iPhone devsugar: App Store approval in...one hour?

As an app developer, this decreased turnaround time has made it a lot easier to respond to the comments from our users. I had recently changed the icon for one of my apps, resulting in a few upset users. I very quickly updated the app -- since it was released so quickly, the timeframe was right that one of my users actually went back and edited the complaint review (you can see it on the store, here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speed-dial-with-photo/id339486523?mt=8). Of course, one review is left unchanged, but I will take any improved reviews!

Wow - a story because somebody's app got approved in a day? Do I get my own story just because my app is still "In Review" for more than 47 days now ("In Review", not "Waiting for Review" with nothing but canned responses when trying to figure out what the hold up is).

If Apple decides to block your app for whatever reason they will still do so!

Ever since the beginning of the AppStore I've been wondering about the exact methodology of the approval process. I know it is largely done by hand, so Apple must've hired lots of bright young CS graduates for the task. However, with so many apps submitted and presumably countless others that didn't make it, there is NO WAY Apple can be doing it entirely by hand, WITHOUT some "mechanical" assistance. It is the nature of the latter that most interests me.

Specifically, when checking an app for approval, do they:

• run it through some dedicated usage simulator to check for potential malware behavior? (attempting to access unlisted servers, etc.)

• decompile it, then scan the code for use of unknown or proscribed APIs?

• check its CPU loads/ battery depletion after some given time of use?

[As an aside, I have yet to see a single blogpost, or press article that would attempt to deal specifically with those aspects of life @ 1 Infinite Loop.]

Apple did change their approval process on January 1st.

Most of the approval process is now automated via computer. If it runs fine from the automated script, it will be auto-approved and immediately sent to iTunes. (process takes from 30 min to 1 hour, depending on how many apps waiting to be approved)

If something is not right (like constant crashes during the testing process, or nudity content found), then the app will be decompiled to the code the developer used, and then the app will be sent to one of the technician who will read the code of the app, one line at a time, then actual testing of the app for content check, and if nothing is wrong, then it's approved. (This process takes from 3 hours to one week, but longer if there's a backlog)

Similar experience. We've got approval for an update of our myPhoneDesktop application (http://myphonedesktop.com/) in just under 2 hours. Certainly it was a small update with no new functionality added; just minor improvements and issue fixes. But we hope it's a sign of good changes :).

One time is a fluke, the comments to this story are the real news IMO. This is exciting.

Great. Now maybe they can work on removing all the "Interesting Male" apps from Productivity and Navigation categories.

Perhaps devs are cooling their heels at the moment and preparing product for the iPad?

Same experience. Today I submitted my updated binary for Shopaholic (http://shopaholic.quanganhdo.com) to the App Store at 04:56, only to found out it is approved 5 hours later. Very impressive.

In the past, it took Apple 2 weeks to 1 whole month to review my apps.

Similar experience. I submitted a new App before Christmas (snowNew - http://thesnowsite.com/snownews/) and it was approved in 4 days, and last week an update to cookCal (http://cal.culate.it/cook/) was approved in just over 3 days.