Apple Outlaws Mentions Of Android In App Store
So you’ve got an application that isn’t ONLY available on the iPhone – it could be on Android, WebOS, WinMo, BlackBerry and other platforms. In your “description” you may want to let users know, and heck, maybe you got an award or something in one of the platforms and want to show users you’re product is noteworthy. Sound fair? Not according to Steve Jobs.
If it’s Android you want to mention you better think again. Flash Of Genius, developers of an app called SAT Vocab 2.2, have had the following description in the iPhone App Store:
They have just posted (on their blog) a letter they received from Apple suggesting they remove the mention of Google Android or else have their app removed from the App Store:
Dear Flash of Genius, LLC,
Thank you for submitting Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab 2.2 to the App Store. During our review of your application, we found that your application contains inappropriate or irrelevant platform information in the Application Description and/or Release Notes sections.
Providing future platform compatibility plans or other general platform references are not relevant in the context of the iPhone App Store. While your application has not been rejected, it would be appropriate to remove “Finalist in Google’s Android Developer’s Challenge!” from the Application Description [Emphasis added].
Please log into iTunes Connect to make appropriate changes to the Application Description now to avoid an interruption in the availability of Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab 2.2 on the iPhone App Store.
Regards,
iPhone Developer Program
Apple definitely has the right to do this… it just seems… overly defensive. Doesn’t it make them seem scared of Google and Android? Perhaps they should be! Meanwhile Flash Of Genius are just wondering how they can leverage their success on Android to show iPhone users they should give the software a shot!
You can take our description… but you cannot take… OUR FREEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
[Via Gizmodo]