Stupid Apple Reviewers

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by willzeng, Mar 26, 2013.

  1. #1 willzeng, Mar 26, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2013
    I got my update rejected again. For they cannot find "restore previous purchase". The button is right beside the puchase one. They don't see it. And they don't even think why the same binary got approved last time. I said I updated the binary only to update the screenshots. (The policy is not supid, huh? Maybe someone would chage the tile to "Why criminals forced apple..." again, hun? And some Apple fans may jump out and say it's rare case again, huh?)

    It's the third or forth time they reject my update for their stupidity. No contacting and comfirmation beforehand. Each time wastes me a week of "waiting for review". No dev support number I can call, have to appeal and wait their email. Not a single appologize for these many times. Always slow and arrogant responses.
     
  2. They reject my app twice for not finding the IAPs, which will pop up by just finishing the first level, which takes exactly one minute.

    Should I submit a not-to-make mistake list everytime? How can I cover all possible mistakes those idiots might make?
     
  3. iMing

    iMing Well-Known Member

    Mar 24, 2013
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    co-founder at Takeout Arcade
    Kuala Lumpur
    Quality Control

    It seems they have been really 'strict' off late, we had 4 apps rejected in a row, and multiple times. The way we think about it in the office now is: apple reviewers = our QA team!
     
  4. arbt

    arbt Member

    Apr 3, 2012
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    I've been there too. One of my apps got rejected twice for the Restore button. First time it wasn't there so fine I added one. Second time the button was there but they didn't see it so it got rejected again. I used the Resolution Center to explain how the app managed iaps with a screenshot and next day the app went from Rejected to Live.
     
  5. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    when you submit a binary there is a form where you can enter information that helps the review guys find what they might look for.. i assume you left that blank.

    if you hide your iap after your game (meaning they actually need to play your game) they might not find it..

    iMing has a point.. they are partially your QA guys.. and QA guys need an introduction..

    how do you expect them to check out hundred of apps on a daily base?

    writing a few lines and describing your game and its topology can help.
    Rejections based on implementing iOS related features is nothing new, so pointing the guys into the right direction helps you and them.
     
  6. Simengie

    Simengie Well-Known Member

    May 14, 2012
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    Don't fuss about it.
    Follow the UI guide lines. Specifically they talk about things like iAP and the requirement for a restore button when you have non-consumable items and why you should add it. The reason is very valid.

    Read all the documents that the developer area provides for you. They are there for a reason. If you don't follow the published rules then expect to get rejected. This restore button is not a hidden requirement.

    About the iAP after a level completes, well that is sort of a hidden iAP and guess what there is a guide line about that. Testers do not hunt features. They test for compliance with guide lines. Think about that and use the optional information area of the app page to let them know how to find items that are not standard and WHY they are not standard.

    If you want to work on a store that just accepts what ever you submit then I suggest you move to Google Play and Android.
     
  7. Arty Tales

    Arty Tales Active Member

    Dec 22, 2011
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    Maybe it is my luck but I seem to have got one or more unusually difficult reviewers over the last 2 or 3 days. I get asked questions that are:
    - Explained very clearly in the description (or even the title)
    - Explain in the help/info menu
    - Should be understood in the first 10 seconds of using the App
     
  8. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    To be honest, if you have to write "The 'Restore Purchases' button is right next to the 'Purchase' button... exactly where you'd expect to find it" then your whole introduction is going to be longer than Wikipedia.
     
  9. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    Berlin, Germany
    well it seems not everyone places stuff in close proximity :)

    and if writing a little about your game so it has a smoother review is too much.. well go to a forum and write there. im sure that will be as helpfull.

    point is everyone cooks their own topology and if you had to review who knows how much apps in a day im sure an error here and there is normal.

    not sure what the fuss is about..

    @arty: can you show some examples?

    what would bother me more than a rejection is that they did not find the iap.

    if a reviewer did not found the feature you implemented what do you think will happen if an ordinary customers gets to try your game.

    *shrug*
     
  10. baris

    baris Well-Known Member

    Jul 30, 2010
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    But his purhchase button wasn't easy to find either, they could only see it after finishing the first level
     
  11. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    Firstly do not swear even if you asterisk out the swear word, do not do that.

    Secondly how come all these other devs seem to get their app approved okay and time after time (whether its a 'copy' of a popular app icon or something else) this keeps happening to you ?

    Getting upset with Apple and moaning here wont help as when your app does get approved, what next ? Swearing/moaning that people arent buying it or leaving bad reviews ?
     
