Apple’s Review Process Strikes Again

For the first time, I have my own idiotic app review rejection story.  I have to say, until now I’ve been one of the lucky ones.  My developer app was approved in days, and every app and update I’ve put through has been approved with no hassles (save for the preposterous delay).  Until now.

Just a few days after my post on how the app review process hurts everyone, Apple rejected my PhotoZen update. Yes, my update.  The update was identical to the original app, except that it added a few features (and one bug fix) that nearly 100% of users insisted on.  It took them nearly two weeks to reject it.

Why?  Get ready for this.

When I submitted the app, I noted in the release notes that I added the following note:

“option to approve/deny photos from camera roll and library”. 

Let me explain.  Skip over this if you aren’t interested in the details.

When you use the image picker, you can ask the user if they want to select a picture from the camera, camera roll, or photo library.  If they choose camera, and snap a photo, it asks if they want to use the photo before returning the image to the app.  However, if they select camera roll or library, the minute they touch a photo it returns to the app.  My app, upon receiving the callback, immediately sent the photo to the server.

Now, many users said they wanted the ability to confirm that they really wanted to use the photo they selected.  Some other users said they wanted to be able to move and zoom the photo before sending it.  Turns out I could kill two birds with one stone.  By telling the image picker dialog to allow move and zoom, suddenly a Use Photo button appeared no matter what image source was chosen.

Brilliant.  In three lines of code I handled two feature requests, and noted them in the release notes.

Now back to the rejection.  Here is Apple’s reason for rejecting my update:

“feature is not implemented as described in the Release Notes”

Actually, Apple, yes it is. I said users now have the option to confirm or deny their selection.  That is precisely what happens.

But lets say it was a matter of semantics.  Considering I’ve been waiting almost two weeks for a critical update to go through (the bug I fixed was a biggie, and pretty much renders the app useless for a large number of people), why not just edit my release notes and approve the damn thing?  Instead, they expect me to submit the exact same binary and wait another two weeks.

This is ridiculous.  I cannot overstate my frustration with Apple.  Instead of getting better, things are actually getting worse.  I keep getting emails from other developers about the most ridiculous app and update rejections.  This system is so broken I have nothing to rightfully compare it to.

The solution remains simple: stop requiring app updates to be approved.  Allow developers to effectively “patch” their apps immediately and without review.  Apple’s bizarre need to control every aspect of everything is ruining, at the very least, my app.  I now have to let a couple thousand users know that the features they requested, the features I had ready within hours of the app’s initial release, will not be to them for yet another two weeks over a semantic disagreement with Apple.

This is disgraceful.  I have sent an email to Apple asking them to do the obvious thing and edit my release notes and approve.  I will update this post if they do so.  As it stands though, PhotoZen has been out for two weeks in a state that my users aren’t happy with, and I have no power to remedy the situation at all.