Destined

    Destined Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2013
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    That would seem an easy/dodgy way around it cause you could change it back after review.
     
  11. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
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    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
    omg, you know what? I didn't think about that! I just might do it :D
     
  12. optimizemyapps.com

    optimizemyapps.com Active Member

    Jan 10, 2014
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    App Store Optimization Expert
    I think the whole point is not to give your users Free coins or levels etc for watching a video. I guess if you are offering free stuff in exchange for watching videos you will have a button which says get 10 coins for watch video etc. So turning OFF your video ads will not make a difference
    Apple is not against video ads, they just dont want you to by-pass them earning money via IAPs by offering coins through 3rd party video incentives
     
  13. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    369
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    18
    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
    Yea, I understand that too, but if you have read David Marsh's article published on TA today (here). Such kind of Opt-in ads is largely well accepted by players over other forms of advertisement and thus in turn becomes a relatively more reliable model of monetization for us developers.

    Even if Apple came up with their own video-ads solution, I'm not sure how useful that'll be for some of us developers whose apps/games receives more downloads from Asian countries. I say that because last I used iAds, it got 0 fill rate for users in countries like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan where my game received significant amount of downloads (but good thing I was using a mediator and ads from other network filled it up).
     
  14. Rasterman

    Rasterman Well-Known Member

    May 10, 2010
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    Game Monger
    Tampa, FL
    This has nothing to do with "manipulate or cheat the user reviews" and everything to do with money, follow the money people. Apple knows that this is the future of monitization. First it was direct sales, then freemium with IAP, and now everything is moving to totally free and ad supported. The huge problem for Apple with this is how do they get paid? Well they don't, it effectively cuts them out of the monetization loop, so better to ban it now. I don't really disagree with them, I don't like IAP or monetization in this way, but there is no fighting it.
     
  15. Rubicon

    Rubicon Well-Known Member

    Feb 22, 2011
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    Lead Programmer, Chief Bottlewasher
    Isle of Wight, UK
    The problem with this though is that devs have moved gradually lower and lower down the price route because that's what customers ultimately want. Not everyone, but most.

    So now they're banning this option, developers are just going to move even more to other platforms. "Banned free app" and "little income from paid app" read pretty much the same when you've got a mortgage to pay. I think Apple will come to rue this decision, and I urge them to reconsider.
     
  16. winstonoftang

    winstonoftang Member

    Jun 15, 2014
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    Programmer
    Melbourne
    It's real unfortunate that Apple are banning this. I only hope that this means they're going to put more effort into curating the App Store and improving new app discovery for end users. The number of apps is only going to get bigger and there needs to be a way for new, lesser known titles to get noticed.
     
  17. Crichton333

    Crichton333 Well-Known Member

    Mar 26, 2014
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    Game developer
    Try the iOS8 beta and you can see the new App Store. They done redid it.
     
  18. artcue

    artcue Well-Known Member

    Mar 30, 2011
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    Gamedeveloper, Co-Founder of Artcue
    Vienna, Austria
    This are really not good news for Indie Devs. The larger companies are able to be visible in the App Store, but for small companies offering in-game currency for video ads was one of the few ways left to make some money.
     
  19. unexpect3rd

    unexpect3rd Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2011
    369
    2
    18
    Mobile Game Developer (Fulltime as well as indie)
    Singapore
    The irony here is that, the more we small time indies makes use of such video ads for revenue, the more we are helping the big boys get exposure for their games.

    The big boys pumps the money into getting advertised, we helped spread their ads and get them downloads, they climb the charts (and profit) from the high download counts, while we the small indies feed off the leftover monies via the ad network, while our games possibly still existing in near oblivion.

    Of course, I'm just exaggerating part of that last statement:)
     
  20. TheGreatWhiteApe

    TheGreatWhiteApe Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2011
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    Games Designer, animator, writer
    Melbourne, Australia
    New policy

    Yeah it is definitely a new policy, Apple is cracking down on this a lot now, as well as blocking apps that offer points or rewards for social sharing as well.

    I think that in app video ads and social sharing are pretty important ad ons for marketers and devs, but I can understand why they have made the change. It will clean up a lot of the spamming of users that is going on, both in app and on facebook from apps. Also helps apples own ads platform.

    Unfortunately to remove the dodgey guys the legitimate devs will suffer as well.
     

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