Apple's New Year's resolution? Get apps through approval faster
One of the biggest gripes we heard from iPhone developers during 2009 was that it took forever for their apps to make it through the iTunes App Store approval process. Often apps would be disapproved for seemingly illogical reasons after a long wait in the approval queue, and TUAW heard from more than one developer that had just given up. iTunes Connect, the portal through which iPhone developers submit apps and check sales, was down between December 23 - 28, 2009. Since that time, TUAW has received a number of positive emails from iPhone devs that indicate that Apple has resolved to quit holding up apps in 2010.
How fast are some apps making it through the process? Take developer Aaron Douglas's free Migraine Diary [iTunes Link]; he submitted it on December 28th at 9 PM CT and received notice of the approval a 4 PM CT on the 31st of December -- that's less than three days.
But that's downright slow compared to what Yuri, a developer at Atomic Cactus, experienced:
That's nine and a half hours, folks! This is a small sampling of the many emails we've received from developers since just after Christmas.I'm a developer behind Atomic Cactus, we have 3 games currently in the app store, and they all took approximately 2-3 weeks to get approved. Today at 4:00 am I submitted for approval our latest app, which isn't exactly a "fart app" (it's a pretty polished puzzle game with OpenFeint). As of 1:30 pm today, the app is in the app store.
Whether this is due to a New Year's resolution, competition from the Android platform, or a new back-end system for processing apps, it's a welcome change for iPhone developers and users alike.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Nick said 3:18PM on 1-09-2010
Great, this means patches will be out faster. Next on my wish list is an official SDK for Windows...
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dagamer43 said 3:21PM on 1-09-2010
Never gonna happen.
nickganga said 4:03PM on 1-09-2010
yeah, def not going to happen.
Nick said 4:37PM on 1-09-2010
I'll switch to Android if it doesn't happen by the time my contract is up. Kind of a dick move.
jimmy said 5:52PM on 1-09-2010
Not really a dick move, Nick. Building an SDK is no small task, especially one as polished and refined as the iPhone SDK. Since the iPhone, the Mac, and presumably the rumored tablet all use a version of OS X, keeping the process streamlined makes sense. And as a developer, the SDK takes very little machine to keep it going smoothly. I've developed apps on a hackintoshed Mini 9. A Mac Mini sitting next to your PC is a small investment into the iPhone dev world.
Is it a dick move that there is no Windows Mobile SDK for Mac?
Nick said 4:09AM on 1-10-2010
Downvoted for being a Windows user. Predictable.
And yes, it's a dick move that there's no WinMo SDK for Mac. I'm not defending Microsoft by any stretch, although WinMo doesn't really seem to matter much these days. I'm just saying it'd remove barriers to entry for a lot of aspiring coders if the SDK ran on Windows.
I mean, what about kids who are in high school who are interested in coding for iPhone, but their parents bought them a PC? Rather than to just say "tough [potty mouth], buy a Mac", it'd be great for Apple to put the SDK on Windows for education's sake.
AJ said 12:30PM on 1-10-2010
But is it really a dick move for Apple not to offer the SDK on Windows? What would you develop in? VS? I think not. Microsoft's development tools are crap in comparison to Apple's. Also, have you been able to successfully compile any Objective-C code on the windows platform? My guess is that you haven't. So why not fork for the $500 for a Mac Mini (Or better yet, find one on ebay for cheaper.) and get Apple's developer tools for free. After all, if you think about it, you would probably have to spend that just to get VS (If you didn't already have it) and upgrade your machine to get VS to run efficiently on it.
t2af said 12:44PM on 1-10-2010
@Nick
No just downgraded for having a hissy fit for something that is not reasonable as AJ has pointed out.
DA623 said 6:20PM on 1-10-2010
Well, if you fully understood the structure of the iPhone, you would perfectly see why the SDK is Mac OS X only. The iPhone obviously uses allot of technology from OS X such as Core Image, the Cocoa coding language, etc. so in essence, if they wanted to release a SDK on Windows, they would have to port a good portion of Mac OS X to Windows. Obviously that isn't going to happen...
nyte3k said 4:56AM on 1-11-2010
At the end of the day, Apple makes notebooks and desktops, and their own OS as well, so it would not make business sense to do it.
The cost to develop, support, and hire just to maintain an SDK on a platform that they not only compete with but make not a dime from, would make no sense.
nickganga said 4:03PM on 1-09-2010
I'm willing to bet, as it has been discussed before, that the approval provess is now automated. What I don't think has been brought up yet is the thought that when the SDK for OS 4.0 comes out, it will include a preliminary approval tool (similar to what Apple uses) so developers can test their apps for compliance before even submitting it.
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kmcgrady said 4:22PM on 1-09-2010
I like the idea of that being included in OS 4.0 SDK. I don't think it will happen for one reason though. If developers can see exactly how the automated system works via a pre-liminary test I'm sure somebody would figure out how to game the system.
nickganga said 4:50PM on 1-09-2010
That may be true, but at least a preliminary 'test' of your app could save so many developers the headache of dealing with Apple. Although it seems to be getting better...
hank0318 said 4:17PM on 1-09-2010
Great - so this means we'll see the new updated google maps app, the google voice app, goggles, etc popping up real soon!
HAH hah...
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Fan-of-iTech said 4:20PM on 1-09-2010
Apple just need to approve all the good apps now...(like Google Voice, Slingplayer over 3G, etc.)
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Fred said 4:30PM on 1-09-2010
Don't you mean, "Insanely Fast"?
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Aaron Ardiri said 4:48PM on 1-09-2010
there is also an automated scanning process in place now as we'll - which can explain why they are also approving things faster. if you have used an undocumented API - you will receive an email from a bot :)
// Aaron Ardiri
Mobile 1UP
http://www.mobile1up.com/
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Stephane said 4:51PM on 1-09-2010
I can confirm that the approval process seems way way faster. My latest application TapPerso (now in the store http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tapperso/id348856989?mt=8) went from "Waiting for Review" to "In Review" in a matter of couple hours.
The app was rejected a couple times because of some trademark issue with some images but overall the approval process was EXTREMELY fast compare to 2009.
In the past my apps usually used to stay 4 to 5 days before moving to "In Review"...
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Ken Berger said 5:10PM on 1-09-2010
We submitted our first app just after Christmas and it was approved in 24 hours!
http://www.prscables.com/prsjamamp/
Not a simple app
Ken
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thezonie said 5:41PM on 1-09-2010
This is great news, simply because things seemed to be getting worse as the year went on. Our last update just before Christmas did get approved within less than a week, so I am glad to see that it wasn't just a rushed response to flush the approval queue before the holiday break.
And as a the proud owner of two Paul Reed Smith guitars, I'll have to check out your app. :)