Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch
StarPlayr bounced by App Store
In a move that is certain to put a serious dent in the dreams of satellite radio fans, the highly desired uSirius Starplayr for the iPhone has been rejected in its current form by Apple.In a note on their web site, NiceMac LLC says they were told the 'application could not be approved at this time.' Starplayr is available on other platforms, including the Mac, Windows computers and Windows Mobile phones.
The release of the player was thought to be imminent a few weeks ago, but Apple gets the final word. It may be that Sirius/XM has problems with a third party player, or AT&T may have bandwidth issues. The app was delivered to Apple for review January 31st.
The Starplayr team remains optimistic, and says they will do whatever they have to do to get the app to the iPhone. It's all another headache for Sirius/XM fans who are also worrying whether the two merged satellite companies will survive long enough to make all the effort by NiceMac worthwhile.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TylersPage.net said 8:05AM on 2-27-2009
"At This Time" probably means that they'll have something like that in the third gen iPhone. Just my 2 cents...
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utterer said 8:07AM on 2-27-2009
Word out of Apple is that the application wasn't approved because it lacks any type of fart, mirror, flashlight or iPhone memory usage features. Hopefully they can add some of thos ein so it can compete with the other 80% of the junk on the store.
Who wants an app that people are actually looking for on the AppStore?
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scott said 8:45AM on 2-27-2009
I have NEVER considered jailbreaking my phone, but I would do it now in a second if that is what it will take to get sirius on my phone.........
thanks apple.
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NiceMac said 8:51AM on 2-27-2009
We have updated the press release to be more clear.
The app was not rejected, however it could not be approved at this time.
It does no good to send hate mail to or bash Apple or any other involved parties. In fact, it could damage relationships required to get this product to market.
Instead, we encourage positive emails and messages of support to all those involved.
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ErnieP said 9:01AM on 2-27-2009
No offense, but why doesn't Sirius just come out with their own player for the iPhone? Why should someone else be able to profit off their content and infrastructure? Could that be the hold up from Apple?
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raindog said 7:50AM on 3-09-2009
I actually don't get it, there's plenty of music streaming apps on the app store for free for everyone. Sirius XM would only be for Sirius/XM subscribers who own iphones. Much less users than Pandora.
Maybe Apple thinks it will take away iTunes purchases. Either way this sucks, it's the only App I was looking forward to.
I mean, there's 90% crap on the app store, only 1% of the apps download are actually used after a day, this one would have been used all the time.
I have big business, it's never about what the consumer wants.
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kcrump said 9:36AM on 2-27-2009
Nicemac, after the Howard Stern listeners find out the app wasn't "approved at this time", I don't think apple will be receiving many nice emails/calls...
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vincenzo7 said 9:47AM on 2-27-2009
I am in the beta for this app and have been for months. This app is BEAUTIFUL and works flawlessly. I use this as my ONLY method of listening to Sirius.
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Todd said 9:47AM on 2-27-2009
I'm currently a beta tester for this app and I'm really disappointed that Apple didn't allow it to go through.
It's the best audio app the iPhone has.
Please Apple let it go through.
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Mekis said 10:15AM on 2-27-2009
Is there a list of iPhone App Development criteria available for the general public? I'd be interested to read it in an attempt to guess why StarPlayr was rejected.
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DevilGhost said 10:39AM on 2-27-2009
funny
then why is ihartradio app works just fine with local radio stations? on and edge network
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Paul said 11:12AM on 2-27-2009
Does the Starplayr app use approved APIs to access Sirius's content? I don't mean Apple approved SDK APIs, I mean Sirius approved methods. Or is it just a hack of some sort?
There are other radio streamers on the store. I wonder if Sirius put a stop to this.
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Alex said 12:11PM on 2-27-2009
I don't see how it could be a bandwidth issue, they allowed Shoutcast and Pandora.
I assume Sirius is forcing a hold until they get the revenue from the Internet streaming fee in March (they are starting to charge $3/month for internet streaming).
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mark said 12:17PM on 2-27-2009
Once again, to hell with the App Store, bring it to Cydia. Jailbreakers will enjoy this program.
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Jimbob said 12:36PM on 2-27-2009
Love StarPlayr on my Mac. But this kind of frustration what made me ditch my iPhone to go back to RIM. I bet BlackBerry users (and RIM) would welcome the app...
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jc said 12:49PM on 2-27-2009
My guess is that the app does something Apple doesn't like or allow. I would think that it would be up to Sirius to bump the app off the store AFTER it came out if that was their desire. Sirius needs all the listeners they can get at this point and this app would be a positive boost in visibility for the company.
Question: Is there a player on Android?
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billrm5 said 1:27PM on 2-27-2009
There is no way this is a bandwidth issue, there are TONS of audio streaming applications. It's becoming more difficult to remain an Apple fan when an application like this takes a month to review and is not approved. Give it another couple weeks or so then release it to Cydia. You'll get more revenue through Jailbreakers than letting the app sit and rot in the approval process.
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colouroflight said 1:27PM on 2-27-2009
This is when they tell Apple to sod off and go to Cydia.
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Unknown said 1:41PM on 2-27-2009
Just so disappointing - I've been anticipating this app for weeks, and this is really annoying. The lack of transparency from Apple is what is so frustrating. At my work we were going to invest in building an iphone app for a great idea we had - but after thinking about the resources and money required to build it, we scrapped it - we couldn't take the risk of Apple bouncing it with no real explanation.
I've heard from a few beta testers how GREAT this app was. Agreed with Scott - there was zero compelling reason for me to jailbreak my phone...now I have at least one.
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adam said 3:51PM on 2-27-2009
This is so frustrating. I've been waiting for this app for a very long time; if what the beta testers say is true, then I don't really understand what the issue is. I use NiceMac's desktop player and it's awesome. The antenna to my car receiver just broke so I was looking forward to just using my iPhone to stream while I drive.
It'd just be nice to know what exactly the issue is.
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