It's time I shared this, what happened to my app...Apple?

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by Xammond, Jun 2, 2015.

  1. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    Ok I'm fed up with getting sideways looks from people because I wear my heart on my sleeve, so here's my story:

    Back in 2011 I released my first iOS app 'BubbleSand', it had been in development for the best part of a year.
    After just one day of being featured in New & Noteworthy it vanished from that list, but far worse was apparent: The app's icon had magically changed to a placeholder.
    Now we all know that it is *impossible* for a developer to change a single thing on The App Store (TAS), only iTunes Connect (ITC) can do this.

    THIS is the orignal icon:
    icon512.png

    THIS is what ITC chaged it to (circled) nuking my app to absolute oblivion, the bottom icon is what I suggested they change it to if they "couldn't find the original". :|
    (also this is the exact screenshot that I sent to ITC, and was fobbed off to contact iTunes instead (essentially the music store people), who bounced me back to ITC who ignored me.
    iTunes - broken BubbleSand icon.jpg

    THIS is what I ended up with after pushing updates, never to recover from the detrimental effects of Apple's blow:
    icon512_(v1.2.3).png

    Here is the only review the app recieved, that was once the first update was approved a week later: appadvice.com/appnn/2011/04/bubblesand-zen-app-relax

    tl;dr I am a small guy, Apple are big guys, but I will continue fighting back against this attack even 4 years later. Watch this space.
     
  2. 1stSPIN

    1stSPIN Well-Known Member

    Nov 15, 2014
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    China / Canadian
    Don't let things like that get you down. Things will balance out with each game you publish. Sometimes you get some bad breaks and sometimes you get some good ones. But let them know they did you wrong. Good luck with your game.
     
  3. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    Oh they know they did wrong.

    Since posting this thread: iCloud email gone down, unable to view Sales in iTC...and they've owed me six quid for a few months... as for an apology, I still demand one because it did get me down, it did ruin my career and it most certainly did ruin my life and my children's. It is an outrage they just ignore a serious matter, so what if I'm a minority, maybe I stopped it happening to someone else is my only compensation...well that's something I suppose, but yeah I'm mad at Apple. F'n so.
     
  4. Eli

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

    If you think the icon was the sole reason why this app failed you need a serious reality check.
     
  5. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    Not what I think, just that the change from original icon to placeholder halted the momentum to a halt. It changed everything I did after, causing a fallout with the musician even. I think if that downer never happened then I would have continued developing with the love attitude that I put in to that one, it took me 2 years from that day to start a new project with the same love. I just feel mad that they dismiss me as a person.
     
  6. Stroffolino

    Stroffolino Well-Known Member
    Patreon Silver

    Apr 28, 2009
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    It may well have failed anyway, but I think it's a safe bet that his app showing up with an all-black icon (and some text) pretty much ensured it the quiet death. That being said, I'm not sure how this could be Apple's fault. Apple don't have humans manually installing app icons - the icons that show up in the AppStore and on iTunes are all driven by metadata packaged on itunesconnect and within the app.

     
  7. Eli

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

    Something we see all the time is developers reaching for any reason to rationalize their failure beyond "My app just wan't that great." It's way easier to blame everyone and everything else than critically analyze your own work.
     
  8. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    Please, don't misunderstand, it was my first app on iOS and I didn't expect the front cover to be 'not printed'. I reached out to Apple to get them to fix it and they just kept sending me to a different department, eventually I see the only way to fix their malfunction was to do it myself by submitting a premature update for review.

    The whole app would have gone a different and better way if I didn't kid myself that Apple did it for a reason to do with the app, whatever that might have been. I said to myself and the musician that we have to change everything, I set about changing everything but the musician was determined not to "remove drums" for a more relaxed ambience, while I was working non-stop to scrape any kind of recovery I could. All the time I still couldn't get a reply from anyone at all at Apple.

    These things do effect us as human beings, it has nothing to do with what might have been, it is to do with the downright rude treatment of not even admitting it was their store that was borked, or that some worker was being a prat.

    Since then I released another "shit" app, though the 2nd one actually was shit. And it was made with a shit attitude that Apple left the bitter taste for so long and still don't acknowledge their activity and lack-of when it came to my blank front cover. They did not and do not care tuppence.
     
  9. Destined

    Destined Well-Known Member

    Aug 11, 2013
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    You could of just pulled it from the store and rereleased it under a different name.
     
  10. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    That's what I did with the second app and they rejected it. Took me another 3 months to get my hands on a Mac, I didn't bother uploading by then. I've written off all my old stuff, my iOS Developer Account expires this year and I've made like ten bucks. It will be the second time I've not been able to afford to renew the account.