  12. #12 willzeng, Mar 29, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2013
    I don't know what form you are refering, but generally I fill every blank I can find. Surely I didn't mention the restore button is beside the purchase one since I didn't expect anyone could miss it. And I didn't expect anyone who could miss the IAPs either, for there's a tutorial when you play the game for the first time, and you have no choise but follow it, and once the one minute tutorial level ends, the IAPs are there alone with the upgrade options. If these are to be mentioned beforehand, I guess I have to list dozens of items and still don't know whether I could miss anything that they might miss! What a shame, QA team... You see any QA team never finishes a one minute tutorial?

    However, above is not the point yet. The point is, they don't confirm with you. And they don't want you to confirm with them (no phone number). Multiple times, not a single sorry.
     
  13. What if I do not asterisk the word?

    Firstly do not reject my app in less than one minute review. Can I get a single response for so many times? You get really lucky I even responses.
     
  14. Besides, I don't copy. And they DIDN'T SAY what I copied before rejection. That's the problem. Even you noticed it keeps happening? No rare case again?
     
  15. baris

    baris Well-Known Member

    Jul 30, 2010
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    This is not quite the edge case you make it out to be though. Obviously, the reviewers want to especially check out the in-apps, because those involve money. They also have lots of apps to check, and they can't play through them all. The reviewers are not a QA team (they even stress in a document that all submitted apps must have passed through internal QA before being submitted for review)

    And there is no way for them to know how long the level takes beforehand, so it's not like they can say "I'll play this for a minute, and then I'll be able to check out the in-apps". For all they know, the first level could take 20 minutes and the in-apps might appear after the first chapter.

    I'm not saying I would have necessarily thought to add this in the notes, but it's certainly not the unexpected and unavoidable disaster you make it out to be. It's an a lot more productive attitude to fix what you can, before blaming the world (or Apple) for those that you can't.

    Also, I don't think the restore button is that obvious either. It is a standard "info" button close to the purchase button, not saying 'restore' on it.

    (These being said, the game was kind of fun to play although this isn't my type of game)


    I can't resist:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9CynvMlFyo
     
  16. I report events in my game to a metrics backend to know how players progress, which class do well, etc. I can tell you that for my approval Apple didn't even played the game, they just created a character then went for the IAP screen off my main menu and tried them 3 of the 5 options. That was it.

    So I can easily see how they did not bothered to complete your tutorial. How would they know your IAP screen is beyond it? It's not exactly conventional.

    Just leave a comment explaining how to find it next time. I always fill the comments box even if it seems dead obvious to me. The minute it takes vs the risk of a rejection seemed like a no brainer.
     
  17. Foursaken_Media

    Foursaken_Media Well-Known Member
    Patreon Indie

    Not to complain - these guys have tons of apps to go through and generally speaking they do a great job - but we actually put explicit instructions on how to get to the restore button in our game (which is simply in the main menu options screen - nothing hidden or fancy). We included the instructions on the main review notes, and also with every non-consumable IAP review note just to be sure...

    It still got rejected "for not having a restore button"... it does hurt because now we're 3 weeks behind schedule (we got rejected for the same thing in an earlier build too - so this is twice now).
     
  18. Ouch that sucks :( I'd hate it if it happened to me.

    Mine is clearly labeled as "Restore Purchases" in the IAP Subscreen but I think I'll add it as well in each IAP comments to be even safer... although it didn't do much good for you.
     
  19. Simengie

    Simengie Well-Known Member

    May 14, 2012
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    I guess the bigger question about these restore buttons is:

    Are you using the restore transaction API properly? You do know they can see what API's get called. If they press the button and it "restores" the purchases but does not properly use the restore API then it really does not have a proper restore button. I got bit for this one exactly. Had a restore function but it was not using the API specifically like the developer resources said to use it. I made the changes and they accepted it.

    Also note that their test as they detailed to me can involve installing on device A and purchasing something then installing on device B with same account or deleting and re-installing on device A and doing the restore.

    It must pass this test according them. I went through this mess last year and waited out the resolution center response to get clear answers on how it had been tested. It was quite enlightening.

    Also for the record, it is advised that you submitted far enough in advance of your go on sale date to allow for 3 review cycles. At least in the group of indie's and studios I interact with. If you game has a lot of leaderboards, iAP and iAds and can be sure it will take longer than normal to review. Right now review times are 7ish days. So a safe submit time frame would be 21-24 days prior to release date you are targeting.

    I have contacts and have myself that had reviews with rejections take outward of 49 days for my app and 53 for theirs. It is more common than you think to have reviews go out this far.

    And if you think these rejections are mess just wait till you get rejected for "legal considerations" that is a whole new ball park and makes normal rejections look like cake walk. Things like having to provide copies of contracts with the artist and statements from them that the contracted work is original and completely theirs is a PITA. We got rejected for Art and Music in the same app. Lucky for us the Art was in house (we could show all the revisions from start to finish) the music was by third party we had contracted and paid and they stood by their work was original.

    I will take a restore button rejection vice a legal review every time. Just saying it could be a lot worse on you than "no restore button".
     

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