App Store Review Guidelines

Apple today refreshed its App Store Guidelines created for developers, modifying the emulator rules to include express permission for PC emulators to download games. Guideline 4.7 has been updated to state that PC emulator apps can offer to download games. The guideline previously said that console emulator apps could include the option to download games, but it did not explicitly cover PC...

Apple today updated its App Store guidelines to comply with an anti-steering mandate levied by the European Commission. Music streaming apps like Spotify are now permitted to include a link or buy button that leads to a website with information about alternative music purchasing options, though this is only permitted in the European Economic Area. Music Streaming Services Entitlements: music...

Apple today announced it has updated its App Store Review Guidelines with three key changes related to outside-of-app communications, collecting contact information within an app, and in-app events featured in the App Store. In late August, Apple announced it had reached a $100 million settlement that, pending court approval, would resolve a class action lawsuit from U.S. developers who...

Apple today updated its App Store Review Guidelines to reflect its newly unveiled software versions, including iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. The updated guidelines also address developer trust and safety issues. In addition, two updates have been made to the App Review contact form on Apple's website. First, developers who appeal an app rejection can now specify...

Apple has told Australia's competition watchdog that it's "surprised" to hear that some developers have concerns over the App Store and the process in which apps are reviewed, rejected, or approved for distribution on the platform. In September of last year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched an investigation into Apple's ‌App Store‌ and Google's Play Store...

Popular Mac app "Amphetamine" will remain on the Mac App Store after reportedly being threatened with removal over its name and branding, which Apple had said breached App Store guidelines. Amphetamine is a free Mac app that helps users to keep their machine awake for a set amount of time. Launched in 2014, the app has been downloaded over 432,000 times and is highly rated on the ‌Mac App...

The developers behind the Brave browser today announced some changes for the iOS version of Brave, which are being implemented to comply with Apple's App Store rules. A new version of the Brave browser being released today for the iPhone and the iPad removes features that allowed people to earn rewards for browsing and to tip creators. Brave has a system that allows those using the browser...

Apple in September tweaked its App Store rules surrounding in-app purchase requirements for realtime experiences, and as a result, apps that offer virtual events for more than a single person must use in-app purchases. Apple was originally requiring apps to comply starting in December 2020, but the deadline has now been pushed out until June 30, 2021.As the world fights COVID-19, we...

Apple's dispute with "HEY" wasn't the first time the Cupertino company tried to force an email app into adding in-app purchases, according to ProtonMail CEO Andy Yen. Yen told The Verge that back in 2018, ProtonMail was forced to add in-app purchases to its app, which had been in the App Store since 2016. ProtonMail at the time had a paid email service but did not offer it in the app, with...

Apple today announced updates to its App Store Review Guidelines to take into account some new features that are coming in iOS 14, such as App Clips, while also introducing new rules surrounding streaming game services and in-app purchases. According to Apple's updated guidelines, streaming game services like Microsoft's xCloud are allowed, but all of the games included in a streaming game...

Facebook today joined Microsoft in condemning Apple's App Store policies, after the company was forced to remove the games feature from its Facebook Gaming app, which launches today on iOS. Facebook Gaming app on Google Play Store In a statement given to The Verge, Facebook said it has had its Gaming app rejected multiple times by Apple in recent months, but Apple cited its App Store...

Apple in early 2019 removed or restricted many popular screen time and parental control apps on the App Store due to their use of Mobile Device Management, or MDM, which the company said put user security and privacy at risk. During today's antitrust hearing with the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, Cook was questioned about Apple's decision to remove the parental control apps,...

Apple today announced that it is launching an online version of its App Store lab, providing developers with another avenue to share feedback to help improve the App Store. Apple's new developer forums will also serve as a platform for developers to share their suggestions so that Apple can implement changes that benefit the community. Additionally, two changes are coming to the App Store...

Apple today informed developers that it has released updated App Store Review Guidelines, with changes that cover reviews, spam, push notifications, Sign in with Apple, data collection and storage, mobile device management, and more. Apple's new guidelines can be found on its developer website, but we've highlighted a few notable changes below. 1.4.4 - Apps used to commit or attempt to...

Apple last week removed all vaping-related apps from the App Store and updated ‌App Store‌ guidelines to prohibit apps that facilitate or encourage the use of vape-related devices. Apple never allowed apps that sold vape cartridges, but it did allow apps that offered up vape-related news or provided controls for vape devices. Some companies, such as PAX, relied heavily on Apple's ‌App Store‌...

Apple is removing all vaping-related apps from the App Store today, according to Axios, shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,172 lung injury cases linked to e-cigarette or vape products. In a statement issued to Axios, Apple said it agrees with expert opinions that vaping is a "public health crisis" and a "youth epidemic":We take great care to curate the...

Apple today updated its App Store Review Guidelines with changes to third-party advertising and analytics in kids apps, as well as additional criteria for when apps are required to use Sign in with Apple. Kids apps The guidelines now state that, in limited cases, third-party analytics may be permitted in kids apps provided that the services do not collect or transmit any identifiable...

As one of many updates to its App Store Review Guidelines this week, Apple has indicated that parental control app developers are again permitted to use Mobile Device Management (MDM) technology in their apps, so long as they do not sell, use, or disclose any data to third parties for any purpose. An excerpt from the newly added Guideline 5.5:You must make a clear declaration of what user...

Just one day after exposing a handful of developers spamming the App Store with duplicate VoIP apps, a clear violation of the ‌App Store‌ Review Guidelines, TechCrunch reports that Apple has removed many of the apps from the ‌App Store‌. However, the report notes that plenty of duplicate apps remain available in other categories, such as photo printing. MailPix Inc., for example, has...

Apple today made a tweak to its App Store Review Guidelines, allowing developers to implement a new feature that will let iOS users purchase in-app content as a gift. Right now, iOS users can purchase paid apps as gifts for other iOS users, but there's no way to purchase in-app content as a gift. As more and more apps work on a free-to-try or subscription basis with various content only...