    I am sure that I would have been able to renew my account if Apple didn't poo on it.
     
  11. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    o_O what?!

    this was my first reaction after opening this thread and reading the first few lines.. what the heck.

    So there was a switch up caused by either you or Apple and this meant the app did show a wrong icon.
    I mean they surely did not design your icon so it was some meta files you did upload to ITC.

    So something went wrong and the support was not fast enough to solve your isse which you assume is easily fixed because Joe the server admin at apple did not wanted to upload your "fixed" icon. Since this should be an easy task taking a minute and surely has nothing todo with the probablity that the complex automated CDN system they are running is easily injected with a new jpg.

    In your chart it shows a total of 8 sales.. not sure how you see this as something good.

    Your App was never "featured".. you show an itunes screencap of your subsections new & noteworthy list, which just list apps that had "any" downloads at all. This is was never a feature. Thinking otherwise is false.
    Not to mention that no one uses iTunes to browse for apps but thats a different point.

    so... your app which was not very interesting to start with did not generate enough traction because the release did not went smooth? Really? You are blaming Apple for your state of mind?

    Entitlement is strong in this thread.

    You and you alone are responsible for your doing. If obstacles appear in your way its your job to overcome them and not stop in front of them and cry foul. You are the one responsible for ruining your life, your "career" and your childrens life. (which is a completly ridiculous statement in the first place)

    sorry if that sounds harsh.. but eli is right about a reality check.

    o_O what the heck... o_O
     
  12. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    You guys wanna stop waving your pitchforks around or what?

    Much of what you say is not accurate. Almost all of what I say is accurate. Anyway, watch it or you'll have someone's eye out, JEEZ
     
  13. Eli

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

    "What happened to my app?"

    *people tell you what happened to your app*

    "WHOA guys, put the pitchforks down!"

    I think I found your problem, you dislike reality.
     
  14. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    In my reality I have a nice second chance at parenthood with my grandchildren, I love reality thanks.

    Of course you are referring to the reality of people saying asshole things to knock a guy while he's down. Standing up for Apple's lame system that let me down yet worked fine for the first day, that's not me disliking the fact it happened being the problem, that is the problem causing me to dislike the people who couldn't give a flying frak.
     
  15. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    So even if the system wen't bonkers, so what? You fixed it yourself after a week. Apple could not help you in time. Shit happens. If the app would be any good if would have sold even a week later. The missconception is that you try to blame others that this incident changed everything.
    If this would be true my "career" would have ended after six month and not be at year 16.

    You are the one responsible doing something with the cards handed to you. Sometimes folding and waiting for the next round is a better choise than to be stubborn and go all in with a good chance to loose.
     
  16. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    You know what I'm gonna end this right here, and say goodbye because I like you guys and even mr.Ugly is usually right on the money. But Apple did effect my life and they have gotten away with it. I shall continue making games but I won't be falling out with more people and having them think the worst of me, I'm one of the good guys maybe that's the problem. Cya round hey.
     
  17. mr.Ugly

    mr.Ugly Well-Known Member

    Dec 1, 2009
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    Never said your one of the bad guys.. just maybe you've read to much conspiracy novels lately.

    Getting back to work is probably best :)

    Good luck with your new game.
     
  18. Xammond

    Xammond Well-Known Member

    Mar 22, 2014
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    In the context of most people are bad (put them in a hunger situation and see), the good guy either makes it apparent to the observer, or the good guy is dismissed by those who wish to appear good. Conspiracy is quite the reality actually, the world is as bent as a nine bob note.

    Yes work, have been tweaking pages of code inbetween every post. My days on the store (365*4) did have the side-effect of improving my code to 'can do'.

    Thank you mr.Ugly, Eli, Destined, Stroffolino, and 1stSPIN. All of you did indeed tell me what happened to my app like Eli states. Guess that also explains why I was murdered in 2012 :)

    There's no room for people like me in Apple land is there, that's ok I feel closure now, thanks again. Cheers!
     
  19. sweetdiss

    sweetdiss Well-Known Member

    Jun 15, 2009
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    I bought a lottery ticket the other day and didn't win a damn thing.

    YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS INJUSTICE MEGA MILLIONS
     
  20. jellybeans12345

    jellybeans12345 Active Member

    May 12, 2015
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    vet nurse
    Australia


    It seems pretty frustrating what seemed to of happened to you, especially putting all the hard work into the app yourself..
    I really hope this all gets resolved for you soon. Look at it this way.. no ones going to slander the mouth who feeds them. Keep developing you never know which one will make the $$$ one day.
    Good luck.
     

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